Seattle struggles with police staffing after anti-law enforcement push from city leaders
Seattle residents Victoria Beach, Eli Hoshor and Jonathan Choe relay struggles with law enforcement staffing in their city after anti-police rhetoric created a devastating crime wave.
Seattle residents Victoria Beach, Eli Hoshor and Jonathan Choe said police shortages have left their city in dire straits in the aftermath of officials' anti-law enforcement rhetoric.
Homicides skyrocketed by 24% while motor vehicle thefts climbed by 30% in the city last year. Overall crime ticked up by 4%.
Mayor Bruce Harrell pushed for increased police presence to curb the issue Tuesday, saying, "We need immediate action and innovation to respond to our public safety issues… Seattle saw a 4% rise in reported crime last year… We need more officers to address our staffing crisis."
Still, some residents' outlook is less than optimistic.
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Seattle Police Department patch (Genna Martin/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
"Right now, I don't have a lot of hope," Beach told Todd Piro Wednesday on "Fox & Friends First."
"I think the mayor is on the right track, but Seattle is in a huge crisis. Our city has been destroyed, and we're not going to get it back anytime soon," she added.
Beach said she agrees that the city needs more police to help cut back on crime, saying the situation is currently a "free for all."
"If you want to commit a crime, move to Seattle," she said.
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Bruce Harrell speaks during the mayoral race as his wife, Joanne Harrell applauds, Nov. 2, 2021, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Piro reported data from Seattle's city's budget office showing funding for law enforcement increased for the first time since a major slash was made in 2020.
Hoshor, another resident, says the uptick is not enough to reduce crime.
"The crime is just getting worse and worse," he said. "There's a homeless encampment that's right next to my son's school that's been there for over a year, and it's doubled and tripled in size.
Police respond to a call in downtown Seattle on March 5, 2021. (iStock)
"It's ridiculous that that's even possible."
Choe, a reporter from the area, slammed the "Defund the Police" movement for being behind the crime rise as well as the "woke" activist class who he said are perpetuating the problem.
"[It's] a failed social experiment," he told Piro. "They're still standing by this and doubling down on it…"
He added that seeing how "Defund the Police" supporters respond to Harrell's push for more police and the uptick in funding for the department should be "interesting."
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"The mayor laid out the vision and the hope for what he wants going forward, but he's very sparse on details and an exact plan to execute this and what that would actually look like," he added.
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