Seattle has reversed a pandemic-era policy that limited law enforcement’s ability to arrest and book individuals for low-level misdemeanors, such as shoplifting, vandalism, property crimes, and other petty crime. This policy change, effective earlier this month, lifts restrictions previously in place in King County that prevented police from booking people for all but serious misdemeanors.
Local law enforcement has expressed hope that this change will help curb rising crime in Seattle, which has been an outlier compared to other major US cities in experiencing increasing crime rates since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve had people tell us, ‘You can’t arrest me for that.’ Well, that was true but now we can. We’re hoping to get a little bit of accountability back,” said Deputy Police Chief Eric Barden, according to the Seattle Times. “We’re not running around looking to throw people in jail — that’s not our deal either. We’re just trying to provide the most efficient public safety to the citizens of Seattle that we can.”
The booking restrictions were initially imposed in 2020 to reduce jail populations during the pandemic. While serious offenses such as felonies, domestic violence incidents, DUIs, and weapons-related crimes still warranted arrests, misdemeanor crimes like theft and property destruction were largely exempt. The limitations were later extended after the pandemic due to staffing shortages among jail corrections officers.
Public defenders in King County have argued that reinstating misdemeanor arrests disproportionately affects the poorest people in the city and makes it harder for them to improve their lives. However, City Attorney Ann Davison made the point that this is necessary to reduce criminal activity in the city. Davison also pointed out that there has been ongoing frustration not just from law enforcement but from residents in the city after seeing criminals go free for property destruction or other petty crimes.
