From Newsgroup: alt.law-enforcement

for Seattle

from https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/heres-what-my-neighborhood-would-like-from-katie-wilson/

HererCOs what my neighborhood would like from Katie Wilson

Nov. 29, 2025 at 8:00 am Updated Nov. 29, 2025 at 8:01 am

The Seattle Police Department has one of the lowest ratios of officers
per capita in the country, and it shows – we rarely see patrol
cars, traffic stops or someone held accountable for even obvious,
visible crimes, writes the author. Pictured are SPD officers standing at
the ready during a concert and rally at Gas Works Park in Seattle on
Aug. 29, 2025. (Karen Ducey / The Seattle Times)

By David Amschler
Special to The Seattle Times
IrCOm a father, a husband, a veteran and a longtime blue-collar resident
of Seattle who has watched this city change in ways that have left many feeling unheard, unprotected and honestly, forgotten.

This isnrCOt about politics. ItrCOs not about left or right. ItrCOs about the reality families like mine live with every day. ItrCOs about the
neighborhoods we raise our kids in, the homes we work so hard to afford
and the basic sense of safety that every resident should be able to
count on.

I love Seattle. But whatrCOs happening here is breaking people down.

In many parts of this city, crime has become expected instead of
shocking. Car prowls, open drug use, stolen vehicles, shoplifting,
catalytic converter thefts, burglary, unsafe encampments rCo werCOve reached
a point where most of these crimes are met with no consequences.

One person we spoke with after they experienced a break-in said
something IrCOll never forget: rCLHe that feels no consequence behaves with
no respect.rCY

That is Seattle right now in one sentence.

Compassion matters. Helping people matters. But there is a point where compassion without boundaries stops being compassion and becomes
neglect, neglect of the very people who have held this city together.

Compassion is great, but werCOve had enough compassion without
accountability. ItrCOs time to restore balance between helping people in
need and protecting the people who live here. We can care deeply about
human beings while still expecting behavior that doesnrCOt destroy neighborhoods. Those two things should not be treated as opposites.

Encampments and RVs are shuffled from one neighborhood to another.
Sometimes theyrCOre cleared, sometimes they return a week later. Residents install eco-blocks out of desperation, not cruelty, because they feel
like no one is listening to them.

No one feels good about any of this rCo not the homeowners, not the
housed, not the unhoused, not the business owners. This isnrCOt a
solution. ItrCOs a rotation.

Right now, the Seattle Police Department has one of the lowest ratios of officers per capita in the country. And it shows. We rarely see patrol
cars. We rarely see traffic stops. We rarely see someone held
accountable for even obvious, visible crimes.

Residents joke, sadly, that the moment you leave Seattle and drive into Shoreline, you suddenly see police everywhere. In stores. In parking
lots. On the streets. Doing traffic stops. It shouldnrCOt be normal that seeing a police officer means yourCOve left Seattle. WerCOre not asking for aggressive policing. WerCOre asking for basic policing.

My wife and I are raising a young child. We both work long hours. WerCOre trying to build a stable life. WerCOre trying to live in a city we once believed in. But itrCOs becoming harder and harder to feel safe,
protected, or supported.

Families shouldnrCOt have to explain to kids why people are openly using
drugs at bus stops. We shouldnrCOt have to pray that no one breaks into
our car again. Working families like mine are doing everything we can to
keep our heads up. We need our city to meet us halfway.

We are not asking for the impossible. We are asking for three basic things:

1. Accountability for behavior that harms others: Compassion cannot
survive without structure. Helping people is noble. Allowing chaos is not.

2. A police department that can actually respond to residents: Even a
small increase in presence would change how neighborhoods feel overnight.

3. A real, long-term plan for homelessness that does more than relocate people: We need housing, treatment, outreach, and yes, expectations and
rules.

I believe this city can be better than what itrCOs become. People like me
rCo the blue-collar families, the veterans, the workers, the parents, the folks who stay here through all the hard times rCo we need to be heard.

We need safety.

We need accountability.

We need our city back.

And I hope Katie Wilson is the leader who helps us get there.

David Amschler: lives in Ballard.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.law-enforcement

On 12/1/25 06:54, a425couple wrote:

for Seattle

from
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/heres-what-my-neighborhood-would- like-from-katie-wilson/

HererCOs what my neighborhood would like from Katie Wilson

Nov. 29, 2025 at 8:00 am Updated Nov. 29, 2025 at 8:01 am

The Seattle Police Department has one of the lowest ratios of officers
per capita in the country, and it shows – we rarely see patrol
cars, traffic stops or someone held accountable for even obvious,
visible crimes, writes the author. Pictured are SPD officers standing at
the ready during a concert and rally at Gas Works Park in Seattle on
Aug. 29, 2025. (Karen Ducey / The Seattle Times)

By David Amschler
Special to The Seattle Times
IrCOm a father, a husband, a veteran and a longtime blue-collar resident
of Seattle who has watched this city change in ways that have left many feeling unheard, unprotected and honestly, forgotten.

This isnrCOt about politics. ItrCOs not about left or right.

comments include

If you move to Seattle and choose to live in an area well known for
issues, and expect it to be different than what it is...... I would say
you've made a mistake. Some areas in Ballard are worse than others...
much worse, and they've been that way for a loooong time.

Well said and this is the true opinion of many responsible, law abiding,
tax paying, people who are not costing the city anything from services,
police time, litter cleanup, graffiti or any other taking or getting.
There are a lot of us and we want the changes expressed in this article.

Seattle is captured. The author pleads for what a common sense community yearns for and deserves. SeattlerCOs transplanted population of East Coast progressives/socialists/Marxists do not want the kind of security, law enforcement and accountability the author describes. SeattlerCOs renter population keeps voting for levies and property taxes believing they
wonrCOt feel the impact and feeling good about sticking it to the wealthy. When property owners pass the increases on to tenants and consumers, affordability becomes the issue, but these voters take no responsibility
for causing it. in the meantime, the progressive city council wastes the money, loses the money and misplaces the money, and their solution is
always to propose another levy and property tax increase. ItrCOs a vicious cycle. And all the while, the progressive voter base feels righteous in
their virtue-signalling, offering handouts without requirements and
compassion without consequence. The city declines and the quality of
life diminishes. There is no way to change this, unfortunately. This
city is for the foreseeable future unlikely to elect a law and order
mayor or one who would prioritize trade missions to bring economic
prosperity to the city. For now, the compassion without consequences
crowd needs a dependent, drug addled, lawless, and needy population to
be the subject of their virtue signaling. A strong and supported police focused on public safety, order and protection of property rights is inconsistent with the desires of a majority of Seattle-ites. Katie
Miller will not change this.

Wonderful! I hope we get all that from Katie Wilson. I fear we will get
none of it.

I don't want anything from Katie Wilson! Just stay out of my pockets.

Our little mini park in Lake City now has a permanent fence installed
around it - after the city installed a temporary fence to keep the drug campers out of it.
Apparently the latest response to junkies taking over our parks is to
close the parks to everyone instead of dealing with the obvious
criminals. Actual citizens lose either way.
The only people feeling any consequences these days are the good folks
of the city....criminals certainly aren't feeling any.
This is by no means limited to Seattle. Trump just issued the latest
pardon to a big time drug kingpin who apparently had the means to pay
Trump's price.
We need to start seeing criminals facing real consequences at all levels
in our country.

rCLDefund the PolicerCY. That is a phrase/ideal that haunts our city.
Although not spoken recently, the philosophy feels baked in to our
cityrCOs governance.
Although I know the nuances of its creation, this is the most ignorant
slogan that I have ever heard.
Its residue still resides.

It is not just the Mayor who should be held accountable for
deteriorating conditions in Ballard/Fremont/Magnolia. It is District
Council Representative for D6 - Dan Strauss. The guy is clueless and has
done little for the areas. Maybe next round the author of this
thoughtful piece should consider running. Having said that, I do not
have much confidence in new Mayor Katie as she has a resume thinner than
rice paper and an agenda that seems to suggest taking Seattle to its
lowest common denominator with socialist policies. Council, as a whole,
should keep a tight leash on Mayor Katie. But now that some of you
decided to boot Sara Nelson, hopes for a better, safer and cleaner
Seattle are in the balance.

I was born and raised in Seattle and it has been very sad to see how the voices of people like David and his family have had their voices shut down.
I think the only solution for David and his family as well as others who
have had it with the lack of public safety, open drug use, homeless
camps on the side walks, etc..and just want to be able to live in peace-
is to move out of the city. You are not the demographic that the elected officials in Seattle care about or are going to provide any response to.
I made this choice to purposely not live within the city of Seattle when
I had moved away and then was looking to move back to the area to raise
my family..We decided on Bellevue as it was smaller and had great schools....that was 35 years ago. Now - even Bellevue has changed and
had gotten to be too crowded and to big..
We now live in Edmonds and are really enjoying the smaller town
environment but it is still close to the big city via light rail and car
if needed..

I was born and raised in Seattle and IrCOm not leaving. I love the city
and how does leaving improve anything? The suburbs are not for me, but
that doesnrCOt mean IrCOm okay with crime, homelessness, graffiti and open
air drug use. I am not okay with these things.
I want the city to do better for all of us.

Apparently Bruce Harrell didnrCOt give your neighborhood what you would
like. Just to be clear.

This is an excellent piece and I am grateful that this citizen stepped
up to write it. I hope Katie can form a new kind of relationship with
the police chief and determine what is going on behind the scenes.
Something seems very off with the numbers of police we have and the
numbers of police we see doing anything on the street. I have heard
dozens and dozens of stories of police simply driving past crime in
action and doing nothing. Are they too new and scared? Have they been
told not to police? Is someone getting kickbacks from crime? You really
have to wonder, when pimps are doing donuts in the middle of Highway 99, driving on the wrong side of the street and having a shootout and the
police drive right by and only come when everything is over to put the
markers by the bullets. (This was all caught on video and shared on
either KOMO or Next Door)
I know that neighbors in Magnuson Park, who asked to meet with the
police chief about nightly crime there were told by Chief Barnes that
they had rCLa crime perception problemrCYrCo and not a crime problem. Things heat up after midnight. He went there at one in the afternoon and said everything was fine. Much as I thought that Bruce Harrell was starting
to make changes, the word on the street is that Harrell told Barnes to rCLstand downrCY when it came to Magnuson Park. WHY?
Why is our police chief gaslighting the citizens? Why are police not
getting out of their cars and doing something when they see crime
happening? Why if we call 911 about an intruder are we asked if the
intruder has a weapon and if we say no, or we donrCOt know, we are told no
one can be dispatched? This is not public safety policy, it is crime enablement.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.law-enforcement

On Mon, 1 Dec 2025 07:06:06 -0800
a425couple <a425couple@hotmail.com> wrote:

On 12/1/25 06:54, a425couple wrote:

for Seattle

from
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/heres-what-my-neighborhood-would- like-from-katie-wilson/

HererCOs what my neighborhood would like from Katie Wilson

Nov. 29, 2025 at 8:00 am Updated Nov. 29, 2025 at 8:01 am

The Seattle Police Department has one of the lowest ratios of
officers per capita in the country, and it shows &#8211; we rarely
see patrol cars, traffic stops or someone held accountable for even obvious, visible crimes, writes the author. Pictured are SPD
officers standing at the ready during a concert and rally at Gas
Works Park in Seattle on Aug. 29, 2025. (Karen Ducey / The Seattle
Times)

By David Amschler
Special to The Seattle Times
IrCOm a father, a husband, a veteran and a longtime blue-collar
resident of Seattle who has watched this city change in ways that
have left many feeling unheard, unprotected and honestly, forgotten.

This isnrCOt about politics. ItrCOs not about left or right.

comments include

If you move to Seattle and choose to live in an area well known for
issues, and expect it to be different than what it is...... I would
say you've made a mistake. Some areas in Ballard are worse than
others... much worse, and they've been that way for a loooong time.

Well said and this is the true opinion of many responsible, law
abiding, tax paying, people who are not costing the city anything
from services, police time, litter cleanup, graffiti or any other
taking or getting. There are a lot of us and we want the changes
expressed in this article.

Seattle is captured. The author pleads for what a common sense
community yearns for and deserves. SeattlerCOs transplanted population
of East Coast progressives/socialists/Marxists do not want the kind
of security, law enforcement and accountability the author describes. SeattlerCOs renter population keeps voting for levies and property
taxes believing they wonrCOt feel the impact and feeling good about
sticking it to the wealthy. When property owners pass the increases
on to tenants and consumers, affordability becomes the issue, but
these voters take no responsibility for causing it. in the meantime,
the progressive city council wastes the money, loses the money and
misplaces the money, and their solution is always to propose another
levy and property tax increase. ItrCOs a vicious cycle. And all the
while, the progressive voter base feels righteous in their
virtue-signalling, offering handouts without requirements and
compassion without consequence. The city declines and the quality of
life diminishes. There is no way to change this, unfortunately. This
city is for the foreseeable future unlikely to elect a law and order
mayor or one who would prioritize trade missions to bring economic
prosperity to the city. For now, the compassion without consequences
crowd needs a dependent, drug addled, lawless, and needy population
to be the subject of their virtue signaling. A strong and supported
police focused on public safety, order and protection of property
rights is inconsistent with the desires of a majority of
Seattle-ites. Katie Miller will not change this.

Wonderful! I hope we get all that from Katie Wilson. I fear we will
get none of it.

I don't want anything from Katie Wilson! Just stay out of my pockets.

Our little mini park in Lake City now has a permanent fence installed
around it - after the city installed a temporary fence to keep the
drug campers out of it.
Apparently the latest response to junkies taking over our parks is to
close the parks to everyone instead of dealing with the obvious
criminals. Actual citizens lose either way.
The only people feeling any consequences these days are the good
folks of the city....criminals certainly aren't feeling any.
This is by no means limited to Seattle. Trump just issued the latest
pardon to a big time drug kingpin who apparently had the means to pay Trump's price.
We need to start seeing criminals facing real consequences at all
levels in our country.

rCLDefund the PolicerCY. That is a phrase/ideal that haunts our city. Although not spoken recently, the philosophy feels baked in to our
cityrCOs governance.
Although I know the nuances of its creation, this is the most
ignorant slogan that I have ever heard.
Its residue still resides.

It is not just the Mayor who should be held accountable for
deteriorating conditions in Ballard/Fremont/Magnolia. It is District
Council Representative for D6 - Dan Strauss. The guy is clueless and
has done little for the areas. Maybe next round the author of this thoughtful piece should consider running. Having said that, I do not
have much confidence in new Mayor Katie as she has a resume thinner
than rice paper and an agenda that seems to suggest taking Seattle to
its lowest common denominator with socialist policies. Council, as a
whole, should keep a tight leash on Mayor Katie. But now that some of
you decided to boot Sara Nelson, hopes for a better, safer and
cleaner Seattle are in the balance.

I was born and raised in Seattle and it has been very sad to see how
the voices of people like David and his family have had their voices
shut down. I think the only solution for David and his family as well
as others who have had it with the lack of public safety, open drug
use, homeless camps on the side walks, etc..and just want to be able
to live in peace- is to move out of the city. You are not the
demographic that the elected officials in Seattle care about or are
going to provide any response to. I made this choice to purposely not
live within the city of Seattle when I had moved away and then was
looking to move back to the area to raise my family..We decided on
Bellevue as it was smaller and had great schools....that was 35 years
ago. Now - even Bellevue has changed and had gotten to be too crowded
and to big.. We now live in Edmonds and are really enjoying the
smaller town environment but it is still close to the big city via
light rail and car if needed..

I was born and raised in Seattle and IrCOm not leaving. I love the city
and how does leaving improve anything? The suburbs are not for me,
but that doesnrCOt mean IrCOm okay with crime, homelessness, graffiti and open air drug use. I am not okay with these things.
I want the city to do better for all of us.

Apparently Bruce Harrell didnrCOt give your neighborhood what you would like. Just to be clear.

This is an excellent piece and I am grateful that this citizen
stepped up to write it. I hope Katie can form a new kind of
relationship with the police chief and determine what is going on
behind the scenes. Something seems very off with the numbers of
police we have and the numbers of police we see doing anything on the
street. I have heard dozens and dozens of stories of police simply
driving past crime in action and doing nothing. Are they too new and
scared? Have they been told not to police? Is someone getting
kickbacks from crime? You really have to wonder, when pimps are doing
donuts in the middle of Highway 99, driving on the wrong side of the
street and having a shootout and the police drive right by and only
come when everything is over to put the markers by the bullets. (This
was all caught on video and shared on either KOMO or Next Door)
I know that neighbors in Magnuson Park, who asked to meet with the
police chief about nightly crime there were told by Chief Barnes that
they had rCLa crime perception problemrCYrCo and not a crime problem.
Things heat up after midnight. He went there at one in the afternoon
and said everything was fine. Much as I thought that Bruce Harrell
was starting to make changes, the word on the street is that Harrell
told Barnes to rCLstand downrCY when it came to Magnuson Park. WHY?
Why is our police chief gaslighting the citizens? Why are police not
getting out of their cars and doing something when they see crime
happening? Why if we call 911 about an intruder are we asked if the
intruder has a weapon and if we say no, or we donrCOt know, we are told
no one can be dispatched? This is not public safety policy, it is
crime enablement.

That came from the heart and is exceedingly well-written too.
Smith29 would have approved...
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2