Katie Wilson Charts New Course on Public Safety and Homelessness
Seattle Mayor-Elect Katie Wilson believes she'll be judged primarily by how she can improve outcomes on homelessness and public safety. In an interview with The Urbanist, Wilson laid out what she aims to do to set a new course, striving for a more holistic and effective response.
Washington Cities Question Use of License Plate Readers Citing Federal Overreach
A recent University of Washington report on data security issues with automatic license plate readers has been creating waves among law enforcement agencies using the technology, including Lynnwood, Redmond, and Stanwood. Other cities remain committed, despite the risks.
Evans Trounces Republican Seattle City Attorney, Shares Plans for Transition
Seattle City Attorney-elect Erika Evans chatted with The Urbanist about what's next after her resounding victory in the November election, unseating Seattle's lone Republican office-holder.
Harrell Vows to Block ICE Overreach, but Plan Lacks Teeth
Mayor Bruce Harrell recently released two executive orders seeking to respond to President Donald Trump’s aggressive moves to increase local immigration enforcement and illegally send in the National Guard. However, his plan is light on details and lacks leverage to get federal cooperation. Meanwhile, the police guild president vowed support for Trump’s plan.
Op-Ed: Katie Wilson’s Civilian Safety Plan Would Unlock More Effective Police Department
Seattle has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to improve public safety outcomes by civilianizing more tasks and focusing police on major crime. That’s what mayoral candidate Katie Wilson’s public safety platform proposes, which Bryan Kirschner argues would be anti-bad guy, pro-good cop, and taxpayer-friendly.
King County Looks to Replace Program Diverting Youth from Jail
King County Executive Shannon Braddock has proposed a series of changes to one of the county’s pre-filing youth diversion programs, currently called Restorative Community Pathways, replacing the community-led program with a county-led program with a slashed budget.
Harrell and SPOG Rush Police Contract, Hamstringing Civilian Responders, Accountability Agencies
While the Seattle Police Officers Guild scored a big raise and new benefits, the new labor contract negotiated by Mayor Bruce Harrell will continue to hamper the City’s new civilian crisis response department and its police accountability agencies.
Seattle Drug Ordinance Fails to Meet Treatment Promises, Report Says
Earlier this month, the King County Department of Public Defense issued a report showing that the City of Seattle has fallen short on offering diversion and treatment to people criminalized by its new 2023 drug ordinance. During the reviewed period, only six prosecutions out of 215, resulted in someone either completing treatment or receiving a court order to that effect, less than 3%.