A storefront near the intersection of 12th and Jackson used to be full of trash and loitering. It’s clear now. (Photo by John Liu/NWAW)
On March 4, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell convened local, regional and federal law enforcement leaders to announce a joint effort to ensure public safety and to share the results of a coordinated and covert operation on South 12th Avenue and South Jackson Street.
The effort, called Operation New Day, is a collaboration between Seattle Police, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the King County Attorney’s Office and the Seattle City Attorney’s Office. Since January 21, 16 people have been arrested for felonies, mostly related to crimes in Little Saigon.
Dealers of fentanyl and other drugs, including those carrying illegal firearms, were arrested in the first few weeks of the year through secret police work and targeted investigations.
Dozens of felonies and more than 100 charges have been filed as part of an overall and ongoing operation by Seattle police around 12th Avenue South and South Jackson Street, as well as cases related to the area.
“We saw early progress on the 12th and Jackson, thanks in large part to Operation New Day’s joint efforts to address crime, drug trafficking and gun violence,” Mayor Harrell said.
“Returning a sense of safety downtown and citywide requires urgent action to stabilize crime-ridden areas. Sustainable improvement requires resetting norms and implementing a comprehensive, holistic approach to revitalizing the Seattle community. From my first day in office Since then, we’ve made it clear that this is a new day in Seattle — the status quo cannot be maintained, and now is the time to act and work together to achieve more.”
Mayor Harrell also shared steps taken to prevent injuries and further tragedies on Third Avenue, including dedicated police on site with additional patrols, deployment of SPD mobile precincts, regional partnerships to enhance tactical efforts, and more. Public safety leaders shared their commitment to continuing to work together to prevent gun violence, fight crime and support Seattle communities in need.
“There are so many guns in our community, and we’re seeing a significant increase in shootings and violent crime across Seattle. This week, I convened a meeting of law enforcement leaders to discuss how federal agents and local police can work together to reduce violence in the community. Share strategy,” U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said. “In this undercover operation, we have charged three individuals with the federal government for illegally possessing firearms while dealing in fentanyl. The Department of Justice will do everything we can to help break the cycle of crime — not only through federal prosecutions — but also by supporting the Our program to exclude youth from the criminal justice system.”
“The people of King County—in Little Saigon and every neighborhood—need to feel safe. As we receive cases, we will continue to hold accountable for burglaries, gun crimes, assaults, felony-level drug dealing and other dangerous behavior, and we hope The people of King County can rest assured that these emergency partnerships can help the community move forward,” said King County Attorney Dan Satterberg.
“Too many small business owners, commuters and visitors to downtown feel unsafe in our urban centers because those involved in what have become open-air drug markets have not received significant or effective intervention in their criminal activity,” said the city attorney Officer Ann Davidson. “As I have done with referrals from 12th and Jackson, I will continue to prioritize Seattle Police Department referrals from high crime areas like 3rd Avenue. These arrests and prosecutions will help break this addiction , theft, drug sales and the cycle of human suffering. We stand ready to work with the Mayor’s Office, the Seattle Police Department and community partners to help make downtown Seattle a safe place for residents, businesses and everyone who visits our city.”
“There are so many challenges facing our city that a single department cannot solve it alone. The Seattle Police Department cannot stop our path from homelessness, rising crime and economic inequality,” said Adrian Dia, Seattle’s interim police chief said. “However, by working with our local and federal partners, we all have a better chance of success, as we’ve seen with South 12th Avenue and South Jackson Street.
There is still a lot of work to be done. Let’s do it right, let’s do it together. “
