New data released by the Seattle City Budget Office (CBO) reveals a significant discrepancy in the city’s expenditures on settlements, judgments, and litigation related to the Seattle Police Department (SPD) from 2014 to 2024.
The city originally budgeted $28.6 million for police-related litigation expenses, but actual expenditures reached $55.5 million, nearly doubling the anticipated costs.
This financial information, obtained from publicly available budget documents and correspondence with representatives from Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office, indicates a troubling pattern of underbudgeting for police action expenses.
During the first five years of this period, from 2014 to 2019, spending exceeded the budgeted amount by 44.8%. However, this figure escalated dramatically, reaching a staggering 111.3% over the subsequent five years from 2020 to 2024.
This sharp increase aligns with the SPD’s aggressive response to the Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, which resulted in greater scrutiny and litigation against the department.
Despite an increase in projected expenses following this critical period, the CBO data suggests that Seattle has consistently underestimated its litigation costs related to SPD actions.
In fact, over the past decade, the city only managed to stay under budget for two years: 2014 and 2023.
The lack of transparency regarding this specific line item—categorized outside of the SPD’s budget—has likely minimized public awareness concerning the scale of police-related spending.
In a stark example of these rising expenses, 2024 recorded the highest spending year for police action expenses, totaling $15.1 million against a budgeted amount of $6.4 million.
A significant contributing factor to this spike was the $10 million settlement reached with 50 individuals affected by SPD actions in January 2024.
Looking ahead, the city appears to be bracing for further litigation costs, budgeting a total of $16.7 million for police action expenses over the next two years.
In addition to these settlements, Seattle has faced numerous lawsuits over the past year, including a notable case involving the family of Jaahnavi Kandula, a college student killed in 2023 by former SPD officer Kevin Dave.
The Kandula family has filed a lawsuit seeking $110 million in damages, which could contribute significantly to the city’s liabilities.
Moreover, at least five separate lawsuits from former SPD employees have arisen between 2023 and 2025, focusing on allegations of retaliation and discrimination within the department.
Complaints have also emerged from journalists and the Seattle Police Officers Guild, who have sued the city over the improper delay in releasing public records pertaining to police actions.
As the city grapples with these mounting financial pressures, it simultaneously faces a prolonged budget crisis exacerbated by reduced revenues from sales tax and economic downturns.
This situation has prompted the city to make cuts to essential services, introduce a temporary hiring freeze in 2024, and limit investments in affordable housing while depleting its non-mandatory fiscal reserves.
Despite these challenges, Seattle maintains a relatively strong fiscal position compared to other cities, with all three major credit rating agencies continuing to award it AAA ratings with stable outlooks.
With pressing issues such as homelessness, housing affordability, and substance use disorders demanding attention and financial resources, Seattle residents may grow increasingly frustrated with the city’s high expenditures on SPD litigation.
At this point, however, it remains unclear whether Seattle leadership has a concrete plan to address the underlying issues that lead to police actions resulting in lawsuits and the associated rising expenses for the city.
Guy Oron is the staff reporter for Real Change, responsible for covering weekly news stories.
image source from：realchangenews
