Thirty-five Seattle business leaders have called on Mayor Katie Wilson and the Seattle City Council to take additional action on public safety, citing concerns about crime, emergency response, and conditions affecting employees, customers, and visitors.
The letter, posted by the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, asks the city to develop a comprehensive public safety action plan, increase public safety investments, activate the city’s CCTV system, improve 911 response times and address public drug use and encampments near parks and playgrounds. The business leaders also urged the mayor and council to support these priorities through the city budget.
Signatories include executives from Microsoft, Costco, Alaska Air Group, Starbucks, Nordstrom, Zillow Group, T-Mobile, Weyerhaeuser, Puget Sound Energy and other major employers and business organizations.
The letter referenced an Aug. 17 poll of registered Seattle voters that found 34% were confident the city had an effective public safety plan. The business leaders said residents are seeking clear actions, timelines, and measurable results.
Wilson responded that several of the requested actions are already underway. She pointed to increased police presence in several neighborhoods, street-level investments in the Chinatown-International District and Little Saigon, changes to the built environment, additional crisis responder hours and continued police recruitment. Wilson also said the city is recruiting a new police chief.
Wilson said Seattle Police Department data show shootings and homicides at their lowest levels in a decade, while acknowledging continued concerns about crime and public disorder. She said she plans to announce a gun violence reduction strategy and provide an update on shelter expansion efforts.
