The Seattle, Washington, Police Department (SPD) has been operating under the COVID-19 pandemic since February 27, 2020. This is the date that the Seattle-King County region identifies as marking when the pandemic officially was known to be in the community. While public health, public safety, and other government officials had been preparing for the anticipated arrival of the virus, on this day, a care center in King County officially notified county health officials of a spike in respiratory illness.