Author name: LifeZette

Dozens of prominent Seattle area business leaders are demanding that Mayor Katie Wilson and the City Council move quickly on a sweeping public safety overhaul.

Their proposal calls for a 100 day action plan, restored surveillance cameras, stronger police staffing, and measurable standards for emergency response times.

The coalition includes executives from Microsoft, Starbucks, Costco, Nordstrom, Alaska Air Group, the Seattle Mariners, T Mobile, Zillow Group, Puget Sound Energy, F5, Weyerhaeuser, and other major employers. In total, 38 leaders signed the sharply worded letter sent to Wilson and council members.

Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith, Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol, Costco CEO Ron Vachris, and Nordstrom chief executive Erik Nordstrom were among the leading signatories.

They argued that Seattle residents are tired of vague promises and want City Hall to produce visible, measurable results.

“The clearest message” from an August survey, the coalition wrote, is that voters expect the city “to act with urgency, fund the actions needed to improve safety, and provide a clear plan for measuring progress.”

The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Challenge Seattle, and the Washington Roundtable organized the effort.

Their push was not triggered by one isolated incident, but by years of mounting concern about crime, disorder, drug markets, police shortages, and slow responses from city government.

“There’s not there’s not been a single event sort of a straw that broke the camel’s back,” Rachel Smith of the Washington Roundtable told KOMO News.

“It’s really been watching things deteriorate a little bit over time in terms of what we’re seeing from a public safety perspective, and wanting to be a partner in getting getting that addressed and moving in a different trajectory.”

An August public opinion poll found that only 34 percent of Seattle voters were confident the city had an effective public safety plan.

That dismal figure helps explain why major employers are no longer content to watch City Hall shuffle reports while residents and businesses deal with the consequences.

The proposed 100 day plan would establish concrete goals and require monthly public progress reports.

More than 86 percent of respondents supported such a plan, suggesting voters want accountability rather than another round of bureaucratic talking points.

The coalition also wants CCTV cameras reactivated in Pioneer Square, the Stadium District, and other areas that host large events.

Leaders say cameras can discourage criminal activity, identify suspects, protect the public, and give investigators valuable evidence after violent incidents.

“The bottom line is cameras need to be used to protect people and to solve crime full stop,” Smith said.

“We also need things like foot patrols, diversion programs, and closing down open air drug markets.”

Regular foot and bicycle patrols would be expanded in areas struggling with persistent safety problems, including Little Saigon.

The letter says 90 percent of survey respondents supported more visible patrols, a remarkably clear signal that residents would prefer officers on the street instead of excuses from City Hall.

The plan also calls for a renewed commitment to Seattle’s seven minute standard for 911 responses.

Officials would be required to publicly report when that target is missed, making it harder for the city to bury poor performance behind carefully polished press releases.

Nordstrom’s downtown flagship store reported receiving an officer response to only 29 percent of its 911 calls.

By comparison, Nordstrom stores in Southcenter and Bellevue reportedly received an officer response to every 911 call, exposing a staggering gap in basic police service.

Business leaders additionally want treatment and shelter offered first to people involved in drug offenses.

Those who repeatedly reject help would face arrest and prosecution, while Seattle police and the city attorney would be directed to prioritize shutting down open air drug markets.

The proposal seeks a ban on camping within 250 feet of schools, parks, and playgrounds.

Encampments found in those protected areas would be cleared within 72 hours, giving families a firm standard instead of the endless ambiguity that has defined Seattle policy.

Police staffing remains another major concern. Seattle has approximately 1.31 sworn officers for every 1,000 residents, about 40 percent below Denver, 43 percent below San Francisco, and 58 percent below Boston.

Former Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, now CEO of Challenge Seattle, said the time for delay has passed. “We need action,” she said.

“We’ve got a crisis on our hands right now, and we need action on public safety.”

WATCH:

Wilson responded that many requested measures are already moving forward, including added foot and bicycle patrols, expanded crisis responder hours, safety improvements in troubled neighborhoods, police recruiting, and a gun violence reduction strategy.

Her office also said shootings and homicides are at their lowest levels in a decade.

Yet the coalition insists that public safety funding must be protected and increased during the budget process.

Seattle voters and employers are plainly asking for the same thing: a city where police answer calls, drug markets are dismantled, public spaces are usable, and City Hall measures results instead of managing decline.