Greetings, Seattle Metro Chamber members,
Like many of you, public safety is on my mind. Being and feeling safe is foundational to a healthy community. That’s why we all care so much about it. And it hasn’t felt right in our community for a while.
First, because of staffing shortages and funding reductions, we are not able to count on the police to show up in a timely manner when called. With staffing levels at the lowest level since the 1970s, we know the Seattle Police Department is making tough choices – choices they shouldn’t have to make – about what calls to respond to. Officers are working too much overtime and morale is low.
Second, police are disproportionately arresting people of color and sometimes not being held accountable for these actions – two things that have eroded community trust.
What we want is simple: An all-of-the-above approach, one that includes the right amount of funding and the right number of police officers, alongside anti-racist culture and performance reforms, and diversified emergency response options. We want a good, supportive relationship between community and those who are responsible for our public safety.
And I’m feeling some positive momentum. When you’re downtown as much as I am – and compared to last fall – it feels a little better. Mayor Bruce Harrell is taking the right steps to improve public safety, and we thank him for it.
But it is still important that our government leaders recognize what all of us, including voters, know — crime is still a problem.
So, what do we do?
- Seize the opportunity for solutions: City leaders have an opportunity right now – before the City Council goes on recess in August – to pass Council Bill 120389, which would provide resources and a roadmap for recruiting, training, and hiring more officers. And while we know there will be dialogue, we need to reject foot-dragging and any false choices, or either/or approaches. While we need to diversify our response options – this is not that proposal. This is a proposal to hire the right number of officers. We will also support proposals to diversify emergency responses, but not instead of hiring the right number, and right kind, of officers. This council bill goes before the Public Safety Committee on August 9. Please share your support for Council’s action on the bill.
- Urge the city to continue to act, and act with urgency: We need the city to move faster to improve safety and to make sure they are getting it right. There is not one solution to this problem. We need our leaders to identify and allocate resources to multiple strategies to drive results, which they will have the opportunity to do in coming biennial budget deliberations.
- We – all of us – need to show up: We need to be the disruptors of what is happening. The next time you go downtown, bring a group of friends or colleagues with you – busy streets are safer streets. And, if you or your employees have an experience that impacts your feeling of safety in our city, call your city leaders and tell them about it.
Right now, I am hearing daily from members like you on this topic: from brick-and-mortar stores trying to retain employees and attract customers, to larger employers whose employees are returning to the office more often. I hear both concern for your employees as well as a desire for action.
Improving public safety is also top of mind for voters. In our most recent research, The Index, 46% of Seattle voters named public safety a top issue, and nearly 3 in 4 voters said they feel less safe in their neighborhood than they did two years ago.
Starting today, let’s show up and do our part and urge our leaders to act now.
Let’s keep up the momentum, Rachel
Rachel Smith
President and CEO