Lieutenant Jessica Taylor served in the Seattle Police Department for the last 23 years. But she called it quits Aug. 1. And she made sure she didn’t leave quietly, providing a rare and in-depth look into how officers perceive the city and local lawmakers.
Taylor refused to fill out the Exit Form, which asks questions like why an officer is leaving, who is their new employer, and what the officer liked most and least about working in the department. Instead, she offered chief Adrian Diaz a 15-page resignation letter that promised an “unfiltered, raw, and unapologetic” description of why she made decision to retire.
“I wanted to go out with the truth,” Taylor explained in an exclusive interview with the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH.
Taylor did not hold back her criticism. She shared the letter with the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH out of fear the department would make it disappear.
……The job took its toll on Taylor. She suffers from Trigeminal Neuralgia, a chronic disorder that causes severe facial pain. Thanks to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, she was sidelined, despite the department being severely understaffed. She’s otherwise fully vaccinated, but given her condition she didn’t want to risk adverse effects.
While Taylor was not permitted to work, the department was under siege from council members seeking to defund it. And while the council debated how to cut 50% from the department’s budget, cops were being demonized by the most fringe councilmembers, like Tammy Morales and Teresa Mosqueda. Since then, nearly 600 officers have left the department.
……Despite her concerns, submitting her resignation was a bittersweet moment for Taylor. She loves the city, spending time volunteering to help the homeless and volunteering with the Special Olympics. She was also recognized by the National Guard with a Patriot Award, which honors supervisors who go above and beyond to support Soldiers in the National Guard.
Taylor got into policing to help her community, but she feels she wasn’t able to anymore. She calls her coworkers incredibly dedicated, brave, professional, and “exceptional, exceptional people.” She now lives in Tri Cities, with a job outside of law enforcement.
This is her response to the department exit interview:
This is her letter:
