Seattle City Council should heed voter sentiment on public safety

On Tuesday, Seattle voters affirmed a future course for the city. It was about as subtle as a bullhorn.

Before the election, polls revealed an overwhelming majority of Seattleites believed the city was on the wrong track, and they had particular concerns about public safety.

This may explain why candidates supportive of law enforcement and clear-eyed about the need for police reform outperformed their rivals so significantly.

The City Council should take this sentiment into account as it puts together a public safety budget for next year. So far, the process looks as divisive and tortured as ever.

Councilmembers Lisa Herbold, Teresa Mosqueda and M. Lorena González supported an amendment to cut $4.53 million from the Seattle Police Department budget and redirect it to “other Council priorities.” 

As part of this cut, it would eliminate $3.2 million from the Seattle Police Department’s overtime budget because it expects the department will “implement service efficiencies that will reduce demand for overtime dollars.”

With cops leaving and staffing levels problematic, overtime is a contentious issue. SPD recently told the Downtown Seattle Association that police would not be able to staff the annual fireworks at the tree lighting ceremony at Westlake Center the day after Thanksgiving due to a lack of available officers.

A report to the City Council in August showed lengthening SPD response times. For example, Priority One calls such as shootings and assaults in the North Precinct averaged 12 minutes in the second quarter of the year. It was 9 minutes in the same time frame last year.

DSA has hired SPD for overtime bike patrols, through a contract supported by contributions from businesses, nonprofits and residents. Last week, the department said it would only be able to staff six of DSA’s 30 requested shifts for November.

In a letter to the City Council decrying the proposed budget-cutting amendments, DSA president and CEO Jon Scholes noted the neighborhood continued to experience gunfire, organized retail theft, property destruction and violent behavior.

In another amendment, Herbold was joined by co-sponsors González and Andrew Lewis to propose eliminating $1.09 million for SPD hiring incentives in favor of an analysis of citywide hiring practices.

Apparently fed up with council foot-dragging, Mayor Jenny Durkan signed a Civil Emergency Order Oct. 29 that would provide a bonus of up to $25,000 for trained officers coming from other departments, and $10,000 for new police academy hires to SPD as well as the 911 dispatch unit, now called the Community Safety and Communications Center.

Durkan noted that competition for experienced officers is fierce throughout the region. Meanwhile, the city experienced a significant increase in gun violence over the past year. There has been a 38% year-to-date rise in shots fired, 509 so far this year, compared to 370 in the same period last year.

The City Council can ratify, modify or reject Durkan’s order. So far, members haven’t said much either way. They are expected to take a final vote on the budget on Nov. 23.

As Bob Dylan famously sang, “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.”

For a city council that seems to be perpetually raising a finger to gauge the prevailing gusts of popular sentiment, here’s a takeaway from Tuesday’s election: Public safety matters to people. Seattleites should see that priority reflected in the city budget.