Posted on 11/26/2020 9:35:55 PM PST by Uncle Miltie
King County Council members are calling out Seattle city leaders for not adequately protecting the downtown county courthouse as the council has found itself in the same predicament as many local businesses who are still reeling from recent protests, vandalism and street crime.
“It’s gotten way worse again, unfortunately,” said presiding King County Superior Court Judge Jim Rogers, referring to the number of assaults and crime that have been reported near the courthouse, located at 516 3rd Ave.
The Council approved $600,000 in 2019 so the King County Sheriff’s Department could provide added security along the courthouse’s perimeter. But when the security funding was brought to the council for 2021, it was a last second add-on and prompted a heated debate.
“We provide security inside and the government, which we are located the city of Seattle, ought to step up and provide appropriate street security outside,” says County Councilman Rod Dembowski.
The county's courthouse must be in located in the county seat, which is Seattle. And similar to the city’s two federal courthouse’s, outside security and calls for service are handled by officers from the Seattle Police Department.
The 500 block of 3rd Avenue, where the courthouse is located, has one of the highest rates in the city for 911 calls for help from police.
It appears that county council members are reaching a breaking point when it comes to SPD providing adequate protection for courthouse employees and people who are ordered by the court, such as jurors, witnesses and crime victims, to appear at the courthouse.
“We need that security outside,” Rogers said. “I’m not going to blame any particular group, but they (SPD) are not here as much as before and that’s why we need to depend on these sheriff patrols.”
But other council members are assigning blame.
Two officers outside the King County Courthouse.
“I’ve had one person expose themselves to me and have been grabbed twice,” County Councilmember Kathy Lambert said. “I think Seattle needs to know that we are not going to put up with the shoddy standard of supervision that goes on there.”
But when it came to appropriating more county money in 2021 for patrols around the courthouse perimeter, several council members balked at the idea.
“I think it’s a mistake for this level of investment in one particular block within another jurisdiction,” said Councilman Joe McDermott said. “There are places in the county that we have to protect as well, and we should not single out this one place."
County Council member Jeanne Kohl-Welles sponsored the proposal to add additional money, adding that the panel could always revisit the proposal when the next budget sessions begin in the middle of 2021.
“This patrol really does calm the situation,” Kohl-Welles said. “That’s why it’s needed now.”
The King County Council voted 8-1 to add $25,000 for extra security for the remainder of the year, then 5-4 in favor of $150,000 for added security for the first six months of 2021, but reserved the right to re-assess the need mid-year.
Said council President Claudia Balducci: “At some point, we have to back off and let Seattle patrol Seattle streets.”
Extreme leftists completely flummoxed by the results of their own policies.
They need less security considering how mostly peaceful it all is.
I can only imagine it is magnitudes worse since the rioters and BLM have taken over the city center.
Maybe King County ought to disband the Seattle city council and do a little direct rule if they feel so badly about the situation there.
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The County Courthouse is the registered home address to hundreds of homeless people—so it makes sense they should hang out there!
(For those who don’t know, this is how the Democrats have stolen close elections in WA state.)
“Authorities remain baffled...”
The politicians and judges who have encouraged the rioters should be stripped of their security. The cops who stood by and let the thugs run wild should be disarmed.
Boo freaking hoo. Defund the Council!
They identified the problem and threw money at it.
When that runs out they will vote to throw some more.
For some of the council womyen this is the only place they have an opportunity to get grabbed, dont let em fool ya!
“King County Council members are calling out Seattle city leaders...”
Payback’s a bitch and Settle deserve as many bitches as it can get.
Bunch of liberal communists working at this court, freeing antifa every chance they get, and now they complain?
Didnt know. Thanls for posting.
One person... themselves...
Hmmm...that makes no sense.
Pronouns have been rendered more than somewhat useless in many cases by gender politics.
Is the same Courthouse that routinely releases criminals without consequences for their actions??
While true; genital confusion shouldn’t affect this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_number#English
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