The very next sentence highlights that the same problem existed before the Pandemic and police protests from 2020; > Covid may have accelerated this trend, but

The very next sentence highlights that the same problem existed before the Pandemic and police protests from 2020; > Covid may have accelerated this trend, but attrition and hiring issues predate the pandemic. In the 2019 budget, Council approved over $700,000 for hiring incentives, citing the police department's difficulty filling positions. Actually the very first sentence in the article immediately refutes your claim -- what a bizarre source to 'back up' the argument that Seattle defunded the police; > "Why has Seattle lost so many police officers?" The answer is not that the Seattle Police Department was defunded.