Officers in Seattle, OR, will be enforcing an ordinance prohibiting public drug use, but they have been instructed that diversion is the best way to deal with drug users.Seattle Police Department
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is asking police to get tough on drugs but, according to an executive order he issued this week, for the first time in the city’s history diversion, rather than jail, will be the preferred way to deal with individuals caught using illegal drugs in public,
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office reports so far this year there have been 847 fatal overdoses involving opioids, reports FOX 13. The mayor’s announcement of the executive order reveals how large the fentanyl crisis has grown in the city, noting that the Seattle Police Department has seized an “estimated 2 million fentanyl pills – enough to kill the entire city.”
“We are committed to learning lessons from the past, holding traffickers, dealers, and those causing the most harm accountable, and helping people access treatment and care through diversion services,” Harrell said in the announcement, which details how police are to enforce an ordinance passed earlier that makes public use of illegal drugs a gross misdemeanor.
The executive order states: “SPD arrest guidance will emphasize diversion. SPD training will also remind officers to be cognizant that many of their contacts occurring under Ordinance 126896 will be directed toward individuals with diminished mental capacity or other health challenges.”
The city has given the Seattle Police Department the authority to arrest anyone publicly using or possessing drugs, starting Oct. 20.
The chief explained officers will focus attention on public spaces like schools, parks, and transit centers. If law enforcement identifies someone causing harm, they are told to take a two-pronged approach: arrest or diversion.
"We might not necessarily be able to book them," said Diaz. "The jail has staffing issues and there’s challenges with that."
