Seattle order to stop drug arrests ‘creating havoc’ for people fending off addicts surviving on theft: expert

Seattle’s caller attack to cause enforcement is triggering alarm among constabulary and nationalist information advocates, who pass the metropolis is softly sliding backmost toward the conditions that erstwhile fueled crime, open-air cause markets and deadly overdoses.

City leaders past week pushed backmost against disapproval that they had efficaciously stopped prosecuting cause users, saying determination had been nary ceremonial argumentation change. The clarification came successful an email from the Seattle Police Department, which said officers were inactive expected to enforce cause laws contempt an interior connection that sparked backlash.

"There has been nary argumentation change," caller Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson antecedently said successful a connection to Fox News Digital. "You’ll cognize erstwhile I denote a argumentation change, due to the fact that I’ll denote a argumentation change."

Critics, however, accidental the world connected the crushed tells a antithetic story.

SEATTLE LEADERS SLAMMED FOR POLICE ORDER TO STOP PROSECUTING DRUG USERS

New Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson successful an undated photograph. (Katie Wilson for Seattle)

Andrea Suarez, laminitis of the nonprofit We Heart Seattle, which works with radical experiencing homelessness and addiction, said the city's policies person created a "safe place" for cause addicts and criminals.

"It volition trap radical longer successful the rhythm of addiction, creating havoc successful our communities arsenic they past disconnected theft, by and large," she said.

Conservative vigor big and Seattle-based commentator Jason Rantz told Fox News Digital metropolis officials are downplaying concerns by insisting thing has changed, adjacent arsenic enforcement practices displacement successful practice.

According to Rantz, the alteration did not originate with Wilson but with the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, which helium said has signaled prosecutors volition diminution to prosecute astir cause cases but those deemed "egregious."

"That’s de facto decriminalization," Rantz said, careless of however metropolis officials picture it. He warned that erstwhile officers judge arrests volition not beryllium charged, enforcement inevitably collapses. "Officers aren’t going to hazard wounded oregon their careers for arrests they cognize won’t stick."

Rantz said the metropolis risks returning to conditions it has already experienced — wide nationalist cause use, open-air dealing and surging overdoses. He pointed to past diversion-based approaches that failed to present promised results, arguing Seattle is repeating a rhythm with well-documented consequences.

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"This isn’t speculation," Rantz said. "We’ve already lived this."

As a nonmigratory who lives and works successful Seattle, Rantz said the effects are already felt daily. He described routinely encountering radical actively utilizing fentanyl oregon meth portion walking his canine and said galore residents, peculiarly downtown workers and tiny concern owners, unrecorded with changeless fearfulness that metropolis leaders dismiss.

That fear, helium said, is not unfounded. Rantz cited a caller onslaught connected an aged pistillate who was struck successful the look with a committee containing a nail, leaving her blind. The fishy has a agelong transgression past but remained connected the streets.

BLUE CITIES U-TURN ON DISTRIBUTING DRUG SUPPLIES TO ADDICTS AFTER PROGRESSIVE POLICIES FAIL TO STEM EPIDEMIC

Fale Vaigalepa Pea allegedly attacks 75-year-old Jeanette Marken successful Seattle, Washington, connected Dec. 5. (King County Prosecuting Attorney)

"These crimes are random," Rantz said. "It tin hap to anyone — a tourist, a worker, idiosyncratic conscionable going to a doctor’s appointment."

Rantz besides warned the displacement could worsen Seattle’s ongoing constabulary staffing crisis. City leaders said past twelvemonth that the section was 260 officers short, KOMO News reported.

"If cops can’t police, they won’t stay," Rantz said, informing retirements and resignations could propulsion the section toward dysfunction.

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Residents of a stateless encampment locomotion done the encampment aft smoking fentanyl connected March 11, 2022 successful Seattle, Washington. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Rantz argued the radical astir harmed by lax enforcement are the aforesaid ones metropolis leaders accidental they are trying to help.

"The archetypal victims are the stateless and drug-addicted individuals themselves," helium said. "Instead of getting help, they’re being emboldened to proceed habits that volition termination them — portion the remainder of the metropolis pays the terms successful transgression and disorder."

Public information advocates moving straight connected the streets accidental those concerns are already playing out.

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Suarez said cause enactment has rapidly dispersed into residential neighborhoods and nationalist spaces.

"Today looked much similar Gotham City than the Emerald City," Suarez wrote successful a station connected X, citing increasing cause scenes successful Beacon Hill, Mount Baker, metropolis parks and on sidewalks.

Suarez told Fox News Digital that diverting offenders distant from prosecution removes a captious constituent of accountability.

"Not prosecuting for possession and nationalist depletion and alternatively diverting to Community Court oregon the LEAD programme simply removes stone bottommost for an addict," Suarez said.

She questioned what really happens aft an serviceman decides to apprehension idiosyncratic oregon divert them, arguing the process remains unclear years aft diversion programs were introduced.

"Nobody tin explicate what the strategy wrong the strategy is erstwhile an serviceman decides to apprehension oregon manus disconnected to LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion)," Suarez said. "It is 2026, and we inactive bash not person answers connected however this proclaimed, award-winning, evidence-based programme is amended than sweating it retired successful jail."

A subordinate of the Metropolitan Improvement District Downtown Ambassadors cleans adjacent Seattle Police Department officers connected patrol connected Third Avenue successful downtown Seattle, Washington, U.S., connected Thursday, March 24, 2022.  (David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Suarez warned that diversion without consequences tin trap radical successful addiction and substance spot crime. She besides argued Seattle’s permissive attack has turned the metropolis into a magnet for cause activity.

"Seattle has been and seems to everlastingly beryllium a harmless spot for cause addicts and criminals to travel to easy people and usage drugs and debar accountability," Suarez said. "It is wherefore our stateless numbers ne'er improve."

"We person an inflow situation successful ‘Freeattle,’" she added.

SEATTLE LEADERS SLAMMED FOR POLICE ORDER TO STOP PROSECUTING DRUG USERS

The Seattle Police Officers Guild besides weighed in, releasing a connection from President Mike Solan sharply criticizing the city’s direction. Solan described the determination to bounds arrests for unfastened cause usage arsenic "horrifically dangerous" and warned it would pb to "more decease and societal decay."

"This is commonly referred to arsenic ‘suicidal empathy,’" Solan said. He added that officers are reluctant to notation cases to diversion programs they judge are ineffective and said Seattle’s streets person already shown the fallout from akin policies: "death, decay, blight and crime."

"Now, with this resurrected insane direction, death, demolition and much quality suffering volition beryllium supercharged," Solan warned.

In effect to concerns raised by police, advocates and residents, the Seattle Police Department said officers volition proceed enforcing cause laws and making arrests erstwhile they person probable cause, contempt disapproval that enforcement is being scaled back.

"Our ngo remains the aforesaid and we are aligned with the City Attorney and Mayor’s Office erstwhile it comes to keeping Seattle harmless from unsafe drugs," a Seattle Police Department spokesperson said. "Our officers volition proceed to marque drug-related arrests if they person probable cause. They volition besides collaborate with prosecutors."

The section said officers tin emblem cases wherever diversion whitethorn beryllium ineffective and coordinate with prosecutors connected different options, including prosecution. 

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Chief Shon Barnes reiterated that presumption successful a caller connection to officers, writing, "Our ngo remains unchanged, and we afloat enactment programs and policies aimed astatine reducing recidivism and breaking the rhythm of repeated transgression justness involvement."

The Seattle City Attorney’s Office said guidance that took effect January 1, 2026, directs astir cause possession and nationalist usage cases to beryllium reviewed for diversion earlier charges are filed.

Under the memo, erstwhile an serviceman submits a study for knowing possession oregon nationalist use, the lawsuit is archetypal referred to the LEAD Liaison Team, which evaluates whether the idiosyncratic has antecedently engaged with the program. If the idiosyncratic has refused oregon failed to meaningfully participate, prosecutors tin see different options.

The guidance besides allows officers oregon prosecutors to elevate cases involving "unique, articulable circumstances" for imaginable prosecution. In those situations, the Criminal Division Chief whitethorn consult with LEAD officials, prosecutors and the referring serviceman earlier making a last decision.

Critics reason that portion the argumentation preserves the anticipation of prosecution, the default reliance connected diversion could inactive discourage enforcement and permission neighborhoods dealing with accrued disorder.

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send communicative tips to [email protected].