City Of Seattle To Hold Series Of Summer Forums On Public Safety

In an ongoing effort to enhance public safety and build trust between law enforcement and neighborhoods, the City of Seattle is hosting a series of seven community forums this summer, one in each council district. These events will feature Police Chief Shon Barnes discussing his vision for “Seattle-Centric” policing, updates on the One Seattle Restoration Framework, and opportunities for residents to share concerns and ideas directly with city departments.

The first forum will be held in District 2 on Thursday, July 10, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Rainier Community Center. Seating is limited, and residents are encouraged to RSVP to reserve a spot. District 4’s forum is scheduled for July 15 at the Magnuson Community Center during the same hours. Additional dates and registration details will be announced in the coming weeks.

“Public safety is not just our first charter responsibility as a City, it is the top issue for our community,” said Mayor Bruce Harrell. “We are making great strides under our One Seattle Restoration Framework, and I’m excited for people to hear more about our progress and plans at our Creating a Safer Seattle forums. These forums are an essential tool to collect feedback and hear residents’ ideas for improvement.”

The community safety forums are a continuation of Mayor Harrell’s Creating a Safer Seattle initiative, launched last year to guide the development of the One Seattle Restoration Framework. Community input gathered at the original forums helped shape the framework’s six strategic pillars, which continue to direct citywide public safety efforts:

• Reduce gun violence

• Prevent and reduce high-impact crime

• Respond to 9-1-1 calls effectively and efficiently

• Confront the opioid crisis with a public health and safety approach

• Activate and enhance neighborhoods

• Tackle the root causes and impacts of violence

Seattle has seen steady crime reductions since implementing the framework. Compared to the same period in 2024, the first five months of 2025 show a 13% decrease in violent crime, 9% drop in property crime, and 6% overall decline. Since Mayor Harrell took office in 2022, total reported crime has fallen 7%.

Police Chief Shon Barnes emphasized the forums’ importance in maintaining transparency and trust. “Public safety is a shared responsibility, built on a foundation of strong partnerships between law enforcement and the communities we serve,” he said. “True progress comes from broad community engagement.”

City departments—including the Seattle Fire Department and Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE)—will attend each forum. Fire Chief Harold Scoggins said, “Our firefighter/EMTs and paramedics respond

to hundreds of emergency calls each day. We look forward to hearing direct feedback from our community members.”

“Public safety forums help us build stronger systems, illuminate service gaps, and deepen our empathy and understanding,” says CARE Chief Amy Barden. “They also provide an opportunity for public servants to be transparent and accountable to community members.”

One of the framework’s key successes to date is the Downtown Activation Team (DAT), a cross-agency collaboration that includes city departments, service providers, and partners like the Downtown Seattle Association and We Deliver Care. Early pilots in Downtown and the Chinatown-International District have shown promising results.

The City encourages residents to attend the forum in their district to help shape future public safety priorities. Each session will include table discussions aligned with the framework’s strategies, designed to gather actionable community insights.