Public Safety is at the top of many Seattleites’ minds. Concerns abound about our safety, from car break-ins to harassment, from public transit riding to walking or driving, as well as interactions with law enforcement—It’s clear that Seattle needs to be safer. To make that happen, we need to interact with people on a human level to address their needs and implement tried and tested solutions to our problems.
Policies:
- Invest in the top-of-class LEAD and CARE programs to break cycles of incarceration while still addressing ongoing harm now. These programs are proven to be some of the most effective in the nation, and by partnering with King County’s new behavioral health centers, we can make meaningful progress in reducing overdoses and behavioral health crises.
- Approve the Solidarity Budget. Reducing desperation reduces crime and improves everyone’s lives. In this sense, housing and public safety are interlinked and cannot be entirely separated from each other. Tackling our public safety issues must mean addressing our housing crises and vice versa.
- Similarly, we cannot separate the public safety conversation from transit and infrastructure. Washington saw 788 fatal vehicle crashes last year and is on track to hit 800 in 2024. Seattle saw an estimated 260 crashes resulting in death or serious injury last year. We must right-size our infrastructure, protect bicycle lanes, and finish constructing sidewalks to ensure pedestrian safety.
- We must invest in community programs and youth programs to interrupt cycles of violence and keep schools safe and gun-free. This includes investing further into programs like Community Pathways to perform community outreach tailored to each community’s needs and circumstances.