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Seattle’s new mayor is facing growing scrutiny over her approach to public safety after an internal police email outlined how most drug possession and public use cases are being directed toward diversion rather than prosecution — prompting backlash from critics who say the approach sends the wrong message as open drug use remains visible across the city.
The controversy erupted after Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes circulated an internal message detailing how low-level drug cases will be handled in 2026, fueling concerns among critics that the city is effectively softening enforcement just weeks into Mayor Katie Wilson’s administration. City officials insist there has been no policy change, but critics argue the practical impact tells a different story.
In the internal email obtained by Fox News Digital, Barnes wrote that “all charges related to drug possession and/or drug use will be diverted from prosecution to the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program,” citing guidance from the City Attorney’s Office. The directive applies to user-quantity cases, while drug dealers and those ineligible for LEAD remain subject to prosecution.
Barnes emphasized that officers are still expected to arrest individuals when probable cause exists, particularly when drug use occurs in public view.
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Seattle Police pushed back on claims that enforcement is changing, telling Fox News Digital that officers will continue to make drug-related arrests and that SPD policy remains unchanged.
The department said prosecutors, not police, determine whether cases move forward, adding that officers can coordinate with prosecutors to pursue traditional prosecution in cases where diversion is deemed ineffective.
SPD also pointed to staffing gains and declining crime rates, noting the department added 165 officers in 2025 and saw reductions in both violent and property crime.
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Mayor Katie Wilson rejected claims that her administration has shifted drug enforcement policy.
“There has been no policy change,” Wilson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “You’ll know when I announce a policy change, because I’ll announce a policy change.”
Wilson said she remains committed to enforcing the city’s public use and possession ordinance in “priority situations” while expanding diversion programs like LEAD in neighborhood hot spots, stressing urgency, resources and measurable results.
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Despite those assurances, critics remain unconvinced.
In an opinion piece published by Seattle Red, conservative radio host and Seattle commentator Jason Rantz argued that diverting most drug use and possession cases away from prosecution undermines accountability, regardless of how city officials describe the policy. Rantz said that when arrests are not followed by prosecution, the message to offenders is that public drug use carries few real consequences.
Criticism has also come from within law enforcement.
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Speaking to Rantz on his radio show, Seattle Police Officers Guild President Mike Solan sharply criticized the approach outlined in the internal police email, warning it puts public safety at risk and sends the wrong message about open drug use.
Solan told Rantz that diverting most drug use cases away from prosecution is dangerous and reflects what he described as a naïve political approach to addiction. He warned the strategy could lead to increased crime and overdose deaths, referring to the philosophy behind it as “suicidal empathy.”
Solan also said many officers are skeptical of the LEAD program, telling Rantz that some avoid making LEAD referrals altogether because they believe the program is ineffective and driven more by ideology than accountability.
“The recent naive, ignorant political decision to not arrest offenders for open drug use in the City of Seattle is horrifically dangerous and will create more death and societal decay,” Solan told Rantz. “It embodies an enormous flaw in those in our community who think that meeting people where they are who are in the throes of addiction, is the correct path to lift them up.”
Similar concerns were raised by outreach groups.
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According to MyNorthwest, Andrea Suarez, executive director of the nonprofit We Heart Seattle, warned that allowing open drug use in public spaces enables addiction and accelerates harm. Suarez argued that enforcement plays a critical role in pushing people toward treatment and said diversion-based approaches without consequences fail to meaningfully disrupt drug use.
City officials, however, maintain that enforcement remains in place. Seattle Police say officers will continue to make arrests when probable cause exists, while Wilson insists there has been no policy change and that the city is focused on enforcing drug laws in “priority situations” while expanding diversion efforts in high-impact areas.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to [email protected].
