A police officer in Seattle who served on the force for more than 23 years resigned last week after submitting a scathing letter calling out the leadership of the city and force.
"Their absurd policies have turned Seattle into a playground for anarchists and criminals, and they seem utterly unconcerned with the devastating consequences of their actions," wrote Jessica Taylor, who joined the force in 1998 and resigned last week. "If you haven't noticed, the criminals are running this city."
Taylor refused to fill out a standard exit form and instead submitted the 15-page letter to chief of police Adrian Diaz, who she says "has brought this department and this city to its knees," adding that the department "has transformed into a cesspool of corruption."
Diaz and other city leaders prioritize "playing politics and pandering to radical ideologies rather than genuinely serving the city's and its residents best interests," Taylor said.
Sixteen officers on the force reportedly quit this year as of March 1, and only 10 of those positions had been filled.
Taylor called Diaz a "vindictive, power-hungry individual," telling him, "I wouldn't trust you as far as I could throw you."
The letter comes amid rising crime in the city, Newsweek reported:
A 2021 year-end crime report from the SPD shows that violent crime in the city rose by 20 percent, one of the highest levels in over a decade. At the same time, robberies rose by 18 percent and aggravated assaults by 24 percent. In 2022, the overall crime rate in the city grew by 4 percent compared to the previous year, with a 24 percent rise in homicide, a 4 percent rise in rape, and a 5 percent rise in aggravated assault, according to the SPD.
The city recently installed fentanyl detectors on city buses after more than 50 bus operators submitted worker compensation claims for drug and chemical exposure last year.
Taylor's resignation comes amid police shortages and increasing crime in liberal cities. New York City police officers are resigning in record numbers and the NYPD has lowered its fitness requirements to bring more women on the force.
Homicides in San Francisco have increased nearly 40 percent from 2020 to 2022, and deaths from fentanyl have spiked. The downtown area of the city has lost half of its businesses since the start of the pandemic.