Violent crime, car thefts reached 15-year high in Seattle in 2022 Violent crimes and car thefts around Seattle in 2022 were the highest they've been in 15 years. That's among a handful of takeaways from the Seattle Police Department's report on crime statistics for last year. Dyer Oxley
Seattle mayor orders plan for stalled sexual assault investigations as advocates demand deadline As frustrated advocates demanded a deadline for the city to fix stalled sexual assault investigations at the Seattle Police Department, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell on Thursday ordered that all felony cases with enough evidence for follow-up be assigned to detectives by the end of August. Ashley Hiruko Sydney Brownstone / The Seattle Times
Family of 16-year-old killed in CHOP zone alleges Seattle’s failings enabled a 'state-created danger' The family of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr., who was shot and killed amid Seattle's racial justice protests in 2020, filed a tort claim on Monday alleging that city leadership should have recognized its failures to provide legally obligated medical, police, and emergency services to protestors demonstrating in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone. Ashley Hiruko Rebecca Moss / The Seattle Times
Internal SPD memo raises questions about public safety priorities An internal memo sent to the Seattle Police Department's interim police Chief Adrian Diaz is raising new questions about the agency's priorities. Libby Denkmann Noel Gasca
Two homeless sweeps in Ballard in two days About two dozen people experiencing homelessness in Ballard were displaced this week by the City of Seattle. Tent encampment sweeps have picked up around the city heading into summer, despite insufficient housing or shelters available. Casey Martin
Fake SPD radio transmissions during 2020 protests ‘added fuel to the fire’ ‘If there's anything else out there around the Seattle protests, let's get it out. Let’s get to the rock bottom of what happened, and that rock bottom is also a good place to build a new foundation.’ Kim Malcolm Andy Hurst
Seattle’s Carmen Best is being considered for NY police commissioner job The New York Times is reporting former Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best is on the short list of candidates for police commissioner at the New York Police Department. Katie Campbell Angela King
Former Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best speaks plainly about being 'Black in Blue' in new book Former Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best started her law enforcement career the same year Rodney King was brutally beaten by Los Angeles police officers. She ended her career in 2020, just a few months after George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis. And the intervening years were marked with too Angela King Katie Campbell
‘That’s their individual choice’: Seattle mayor on officers who defy vaccine mandate Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan says she's hopeful those unvaccinated Seattle police officers will come around. And if they don't: "That's their individual choice." Katie Campbell
Seattle Police evacuation of East Precinct broke no laws or policy, oversight agency says On June 8, 2020, protesters outside of Seattle Police’s East Precinct saw officers and staff evacuating the building. At the time, it wasn’t clear who made the call to pull out, and blame for the decision was leveled against former police chief Carmen Best and other ranking officers. Ashley Hiruko
