Seattle Mayor Defends Drug Policy Shift Amid Criticism

Seattle’s newly elected mayor, Katie Wilson, has vehemently denied allegations that her administration has ended arrests for public drug use in the city.

The Seattle Police Officers Guild issued a statement on Sunday asserting that city leaders directed an end to such arrests and instead implemented diversion program recommendations.

“You’ll know when I announce a policy change, because I’ll announce a policy change,” Wilson, a self-described Democratic socialist, stated in a declaration.

“Several weeks ago, I published a vision for public safety, which begins with the commitment ‘that everyone in Seattle, of every background and every income, deserves to be safe in their homes, streets, parks, and places of business in every neighborhood across our city,’” she added. “I remain committed to that vision. Our work now is to carry it out, including enforcement of the possession and public use ordinance in priority situations and ensuring that the LEAD framework and other effective responses to neighborhood hot spots are implemented with an appropriate level of urgency, sufficient resources, and a commitment to results.”

According to the Seattle Police Department, Chief Shon Barnes recently instructed officers to route all drug possession and use cases to the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program rather than pursuing prosecution. The LEAD initiative is designed to redirect low-level offenders in King County from criminal justice proceedings into supportive social services.

Barnes clarified that failure to meet LEAD requirements would permit prosecutors to reinitiate legal action for the cases.

The department noted that Barnes’ directive aligns with a recent clarification from the City Attorney’s Office on how public drug use cases will be prosecuted in 2026.

“To be clear, nothing has changed when it comes to police continuing to make drug-related arrests in Seattle,” the department emphasized.

Mike Solan, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, condemned the policy shift. “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 stated on social media. He further argued that the approach reflects an enormous flaw in those who believe meeting individuals in their addiction crises constitutes the correct path to improvement.