Seattle police launch 'This is My Neigborhood' hiring campaign. The department wants to hire people who live in the area and reflect the city's diverse communities.

SEATTLE — Seattle is rolling out a new campaign to attract more police recruits.

Mayor Jenny Durkan said the city is growing fast, and the police department is just not keeping up with the pace.

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) ended 2019 with a total of 1,369 sworn officers. The department said they want to hire more people who live here and can reflect Seattle's diverse communities.

The campaign is called, "This is My Neighborhood," and the goal is to expand the size and diversity of SPD. Over the next year, police will use billboards and social media to tell the stories of a dozen officers.

Currently, a billboard at 6th and Dearborn tells the story of Officer Judinna Gulpan. Officer Gulpan was born in the Philippines and grew up in California. She was working in retail in the Seattle-area when she decided to pursue a career in law enforcement. She joined SPD about two years ago.

"I enjoy working in my community," said Gulpan. "I do business checks and foot beats, so I really try to get to know all the businesses in the area."

City leaders gathered in Hing Hay Park on Monday morning to announce the new hiring effort.

"A number of the departments around here were really poaching, you know, and hiring more. They were able to offer more money to get both laterals and new recruits," said Mayor Durkan.

Departments offered hiring bonuses and incentives. In Bellevue, pay for first-year officers starts at nearly $75,000 a year. In Everett, it's more than $77,000. In Seattle, starting pay for new officers is $83,000.

"The Council increased funding for the Seattle Police Department by $110 million over the last four years," said Councilmember Lisa Herbold.

Herbold said included in that money is funding for a hiring bonus program and the community service officer program.

Now the 'This is My Neighborhood' campaign will go along with other efforts, like hiring bonuses of up to $15,000 to attract trained officers.

"These billboards highlight the amazing officers working on the streets today," said Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best.

The campaign launch happened in Nora Chan's neighborhood. She has spent decades devoted to public safety in the Chinatown International District.

As Chan entered Jade Garden Restaurant on Monday afternoon, the owner jokingly said, "She's our neighborhood watch."

Chan pointed out a boarded up glass door, saying the restaurant had been broken into three times in recent months.

The vandalism and thefts have cost the family business money, according to owner Eric Chan.

"They got to do something about the homelessness here. People are scared to come here because there's drug addicts and needles everywhere," said Eric Chan.