As violent crime increases, Seattle mayor says police will focus on hot spots
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell on Friday outlined plans to combat crime and address homelessness and urged residents and business owners to be patient.
"There's not a button to be pushed in the city of Seattle. People have to understand that. We are building systems right now. We're building multifaceted, interdepartmental systems to look at the whole gamut of public safety," said the newly elected mayor, who added he inherited "a depleted and demoralized police department."
Over the last two years, Seattle lost nearly 350 officers, meaning department staffing is about the same as it was in the 1990s, according to Harrell, who called that unacceptable. At the end of last year, Seattle had around 1,200 officers, though only about 1,000 were deployable. Interim Police Chief Adrian Diaz has said studies have shown the city could use up to 1,700 officers.
Harrell campaigned on a platform of fighting crime and addressing homelessness and won easily, so his administration is eager to demonstrate progress. However, few specifics were shared Friday.
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2022/02/04/crime-hot-spots-seattle-police.html
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