Seattle voters are divided on plenty of issues. Public safety, apparently, isn’t one of them. A new poll shows agreement so lopsided you might need to do a double take to believe the numbers.
Released this week by the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Challenge Seattle, the survey of 500 registered voters paints a stark picture of a frustrated electorate. Fulcrum Strategy Group conducted the poll Aug. 10-13, about two weeks after a shooting at Seattle Center that left three people dead and was followed by police Chief Shon Barnes' resignation. The poll carries a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points — a margin that doesn’t mean much given how decisive the results are.
Let’s dig into the numbers.
The most striking finding is the near-unanimous demand for a larger police footprint in struggling neighborhoods. A staggering 90% of respondents favor regular foot and bicycle patrols in areas dealing with persistent problems, such as the open-air drug and stolen goods markets in Little Saigon in the Chinatown International District.
Seattleites are just as tired of sluggish 911 response times. Nine in 10 want the city to treat its seven-minute response standard for priority calls as a mandate, even if it requires redirecting municipal spending to hit that mark.
More surprising for a historically privacy-conscious city, surveillance now enjoys widespread backing. Three-quarters of those surveyed endorse expanding the city's closed-circuit television network. Digging deeper, 74% want cameras at major venues like Seattle Center, and 71% want them deployed in areas plagued by street disorder. Even real-time monitoring by civilian officials in high-crime areas and during major events draws 68% approval.
That data puts the electorate noticeably at odds with Mayor Katie Wilson, who halted further camera expansion this spring, citing concerns over data privacy and fears that the footage could be used against immigrants by federal authorities.
Patience for the status quo on street-level drug use and encampments has similarly evaporated. More than 8 in 10 voters want the city to prioritize shutting down open-air drug markets. While compassion remains high — 82% favor offering treatment and shelter first — those same individuals overwhelmingly agree that repeated refusals of help should trigger arrest and prosecution.
A ban on camping in parks and within 250 feet of playgrounds and schools also drew massive support (79%), paired with a requirement that the city clear such encampments within 72 hours. At the state level, 75% of those polled want to rewrite the law that currently allows a juvenile to be arrested five times for illegally carrying a firearm before facing jail time.
The message to elected officials is blunt. Voters are skeptical that city leadership has a grip on public safety — only about one-third believe officials actually have an effective plan in place. To close that trust gap, 86% favor a comprehensive public safety action plan within 100 days, complete with measurable goals and monthly progress reports.
The poll reveals a stark ideological gap in confidence in the Wilson administration's public safety plan. Among progressive voters, a clear majority — 67% — expressed confidence in the administration. That drops to just 29% among liberals and 12% among moderates and conservatives.
“The public isn’t asking for a debate on public safety. They want action now to solve it,” Christine Gregoire, CEO of Challenge Seattle and former Washington governor, noted in a news release regarding the poll.
It is worth reflecting on just how far public opinion has evolved. Back in 2020, polling found voters roughly split on whether to reallocate half of the police budget to community services. Now, just six years later, 9 out of 10 want an expanded police presence in the neighborhoods that need it most.
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