Public Safety

July 2025

July 28, 2025

King County approves new sales tax for public safety — The council voted 8-1 to add a 0.1% tax expected to raise $95 million annually, offsetting a looming $180 million budget deficit.

July 21, 2025

Council expands nuisance ordinance to target after-hours crime — New legislation adds liquor and stolen property violations to list of chronic nuisance offenses and allows nearby activity to count toward enforcement.

July 21, 2025

SPD unveils Real Time Crime Center — The new surveillance hub monitors live video and data feeds to assist officers in real time. It has supported 600 investigations since May.

Reported crimes across Seattle fell nearly 8% in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, according to new Seattle Police Department data. The citywide decline was driven by double-digit drops in both property crime (–8.7%) and violent crime (–7.4%). By Precinct Precin...

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has formally asked a federal judge to end the Seattle Police Department’s consent decree, the oversight agreement that has shaped local policing since 2012. City leaders say years of reforms have met all federal requirements, including improved use-of-force policies and...

July 14, 2025

Idaho search for triple homicide suspect ends — A man spotted in Sawtooth National Forest was not Travis Decker, wanted in the killings of his three daughters.

June 2025

June 9, 2025

Father accused of killing three daughters eludes capture — Authorities are searching the Okanogan-Wenatchee forest with help from FBI, U.S. Marshals, and the National Guard.

June 2, 2025

City Hall protest leads to 8 arrests — Anti-LGBTQ demonstrators and counterprotestors continued to clash days after violence at Cal Anderson rally.

May 2025

May 27, 2025

Police arrest 23 during protest at Cal Anderson Park — Seattle officers say arrests were made for assault and obstruction after clashes between opposing groups on Saturday; one officer was treated for injuries and released.