Seattle Reconsiders ‘Defunding the Police’ Due to Rising Crime
“I think the mayor is on the right track, but Seattle is in a huge crisis. Our city has been destroyed, and we’re not going to get it back anytime soon”
The city of Seattle is rethinking the idea of defunding the police, as serious crimes like murder and car theft have risen in the progressive enclave.
The new mayor is trying to respond to concerns about public safety but it’s difficult to put this genie back in the bottle.
FOX News reports:
Seattle reverses course on defunding police as crime ravages locals: ‘A huge crisis’
Seattle residents Victoria Beach, Eli Hoshor and Jonathan Choe said police shortages have left their city in dire straits in the aftermath of officials’ anti-law enforcement rhetoric.
Homicides skyrocketed by 24% while motor vehicle thefts climbed by 30% in the city last year. Overall crime ticked up by 4%.
Mayor Bruce Harrell pushed for increased police presence to curb the issue Tuesday, saying, “We need immediate action and innovation to respond to our public safety issues… Seattle saw a 4% rise in reported crime last year… We need more officers to address our staffing crisis.”
Still, some residents’ outlook is less than optimistic.
“Right now, I don’t have a lot of hope,” Beach told Todd Piro Wednesday on “Fox & Friends First.”
“I think the mayor is on the right track, but Seattle is in a huge crisis. Our city has been destroyed, and we’re not going to get it back anytime soon,” she added.
Beach said she agrees that the city needs more police to help cut back on crime, saying the situation is currently a “free for all.”
“If you want to commit a crime, move to Seattle,” she said.
The Seattle Times has more on the mayor’s recent address:
Harrell said he would use “unabashed boldness” to revamp the center city, which, like downtowns of most major cities, has been slow to rebound from coronavirus-related closures and an uptick in crime.
The mayor said he will introduce a Downtown Activation Plan in the coming months to spell out immediate and long-term changes to lure people back downtown, noting that a rebuilt downtown will be different from what has been seen before.
“It’s the time for bold action. That’s why our long-term plans center downtown as a laboratory for the future,” Harrell said, suggesting zoning changes to allow housing in vacant office buildings and potentially establishing a “24/7 street” for late-night businesses — where “you can find a restaurant, bar, grocery, or your favorite clothing boutique at any hours of the day” — as ways to propel downtown forward.
Harrell offered few details of the actual plan, noting it will take time.
“Some cynics may demand the exact blueprint for our entire new downtown immediately,” Harrell said. “We need to do this right. It has to be sustainable. And we’re working seven days a week to deliver.”
According to talk host Jason Rantz, who lives in Seattle, the city is having trouble retaining police officers:
EXCLUSIVE: Seattle Police Dept. lost 12 officers in January and hired 8. So far in February, they lost 3 additional officers.
This puts total officers lost since the BLM riots and defund movement to roughly 525 — a full third of the department. Unsurprisingly, crime is soaring.
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) February 13, 2023
Why wouldn’t people want to serve as police officers in Seattle?
It’s a real mystery.
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“Harrell said he would use “unabashed boldness” to revamp the center city, which, like downtowns of most major cities, has been slow to rebound from coronavirus-related closures and an uptick in crime.”
Hum… the same “boldness” that gutted Seattle? Einstein was right.
““Some cynics may demand the exact blueprint for our entire new downtown immediately,” Harrell said. “We need to do this right. It has to be sustainable. And we’re working seven days a week to deliver.”
Didn’t that same pronouncement come from the 0bama admin? Rehash of same old playbook. Having become lost they redouble their efforts.
It seems necessary those in power recognize that in order to impact crime rates they need to look statewide. As I recall those with a better plan instituted a law that forbids law enforcement officers from following ….not chasing … simply following a crook in a car absent full beyond a reasonable doubt knowledge only a few specific crimes were occurring in the officers’ presence.
The way it normally works, Officers on patrol observe a person / vehicle that seems slightly out of context with what normal law abiding folk’s actions. They then watch to see if that activity is outside the norm. That requires travel should those individuals /vehicles be in motion. The state law prohibit police officer traveling as they develop reasonable suspicion worthy of a conversation.
Lot of luck to a Seattle Mayor turning crime rates around when the legislature does it’s everything to knock knees out from police/mayors.
You can cut down a forest in a day. But, it takes decades to grow one back. Cities are going to find the same thing is true with Good Police Departments.
Getting trust back is going to take a lot more than talk; people will need to see that crime is being addressed. What are the odds that will happen in a Blue city?
Slim odds indeed. Because any attempt to actually address the crime will be met with cries of “RAYCISS!!!!”
Nearly any city can use more law enforcement, what they really need are better Citizens!
And, cops need to see the citizens AS citizens. Not “civilians”. That latter word makes us “the other”; not One Of Their Own.
Amen… they are public servants and we are private citizens. “Us versus Them” should just be “We”.
The old “We’re us, and you’re not” attitude.
I’d say it’s a little bit late now, retards.
Sorry but Seattle should just burn to the ground. Out of the ashes will come true conservatism.
I know I’m shocked by this turn of events. Portland, how ’bout you?
“The city of Seattle is rethinking the idea of defunding the police”
That implies the original decision benefited in any way from actual thought.
Doesn’t matter what you do, those cops aren’t coming back… any more than oil companies are going to be investing in infrastructure once they saw how easily a single asshole with a pen could put them out of business. Potential cops see exactly the same problem, and a career in welding instead looks better every day.
Or transfer your skills to a place where they are respected and supported… like Florida.
the problem with planting horse apples is that they don’t grow into horses
Same thing with road apples and roads…
Religion (i.e. moral, ethical, legal) for men and women capable of self-moderation, competing interests to mitigate progress of others run amuck,
That said, demos-cracy is aborted in darkness.
Keep defunding and block the exits. No Seattle voter should get out alive.
They say they have lost 1/3 of their force. However, considering that anyone (experienced) who could retire probably did and severe understaffing leads to its own problems coping, Seattle probably lost over half its police effectiveness. Then we get to soft on crime DA’s and bail policies. The net result now is probably relatively little control of crime.
Yep. Gotta be able able to see around the corners to figure out secondary and tertiary effects.
Outside of Leftist cities, there are places where cops are not considered to be the enemy by the [criminal or criminal-loving] local government. Look for them. I did 28 years before calling “end of tour”. I understand trying to just hang on to get your retirement. But if you are a cop in Seattle, Portland, or pretty much any west coast city; as soon as you qualify for your pension, pull the pin. The people you are protecting hate you. If you are entering the LEO field, do NOT apply to any city within say 100 miles of the west coast. It is not worth it, and you will be stuck there.
Subotai Bahadur
>> a “24/7 street” for late-night businesses — where “you can find a restaurant, bar, grocery, or your favorite clothing boutique at any hours of the day” <<
This guy apparently has never heard about the Rule of Stupid. Stupid people, stupid places, stupid times. A successful life will avoid those as much as possible.
The success of that 24/7 street can be measured right now outisde any 7/11 at 2AM, where all three stupids frequently rech critical mass.
They still don’t get it. You can have all the police in the world but if you don’t have prosecutors that prosecute, judges that sentence and prisons it is pointless. You also have to give police the tools, and confidence to do their jobs. You also have to let law abiding citizens defend themselves and their property without reprisal. Anything less is just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
“if you don’t have prosecutors that prosecute, judges that sentence and prisons”
And on that note… listen, my children, to the outrageous tale of Abdullah Arif, a fast-drivin’, drug-gulpin’, drive-by-shootin’, fine-scoffin’, probation-violatin’ man from St. Paul, who spent four years “in the system,” not a single day in prison, and shot a smoke shop clerk dead 40 minutes after his court hearing for illegal gun possession.
Nothing that a bunch more diversity and multiculturalism can not repair.
The best applicants don’t apply for police jobs in Seattle. They get on with other departments if possible. If no one else will take them, they get on with Seattle and let Seattle put them through the academy and FTO. Then, after a total of 2 years with Seattle, they lateral across to a better department, which means practically any department.
Washington state (Democrat one party rule) has recently passed some insane laws, such as outlawing police shotguns (including less-lethal), outlawing nearly all police chases, so drivers just drive away instead of stopping, and encouraging police to immediately leave the scene when dealing with a mental case. Car theft has tripled, because the cops aren’t allowed to chase a stolen car. My son-in-law, an 8-year veteran, recently moved to Idaho because the Washington laws kept him from doing his job.
Nero wept.
You got what you voted for. You knew it would happen. You thought it would happen to somebody else. That was okay with you.