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TIMELY PROSECUTION OF DUI CASES
Our City Attorney’s failure to timely prosecute DUI cases has put our public safety at risk. There are multiple examples of DUI cases that have been referred to the City Attorney’s office, the office has failed to prosecute the case, and the same individual has committed a subsequent DUI.
In 2018 and 2019, the median time from the occurrence of a DUI to filing charges was five days. In other words, under our previous city attorney, more than half of DUI cases were filed within one week of the offense. The most recent numbers indicate that the median time to file a case is 85 days.
As City Attorney I will prioritize DUI cases and clear the backlog that puts drivers and pedestrians at risk. Not every case requires us to throw the driver in jail. We can use at home monitoring, ignition interlock devises, substance abuse treatment, and other strategies to increase the safety of our community. But none of these measures can be initiated until the city attorney’s office files a case.
PROTECTING SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
One of the most important jobs of the city attorney’s office is to hold perpetrators of domestic violence accountable. When a survivor of domestic violence contacts law enforcement, it is often after they have suffered months and sometimes years of abuse. The City Attorney’s office must act quickly to protect the survivor and obtain a no contact order.
Unfortunately, DV cases have been delayed under our current city attorney. Like DUI cases, the current city attorney is taking longer to prosecute DV cases than the previous administration. As city attorney I would be an advocate for victims and survivors of domestic violence, prioritizing their safety.
PROTECTING SEATTLE RESIDENTS FROM TRUMP’S MASS DEPORTATION
President-Elect Donald Trump has promised a mass deportation of immigrants. Our Governor, Attorney General, and State Legislature have made preparations to protect our friends and neighbors, but resisting unconstitutional efforts by federal authorities to detain and deport people will require dedicated action at all levels of state and local government. As City Attorney I will use all legal strategies available to ensure that city resources are not used to carry out Trump’s dangerous agenda and to protect immigrant communities.
PROVEN STRATEGIES TO REDUCE RECIDIVISM
Our criminal legal system is broken. Every day people are arrested and jailed for petty theft, trespass, and drug possession, released and then a few days or weeks later they are arrested again, and the cycle repeats.
There’s a better way. Therapeutic courts and diversion programs take a holistic approach. Prosecutors and service providers work side by side to understand the life circumstances that led to the individual’s interaction with the criminal legal system. They provide the services that are needed to break the cycle of jail and release, whether that is substance abuse treatment, housing, counseling, or other support services.
I believe in holding people accountable for their behavior, but I also believe in science. Study after study has demonstrated that throwing someone in jail, without also providing services, leads to an increased chance that that individual will commit a more serious crime in the future.
Our current city attorney has moved in the opposite direction. She unilaterally closed Community Court without offering other solutions. The result has been the continued revolving door of crime, arrest, jail, and re-offense, making our community less safe.
HELPING COMMUNITIES BUILD TRUST WITH THE POLICE
We all want safe neighborhoods, but for more than a decade, the Seattle Police Department has been subject to a federal consent decree. Every few months we learn about another incident of police misconduct, but the perpetrators are not held responsible for their actions because the Seattle Police Officer’s Guild has refused to negotiate common sense accountability measures.
As a result, people are hurt and killed by police officers and the taxpayers are on the hook for multi-million dollar settlements. This has made our neighborhoods less safe. As City Attorney I will strengthen accountability measures that protect the public and protect taxpayers from expensive lawsuits.