The Seattle Police Department overpaid about 900 employees by more than $13 million while calculating retroactive raises under a contract signed in 2025.
The contract covered two years when officers worked under an expired agreement. According to the city, SPD used 2020 pay rather than 2024 pay as the baseline for its calculations, making the difference between old and new rates appear larger. The affected employees include officers, managers and civilian staff; most are represented by the Seattle Police Officers Guild.
The mayor’s office said around 100 employees received at least $20,000 too much, while another 225 received between $15,000 and $20,000 in excess pay. One officer’s overpayment was $32,000.
Contracts for two other unions covering some affected employees set out procedures for resolving overpayments. State law requires nonunion employees to repay the money, but the Police Officers Guild contract does not address accidental overpayments. It remains unclear whether any recipient reported an error.
Please note! Comments are published by readers. The opinions expressed may not reflect the position of the editorial team. USCT is not responsible for the content of readers' opinions and asks authors to observe moral standards, not to incite national or racial hatred, and to avoid rudeness. Think before you speak. You are responsible for your words! By publishing an opinion, you agree to the rules! If this request is ignored, USCT reserves the right to deprive the user of the ability to leave comments.