Seattle leaders slammed for police order to stop prosecuting drug users

Seattle’s caller politician is facing increasing scrutiny implicit her attack to nationalist information aft an interior constabulary email outlined however astir cause possession and nationalist usage cases are being directed toward diversion alternatively than prosecution — prompting backlash from critics who accidental the attack sends the incorrect connection arsenic unfastened cause usage remains disposable crossed the city.

The contention erupted aft Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes circulated an interior connection detailing however low-level cause cases volition beryllium handled successful 2026, fueling concerns among critics that the metropolis is efficaciously softening enforcement conscionable weeks into Mayor Katie Wilson’s administration. City officials importune determination has been nary argumentation change, but critics reason the applicable interaction tells a antithetic story.

In the interior email obtained by Fox News Digital, Barnes wrote that "all charges related to cause possession and/or cause usage volition beryllium diverted from prosecution to the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program," citing guidance from the City Attorney’s Office. The directive applies to user-quantity cases, portion cause dealers and those ineligible for LEAD stay taxable to prosecution.

Barnes emphasized that officers are inactive expected to apprehension individuals erstwhile probable origin exists, peculiarly erstwhile cause usage occurs successful nationalist view.

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

Seattle Police pushed backmost connected claims that enforcement is changing, telling Fox News Digital that officers volition proceed to marque drug-related arrests and that SPD argumentation remains unchanged.

The section said prosecutors, not police, find whether cases determination forward, adding that officers tin coordinate with prosecutors to prosecute accepted prosecution successful cases wherever diversion is deemed ineffective.

SPD besides pointed to staffing gains and declining transgression rates, noting the section added 165 officers successful 2025 and saw reductions successful some convulsive and spot crime.

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New Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is facing backlash implicit the constabulary memo. (Katie Wilson for Seattle)

Mayor Katie Wilson rejected claims that her medication has shifted cause enforcement policy.

"There has been nary argumentation change," Wilson 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."

Wilson said she remains committed to enforcing the city’s nationalist usage and possession ordinance successful "priority situations" portion expanding diversion programs similar LEAD successful vicinity blistery spots, stressing urgency, resources and measurable results.

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Seattle and San Francisco person adopted caller policies regarding distributing cleanable cause supplies.  (Pablo Porciuncula/AFP via Getty Images; Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Despite those assurances, critics stay unconvinced.

In an sentiment portion published by Seattle Red, blimpish vigor big and Seattle commentator Jason Rantz argued that diverting astir cause usage and possession cases distant from prosecution undermines accountability, careless of however metropolis officials picture the policy. Rantz said that erstwhile arrests are not followed by prosecution, the connection to offenders is that nationalist cause usage carries fewer existent consequences.

Criticism has besides travel from wrong instrumentality enforcement.

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Andrea Suarez dismantles a structure arsenic garbage lies piled astatine a stateless encampment connected March 13, 2022, successful Seattle, Washington.  (John Moore/Getty Images)

Speaking to Rantz connected his vigor show, Seattle Police Officers Guild President Mike Solan sharply criticized the attack outlined successful the interior constabulary email, informing it puts nationalist information astatine hazard and sends the incorrect connection astir unfastened cause use.

Solan told Rantz that diverting astir cause usage cases distant from prosecution is unsafe and reflects what helium described arsenic a naïve governmental attack to addiction. He warned the strategy could pb to accrued transgression and overdose deaths, referring to the doctrine down it arsenic "suicidal empathy."

Solan besides said galore officers are skeptical of the LEAD program, telling Rantz that immoderate debar making LEAD referrals altogether due to the fact that they judge the programme is ineffective and driven much by ideology than accountability.

"The caller naive, ignorant governmental determination to not apprehension offenders for unfastened cause usage successful the City of Seattle is horrifically unsafe and volition make much decease and societal decay," Solan told Rantz. "It embodies an tremendous flaw successful those successful our assemblage who deliberation that gathering radical wherever they are who are successful the throes of addiction, is the close way to assistance them up."

Similar concerns were raised by outreach groups.

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

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According to MyNorthwest, Andrea Suarez, enforcement manager of the nonprofit We Heart Seattle, warned that allowing unfastened cause usage successful nationalist spaces enables addiction and accelerates harm. Suarez argued that enforcement plays a captious relation successful pushing radical toward attraction and said diversion-based approaches without consequences neglect to meaningfully disrupt cause use.

City officials, however, support that enforcement remains successful place. Seattle Police accidental officers volition proceed to marque arrests erstwhile probable origin exists, portion Wilson insists determination has been nary argumentation alteration and that the metropolis is focused connected enforcing cause laws successful "priority situations" portion expanding diversion efforts successful high-impact areas.

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