Seattle conducted more than 900 sweeps of homeless people in 2022 ... The vast majority of these removals — 771 — were classified as “obstruction” sweeps, meaning that staff were not required to provide any notice to camp residents before initiating the sweep.

Mayor Harrell released the One Seattle Homelessness Action Plan on May 31, 2022 in the second quarter

No such executive order has been issued.

The city of Seattle is taking back money from the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA), raising national questions about the future of the city’s support for the agency given the mayor’s public frustration over how it's working. ... That $11.7 million is around 10% of the money the city sends to the KCRHA annually.

We Are In was the regional philanthropies’ largest foray into addressing street-level homelessness thus far. ... In the past few months, all of We Are In’s staff were either fired or furloughed after its leadership was accused of financial and organizational mismanagement. Its financial backers have either walked away or are distancing themselves until the dust settles.

A homeless encampment has returned to Dr. Jose Rizal Park. This comes after the city of Seattle spent $15,000 on repairing damage to the Beacon Hill neighborhood park after a man stole and drove an excavator through the park back in October.

According to the 2022 sweeps spreadsheet, the city oversaw 18 sweeps at the Ballard Commons and 53 sweeps near the Ballard Library across the street from the park. The most commonly swept location in 2022 was Occidental Park in Pioneer Square, with 66 recorded sweeps.

While the philanthropic organization We Are In donated $10 million to address homelessness in Seattle in February 2022, it's unclear what Mayor Harrell's role was in securing that funding, if any. The city's homelessness dashboard states, "Mayor Harrell is working with local partners to establish innovative public-private partnerships to raise money for social service projects in the city and region. These collaborative partnerships will fund solutions to some of our most crucial challenges, such as the homelessness crisis [...]"

The City of Seattle bought Dockside apartments in Green Lake to house 70 people experiencing homelessness.

Seattle Parks and Recreation's Clean City Initiative is a program that invests $3 million into new and existing programs to clean up litter and garbage across the city. The removal of the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) as a hurdle to Park Rangers operating outside of Downtown parks happened in December 2023 when a Memorandum of Understanding with SPOG was approved and hiring is now underway. Council Central Staff analysis of the MOU: "Removes the geographical limitation confining park rangers to Downtown parks. Park rangers may operate in any City park, subject to current restrictions against being armed, having arrest authority and enforcement of the criminal code."

Mayor Bruce Harrell’s proposal to reintroduce a local drug criminalization ordinance has been widely described as a “plan to combat opioid addiction” that would—as the Seattle Times put it—”[c]ommit $27 million toward enhanced treatment facilities, new addiction services and improved overdose response.” But this characterization is misleading. For one thing, the $27 million includes no new funding. For another, that total includes both one-time spending and a small annual allocation from last year’s state opioid settlement that will trickle in over the next 18 years.

According to city data, about 16% of people living in encampments that the city removed last year entered a shelter immediately after, meaning the vast majority of people were likely shuffled to another location outdoors.

From the Office of Housing's Annual Investment reports: By the end of 2021, approximately $27.6 million in rental assistance had been paid out to 6,355 households. By the end of 2022, approximately $46.7 million in rental assistance had been paid out to 10,503 households.

The Unified Care Team piloted a Northwest Team in spring 2023 and launched all five Neighborhood Teams in fall 2023.

The Unified Care Team (UCT) brings together more than a dozen city departments and partners for a coordinated, strategic, and data-driven approach to ensuring Seattle’s public spaces, sidewalks, and streets remain open and accessible to all.

She [Krystal Marx, executive director of Seattle Pride] hopes that the Mayor will fund more emergency services and permanent supportive housing for queer youth, as he promised in his answers for the 2021 Seattle Pride Voters Guide. In her words, making good on those promises “would show that he is truly committed to caring for his LGBTQIA+ constituency.”

Mayor Bruce Harrell is proposing a new plan to accommodate Seattle’s growth in the coming decades, one that would add density to every neighborhood in the city ... One other question to answer is whether developers of fourplexes or sixplexes would have to participate in the city’s affordable housing contributions required of high- and mid-rise developers. City officials said Monday that requirement is not in the plan.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has vetoed a recently passed bill that would have required landlords to report the rent they charge, an effort by the Seattle City Council to gather better data about the local rental market that property owners complained would be onerous and invasive. ... Supporters said the data was essential to inform city policies affecting growth, displacement and affordable housing, and was not a burden on landlords.

Mayor Harrell released the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan Update on March 5, 2024. From the Seattle Times: Seattle is way behind its original schedule for drafting a new growth strategy, raising concerns the city could advance a plan lacking in ambition, cut corners on public review or miss its state-mandated deadline.

No such executive order has been issued.

In 2023, Mayor Harrell formed a Revenue Stabilization Work Group that explored new forms of revenue, including progressive revenue via new or expanded business taxes. In his 2024 State of the City address, Mayor Harrell stated he would not pass a new or expanded tax: "The size of this deficit means we have difficult financial decisions ahead. And while there are some who would suggest that the answer lies simply in new revenue, the fact is that passing a new or expanded tax will not address the fundamental issues needed to close this gap in the long-run."

The final 2023 city budget, signed by Bruce Harrell, allocates $1,011,430 from the general fund towards “Multifamily Housing” work from the Office of Housing. These funds are intended to be used to “...develop, preserve, and monitor affordable multifamily rental housing.” While this money from the general fund was spent on affordable housing, none was specifically earmarked for vacant or underdeveloped public land. Most funds dedicated to building affordable housing come from sources other than the general fund, such as the JumpStart Payroll Tax or Low Income Housing Fund

"The saga of building affordable housing at Fort Lawton had been shaping up to be a never-ending tale, but today Mayor Bruce Harrell revealed a twist that might finally deliver a conclusion — at least after more suspense and Seattle Process. The mayor announced his intention to upgrade the 237-home proposal to one that could deliver as many as 500 homes on the 34-acre site, while preserving the majority of the site as green space as the original plan promised. … The Office of Housing is working on the plan to increase the types of housing at Fort Lawton, but that plan isn’t promised to be delivered to city council until “sometime in 2024 or 2025,” according to the project website. … Delays have meant the City has missed a window with low interest rates and relatively cheap construction costs that could have delivered the project more efficiently. While officially Mayor Jenny Durkan backed the project in 2019, her administration was slow in actually delivering it."

The Seattle Planning Commission late last week joined the chorus of voices raising significant questions about Mayor Bruce Harrell’s proposed One Seattle Comprehensive Plan housing and job growth strategy. ... there was fairly broad agreement from commissioners that as proposed, it falls well short of what will be needed to achieve the goals they laid out in 2022 in advance of work starting in earnest on the proposal. Those goals included steps to make Seattle a full 15-minute city, expansion of the existing urban village system into a “network of complete and connected neighborhoods,” and more robust strategies that actively address displacement of people and business from the city.

Mayor Harrell released the Draft One Seattle Comprehensive Plan on March 5, 2024

The Call for Ideas: Office-to-Residential Conversion Visions for Seattle Downtown competition, invited design teams and building owners to submit proposals that explore converting existing office space into new residential and commercial uses. The timeline of the competition administered by the Office of Planning and Community Development shows: Application Information Available: Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Mayor Harrell announced new legislation to update the city’s industrial land policy that will provide more jobs and housing in the next 20 years. “The proposed zoning would incentivize about 3,000 additional homes, of which approximately 2,100 would be in mixed-use development outside of industrial areas in Georgetown, Judkins Park, South Park, and Ballard. These homes would generate approximately $20 Million for affordable housing through the City’s Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) program.”

As part of his Downtown Activation Plan, Mayor Bruce Harrell has submitted new legislation to the City Council aimed at removing regulatory barriers for converting existing buildings from commercial to residential uses. [March 14, 2024]

In September 2022, Mayor Harrell announced his proposed 2023-2024 City budget, which allocated $353.1 million to Housing and Homelessness out of $7.4 billion of appropriations overall — 4.8% of the City budget.

Harrell pledged to create 1,000 new units of emergency and affordable housing during his first six months in office and another 1,000 during by the end of his first year. ... While on the campaign trail Harrell spoke of creating housing, now he has backtracked to “identifying” this housing. The distinction is important. The Mayor said 1,300 emergency and affordable homes have been identified so far this year. Of these, only 553 are open and operational currently, and 506 homes are under construction and 241 homes are in planning stages. The Harrell administration says it expects to have all 1,300 ready for occupancy by the end of the year, but even if that is achieved, it would still fall short of the full campaign promise of 2,000 units.

As of November 2, 2023, the Seattle Rescue Plan Transparency Portal shows that $100,581,031 is allocated for Housing & Homelessness, which is 33% of $300 million of federal relief funds received by Seattle. A total of $85,314,397 has been spent.

In 2022, Mayor Harrell did not deliver 2,000 new units of housing, even using the most generous interpretation of that campaign promise. A detailed look at the 31 developments the administration says it “identified” this year shows that the vast majority were planned and funded before Harrell even took office, including many that former mayor Jenny Durkan hyped with media events and press announcements during her term. In fact, Durkan took credit for many of the exact same units the Harrell administration is counting toward their total.

Harrell pledged to create 1,000 new units of emergency and affordable housing during his first six months in office and another 1,000 during by the end of his first year. ... While on the campaign trail Harrell spoke of creating housing, now he has backtracked to “identifying” this housing. The distinction is important. The Mayor said 1,300 emergency and affordable homes have been identified so far this year. Of these, only 553 are open and operational currently, and 506 homes are under construction and 241 homes are in planning stages. The Harrell administration says it expects to have all 1,300 ready for occupancy by the end of the year, but even if that is achieved, it would still fall short of the full campaign promise of 2,000 units.

The final city budget for 2022 signed by Mayor Harrell invests $15,700,000 to address residential displacement.

From Mayor Harrell's 2024 State of the City Address: "In 2023, we increased our number of rangers by 600%, and this year we will almost double that number again as Rangers begin to serve in parks citywide." Seattle started 2023 with 2 Park Rangers limited to Downtown parks. A 600% increase, or 12 additional Park Rangers, brought the total to 14 or half what Harrell promised (26+2=28).

The Executive Order was released a month late: On April 17, 2023, Mayor Harrell issued "An Executive Order directing City departments to build, invest, and expand the City's public health infrastructure in partnership with other stakeholders to further combat the opioid and synthetic drug crisis."

There has been about one arrest per day under Seattle’s new public drug use law but a core city program hoped to divert more of those arrested out of jail and into rehab still won’t be able to keep up next year. In a presentation (PDF) to a Seattle City Council committee this week, officials said Seattle Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program or LEAD will reach its capacity for serving new referrals by May of 2024.

Officer Rawlins saw an occupied tent and ordered everyone to come out and speak with him. ... After Rawlins repeatedly questioned the man about whether he slashed the tires, the man finally responded, “maybe.” At that point, Rawlins said the officers had probable cause and arrested the man. The OPA pointed out multiple issues with the way Rawlins handled this arrest and tied it to a pattern of Rawlins “disregarding” the constitutional rights of the unhoused. The OPA ultimately sustained two policy violations against Rawlins in this complaint ... Police Chief Adrian Diaz orally reprimanded Rawlins, one of the lowest forms of discipline for a police officer.

The assessment shows that, while Black people make up 6.7% of the city’s population, they accounted for 31% of all uses of force by SPD officers during those three years. White people, who make up 64% of the population, were involved in 35% of all reported uses of force. American Indians make up just 0.6% of the city’s population, but accounted for 1.8% of all instances where police force was used.

For my final column of 2023, I picked bad apple cases that the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) closed and published throughout this year, rather than the most recent cases. Kinda like Seattle’s police misconduct wrapped! And what a year for the Seattle Police Department, even aside from the OPA investigations. Barely a month into 2023, Seattle Police Officer Kevin Dave hit and killed 23-year-old college student Jaahnavi Kandula while driving nearly three times the posted speed limit. Kandula’s death led to worldwide outrage after a video surfaced of Seattle police union vice president Officer Daniel Auderer cackling and mocking Kandula on the night of her death. SPD took another hit in September when The Stranger published audio of Officer Burton Hill hurling a racial slur at his elderly Chinese neighbor. SPD faced broader criticism about racism within the department after prominent Black SPD detective Denise “Cookie” Bouldin filed a discrimination lawsuit in November claiming she’d endured decades of racial and gender bias while working for SPD.

There is no record of the Harrell Administration releasing a plan for reducing child and youth mortality akin to Vision Zero.

Seattle’s Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) team launched in October of 2023 as a pseudo policing alternative composed of six social workers who respond to low-priority calls alongside police and firefighters. At launch, Mayor Bruce Harrell said the City’s 911 center would dispatch the crews to nonviolent, non-emergent, and non-medical emergency calls that required no law enforcement action ... but Harrell and the previous city council caved to police union demands to hobble Seattle’s version of the program, which has drastically limited the ability of the city’s “third public safety department” to actually help reduce the workload of officers.

Mayor Harrell pledged to share the white paper on February 21, 2023. The Seattle Times reported the following on April 3, 2023: "He is behind on his timeline for designing two major nonpolicing response projects: the creation of a third public safety department and a more immediate team that would respond to calls for such things as wellness checks. Harrell has yet to share details on these two commitments, which were supposed to be outlined by the end of 2022."

A report presented to City Council in mid-2022 showed that average response times for Priority 1 calls were greater than 7 minutes in every precinct across the City. (East = 9.52 min, North = 11.30 min, South = 10.89 min, Southwest = 11.06 min, West = 9.20 min)

Harrell spent time meeting with police officers at various roll calls in different precincts in 2022 to help boost morale and improve retention of officers. His speeches followed the same general outline — he discussed union contract negotiations, explained that he knows what it’s like to be constantly attacked, and name-dropped relationships with the governor and the Biden administration. It does not appear his vision for a safe city with bias-free policing was discussed.

There is no published instance of Mayor Harrell formally requesting officers watch the video or receiving signed statements from them. In January 2024, the Office of Police Accountability released a memorandum stating comments made by Officer Daniel Auderer about the killing of Jaahnavi Kandula were "derogatory, contemptuous, and inhumane."

In September 2023, U.S. District Judge James Robart ruled the City of Seattle and its Police Department have achieved “full, sustained and lasting compliance” to the bulk of the requirements of a 2012 consent decree over a Department of Justice investigation that found evidence Seattle officers routinely used excessive force and showed signs of biased policing. However, Robart retains jurisdiction over two key issues: the city’s crowd-control policy and the topic of officer accountability. The issue of officer accountability is tied to collective bargaining between the city and rank-and-file Seattle Police Officers Guild, which have been in closed door negotiations since the previous contract expired at the end of 2020.

As part of his Downtown Activation Plan, Mayor Bruce Harrell has submitted new legislation to Seattle City Council aimed at filling vacant commercial spaces in existing buildings on key streets in Downtown, Belltown, Uptown, and South Lake Union.

... in June 2022, Mayor Harrell was welcomed as tri-chair of the Regional Gun Violence Leadership Advisory Group by King County Executive Dow Constantine and Renton City Councilmember Ed Prince. The quarterly convening facilitates regional cooperation to advance a public health approach to reducing gun violence.

City council members who voted last week to support the latest version of a new drug criminalization law said they were reassured by the fact that Harrell’s budget, which had not yet been released, would include new investments in diversion programs so that people caught using drugs in public would have real alternatives to jail. The bill, as PubliCola has reported, includes a number of nonbinding “whereas” clauses expressing the city’s preference for diversion instead of arrests, along with a provision saying police will, in the future, adopt policies governing diversion. Skeptics, including budget chair Teresa Mosqueda, predicted that Harrell’s commitment to diversion would be limited to the language in the legislation. They were right. The budget contains no funding to expand LEAD, the city’s pre-arrest diversion program, and actually cuts $1 million that was added to the program in 2023.

On January 22, 2024, the Mayor’s Office and City Budget Office informed department directors and finance managers under the Executive that a partial hiring freeze is being instituted. It is not clear if Park Rangers are included in exceptions (first responders, like police officers, fire fighters, and CARE department staff, along with other employees providing essential public services and employees backfilling for those using the City’s Paid Parental Leave or Paid Family Care Leave).

While no specific plan has been implemented for artists, musicians, social service workers, and members of the city's faith community, the Harrell Administration made it easier for pop-up vendors to open businesses on downtown street corners: "As part of Mayor Bruce Harrell's plan to enliven downtown, Seattle will waive fees for food trucks and food carts through 2026, in hopes that more of them will start popping up around the Emerald City."

In January 2024, Mayor Harrell shared his key legislative priorities for the Washington State Legislature. Of the four bills supported to reduce gun violence, only one passed into law.

The 2024 budget included $1.5 million to test an acoustic gunshot locator system. The City still needs to complete a racial equity analysis and a surveillance impact report (required by City ordinance) before it can be implemented.

While the One Seattle Homelessness Action Plan has a focus on "Identifying Needed Shelter and Housing", there are no details about other Safe Harbors such as sobriety centers, long term care and rehabilitation services, and other culturally and medically appropriate locations for people to beging the process of recovery and rebuilding lives

Mayor Harrell shared a comprehensive police recruitment and retention plan in July 2022 that included the intention to "Recruit Candidates Committed to Our Community." To date, similar plans have not been shared for fire fighters or other first responders. A 2023 SPD marketing and media plan resulted in 625 (32.1%) out-of-state applicants and 1,323 (67.9%) in-state applicants. Of the respondents who indicated they applied to another police department or agency, 70% applied to local agencies within Washington State. It is not yet clear whether programming is working to recruit police officers from Seattle communities specifically.

DeVitta Briscoe is Seattle’s first-ever liaison for gun violence prevention. ... Briscoe said she’s glad Mayor Bruce Harrell is seeking solutions from the people most affected by gun violence.

In a public safety committee hearing on Tuesday, soon to be ex-Senior Deputy Mayor Monisha Harrell guaranteed an October launch date for a “dual dispatch” emergency response program, which partially fulfills a promise from Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, her uncle, to create a police alternative for the City. However the program falls short of the “non law enforcement” response the mayor’s office outlined in 2022, and with M. Harrell, one of the more forward-thinking members of the mayor’s team, planning to leave the office, Seattle decriminalization advocates raise doubts about the City’s commitment to invest in actual alternative models and its willingness to flout the interests of the Seattle Police Officer Guild.

If Seattle is serious about meeting its goal of eliminating traffic deaths by 2030, it must be willing to slow speeds and inconvenience drivers, a monthslong review of the city’s “Vision Zero” policies found. The report, released Thursday, also concluded that the city should weave safety more fully into capital projects, clarify decision-making within the Seattle Department of Transportation and fully fund safety projects that are currently viewed as “nice-to-haves” instead of “must-haves.”

Youth Opportunity Fund - This item launches a fund to engage community-based organizations and community members in providing mentorship and related programs to youth, as part of the Mayor's vision to mobilize community centers and other Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) assets as engines for safety and opportunity for all Seattle's youth. Youth Mentorship and Employment - SPR is a major provider of youth mentorship, employment, and job training programs across several divisions, with hundreds of youth and young adults gaining job skills annually. This item expands these efforts by adding a wage-based rather than stipend-based program, and centralizes oversight and coordination of all current department efforts by adding a dedicated position to serve as the Youth Employment and Job Training Coordinator for the department and connects these efforts to the larger City Youth Employment Initiative. Specifically, this proposal provides for 80 youth to work 20,000 hours annually. Rise Above Capacity Building - This item adds $200,000 in one-time funding to the Rise Above organization for capacity building. Rise Above delivers education, prevention skills and mentorship through programs tailored to the needs of Native youth. They work closely with tribes and partners, and build tailored education programs with basketball clinics at the center.

Mayor Harrell appointed DeVitta Briscoe as the city’s Gun Violence Prevention Liaison

In 2017, the City entered into a six-year Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with King County to standup and staff a regional unit to enhance public safety and public health with effective processing, service and enforcement of Protection Orders and Orders to Surrender Weapons. The Law Department was originally budgeted for the Program Manager however the most competitive candidate for this position was County employee and the Program Manager position remains vacant. This item eliminates the Criminal Division Manager 3 (1.0 FTE) and moves the budget to the contractual services line item. In addition, this item increases appropriation by $145,484. These two actions provide funding for LAW to fully support the MOA with King County for 1.0 FTE Program Manager, a 0.6 FTE Deputy Prosecuting Attorney and computer licensing for staff to continue the Regional Domestic Violence Firearms Enforcement Unit.

Mayor Harrell announced the March 2024 Public Safety Forum with 2 days notice. It was in-person, registration only, limited capacity, and did not meet community expectations for engagement. Seattle’s city-wide public safety forum came and went without immediate solutions, although it did include a hard pitch for shot spotter technology from the Mayor. “I was a little disappointed. I mistakenly thought it was going to be a forum, and it was more of a public service announcement,” said Matt Humphrey, who owns a Ballard barber shop. ... he said he expected to be able to address his concerns directly to elected and appointed leaders and instead only heard vague promises to improve the situation. Humphrey’s business has been burglarized multiple times in the last couple of years. Instead, he said Harrell and staff fielded pre-screened questions and didn’t address any direct queries from the crowd.

Seattle Community Safety Initiative - This item continues the City's investment of $4.3 million in 2023 and $4.5 million in 2024 for the Seattle Community Safety Initiative (SCSI) contract held by Community Passageways. Previously, this item was funded through one-time funds, now this ongoing funding will continue investment that support regional and ongoing gun violence prevention. Community Passageways serves youth and young adults of color (ages 12-30) and their families from Black and Brown neighborhoods who live, go to school, or work in Southeast Seattle, Central District, and West Seattle. King County Regional Peacekeepers Collective - This item continues the City's investment of $1.5 million in the Public Health (PH) - Seattle & King County Regional Approach to Gun Violence Reduction- Regional Peacekeepers Collective (RPKC). This ongoing funding will support community-based organization-Community Passageways- to support restoration services for youth and families impacted by gun violence and referred to community-based care by King County’s Hospital Based Intervention team at Harborview Medical Center. Maintaining this investment ensures that services continue without disruption and negative impact on affected community.

Mayor Harrell launched a Dual Dispatch pilot in October 2023, focusing on Downtown between 11am-11pm. However, the removal of the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) as a hurdle to launching the pilot didn't happen until December 2023 when a Memorandum of Understanding with SPOG was approved. Council Central Staff analysis of the MOU: "Allows the City to conduct a Dual Dispatch Alternative 911 Response Pilot Project for Person Down and Wellness Check calls, beginning in the fall of 2023 and running through 2025, as set forth in the attached MOU." The MOU caps Community Crisis Responders to 24, limits their response to two call types (person down and welfare checks), and gives SPD officers responsibility to determine how calls are addressed.

Mayor Harrell is proposing to increase the CARE department budget by 30% in 2024 from 2023, hiring 13 additional full-time staff, making needed technology upgrades, and investing in enhanced violence intervention efforts.

Mental health support for K-12 students - In response to student advocacy efforts following recent incidences of school violence, the 2023 Adopted and 2024 Endorsed budgets provide a total of $4 million over the biennium for mental health resources for K-12 students in schools and School-Based Health Centers.

The 2023 budget invests $4.3 million and $4.5 million in 2024 for the Seattle Community Safety Initiative, which creates an ongoing investment to support current and regional efforts to reduce gun violence.

Victim Advocacy - The purpose of the Victim Advocacy Program is to provide direct support to survivors of genderbased violence through coordination with the Seattle Police Department, legal system navigation, and social services support to maintain their safety. 2022 - $1,622,615 2023 - $2,354,832 2024 - $2,385,590

There are no formal publications from the city announcing the naming of internal leaders. In July 2023, Seattle’s Office of Police Accountability opened an investigation into reports that city officers kept a mock tombstone for a Black man killed by police in a precinct break room also decorated with a Trump flag. In a statement, Mayor Bruce Harrell said, “It reflects poor judgment and a lack of sensitivity from the officers involved and from the officers who observed and allowed these displays to remain. We … believe it’s crucial to understand who was responsible, how long these displays remained in the break room, why police supervisors didn’t recognize the problem.”

While the City Attorney's Office has presented on the effectiveness of diversion programs and their impacts on recidivism, Mayor Harrell's administration has not publicly presented any such evaluation.