Seattle’s crime surge spreads statewide thanks to Democrats’ progressive policies

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Thanks to a Democratic legislature that codified the radical defund police proposals into laws, plus light-on-crime judges, the crime surge hitting Seattle is spreading across the state. And there is no sign that the crime explosion will slow; in fact, it’s getting worse.

Seattle has averaged more than one homicide a week so far this year. Gun violence has nearly doubled, with 95% more shots fired and a 171% increase in gunshot victims compared to last year. Drug dealing is rampant, homeless shoplifters are destroying local businesses, and random, brutal assaults are all too common.

Unlike Las Vegas, what happens in Seattle doesn’t stay in Seattle.

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In nearby Tacoma, the homicide rate is just as bad as Seattle. Robberies in the city hit 219 through March 13. Compare that to last year’s 83 at that point last year. Yakima, located in central Washington, has seen a spiraling domestic violence epidemic with 1,592 domestic violence incidents since last July.

Meanwhile, car theft in the mid-size border city of Bellingham is up over 300%, already surpassing the total number of thefts from 2019. On the east side of the state, Spokane is experiencing similar problems with a 90% spike in car thefts .

Where did this all come from? The left’s assault on policing and the courts after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Fringe activists demanded changes and like-minded Democrats obliged lawmakers.

Democrats passed legislation preventing cops from using force — including detention at the scene of a crime — unless probable cause exists for an arrest. They even banned most vehicular pursuits, which means criminals can quite literally drive off from the scene of most crimes without fear that they’ll be chased and detained. Cities like Seattle went one step further, banning most traffic stops altogether.

The use-of-force bill was somewhat fixed at this last legislative session to allow police use of force if a suspect flees the scene of a crime. But the standard is still probable cause — much higher than reasonable suspicion.

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This matters because criminals know these new laws work in their favor and they’re taking advantage.

Smash and grabs continue to wreak havoc. Crooks break into various retail stores, usually driving a car (but sometimes a forklift) into a storefront, before physically removing the ATM. Due to the cash-only nature of pot shops, they are also being targeted, with some 200 robberies this year and many of them are armed.

FILE – Seattle police respond to the area of Third Avenue and Pine Street after a fatal shooting.
(Seattle Police Department)

In many of the cities where this is occurring, especially Seattle, police are so understaffed they can’t arrive in time to catch the criminals. If they arrive as the thieves drive off, they would not likely have probable cause that a violent crime occurred and would be barred from pursuit.

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If the new “police accountability” laws weren’t bad enough, we have politicians and judges who treat criminals like the victims.

According to a leaked draft ordinance, the King County Council is considering legislation mandating police to connect a suspect with a public defender before they can consent to a search of their person or property. The suspect can’t even waive their rights — they must first speak with a lawyer. This effectively stops most police investigations, while hampering them with extra work.

FILE — SEPT 1, 2021: Seattle Police respond to a third shooting incident Tuesday evening in the 200 block of Yesler Way in the Pioneer Square neighborhood.
(Seattle Police Department)

When the suspects are teens, there’s almost never juvenile detention thanks to left wing judges. Perhaps that’s behind the rash of teen criminals endangering the lives of residents? They know they won’t be punished seriously.

Four kids between the ages of 11 and 16 were arrested after a recent drive-by shooting on I-5 in Pierce County. A group of teens as young as 14, one armed with a gun, carjacked a victim in Burien, Wash. four days later. The suspects in a Tacoma pot shop murder are 15 and 16. They had just been previously placed on home arrest following charges connected to a violent armed robbery that included an alleged pistol-whipping.

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When some mayors objected to the soft-on-violent-crime approach to juvenile suspects, a King County prosecutor told them to “get used to it.” This is the new reality.

Anyone even casually reviewing the new laws, the defunded and understaffed police departments, and soft-on-crime judges and prosecutors would be able to connect the dots. But with woke, one-party rule in Washington, we get little more than lip service that barely even acknowledges the crisis.

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