Seattle’s Downtown Drug Crackdown Receiving Mixed Results – Guest Blogger – I.B.

Seattle Moving Towards a City-Funded “Safe Consumption Site” for Heroin Addicts – Guest Blogger

Led by mayor Ed Murray, Seattle introduced a 9 ½ Block Strategy plan. This plan was aimed to crackdown on drug dealing and problems related to drug dealing in Seattle’s busiest area, downtown. This plan has largely been heralded as a success although there is data that supports claims that a lot of that same crime has been displaced to the surrounding areas.

This strategy became increasingly needed in recent months as Seattle’s heroin epidemic rages on. Law enforcement officials admit that some displacement of crime is bound to happen but argue that this concern is not as serious as the numbers may indicate. They point out that drug abuse and distribution is on the rise across the entire city, not just downtown.

The number of 911 calls related to drug sales increased in all nine neighborhoods that border the downtown area. The opposite has occurred during the target area as calls have decreased drastically. Police argue that the increase in calls in surrounding neighborhoods would have occurred anyway, whereas the decrease in crime downtown would not have naturally occurred, making this a relative success in the eye of officials.

Seattle has a large drug problem in comparison to other major American cities especially ones that are as affluent as Seattle and the surrounding areas. Calculated strategies and tactics by law enforcement are exactly what the city needs in order to combat these issues and make our city safer. Drugs and violence go hand-in-hand and have to be a top priority issue for our tax dollars to be spent on. I can understand the frustration of residents in surrounding neighborhoods but I hope that everyone can understand that without these concentrated efforts, drugs and violence will only become more prevalent.

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/did-seattles-downtown-drug-crackdown-push-crimes-elsewhere/

STAY UP TO DATE

Subscribe to our newsletters

 
Subscribe to one or more of our newsletters, delivering meaningful insight on topics that matter to you and your family.
ebl home subscribe image

FURTHER READING

Latest Blog Posts

If you and your partner reside in Washington state and are unmarried, you each might qualify for the legal protections availed to you by law by classifying your relationship as a committed intimate relationship.

One of the greatest gifts you can give your family is to build an estate plan while you are alive and well. Estate planning allows you to formally communicate your wishes so they will not be up for interpretation by…

A co-executor can help facilitate the distribution of assets, minimize conflicts, and provide much-needed support to grieving families.

The law makes it easy for people to get out of bad marriages. Washington, like most states, acknowledges no-fault divorce. This means that if you want a court to dissolve your marriage, all you have to do is file for…

Washington state’s laws on non-marital relationships, including committed intimate relationships (CIRs), can be convoluted, especially in the absence of a cohabitation agreement. Given the ambiguity that exists for unmarried partners in Washington state, thinking about the future and what it could look like is more important than ever. This is especially true in terms of aging, incapacity, and death. Fortunately, you can address each of these issues in a comprehensive estate plan.

Prenups and postnups can strengthen a marriage, given how they require relationship partners to put their cards on the table for each other to see, offering transparency and peace of mind. Despite their similarities, there are a few significant differences between the two.

Child support is one of the most contentious issues in divorce cases where parties have minor children. Even though Washington state law uses the same complex mathematical formula to determine the amount of child support for each child, there is…

Family law and estate planning often intersect. This is particularly true when contemplating divorce, remarriage, or blending families.

At some point during your divorce case, friends and family members whose own marriages ended in divorce probably told you that it gets better, and it does. Of course, from your perspective, getting out of a bad marriage might be…

Co-parenting over a long distance when you are a non-residential parent does not have to equate to sacrificing involvement in your children’s lives. But it likely does mean you will have to make tweaks in your communication and parenting style to accommodate the new living arrangement.