Seattle’s police chief Carmen Best, the city’s first black police chief, announced her resignation.
Best sent a letter to her department. She said that her retirement will be effective Sept. 2.
“I am confident the department will make it through these difficult times,” Best said in the letter. “You truly are the best police department in the country, and please trust me when I say, the vast majority of people in Seattle support you and appreciate you. … I look forward to seeing how this department moves forward through the process of re-envisioning public safety. I relish the work that will be done by all of you.”
This announcement comes the same day as the Seattle City Council approved reducing the department's ranks by as many as 100 officers through layoffs and attrition.