Seattle residents bring downtown crime complaints to City Council

SEATTLE — In the Seattle City Council chambers Tuesday, anger was palpable as people gathered for the first public safety committee meeting since last week’s shooting at Third and Pine.

The gunfire left one woman dead and seven other people injured, including a 9-year old boy.

"The heart of our city should be safe and welcoming for all who live, work or visit here," said Nora Chan of Seniors in Action during public comment.

With signs reading "Enough is Enough," people in the audience shouted out as City Council member Lisa Herbold described plans to hire more officers and address prolific offenders.

Police Chief Carmen Best was also interrupted as she reported crime statistics.

Best acknowledged the concerns of the crowd, calling last week's violence "unacceptable."

"We hear you, we hear your concerns," Best said. "They are very valid and we're going to take every effort to make sure we keep this city safe."

Best described several police department initiatives, including a more visible police presence downtown, which includes putting some detectives in uniforms and having SPD brass spend at least three hours a week in the area.

The chief called Council member Andrew Lewis’ proposal for a downtown storefront for police and community service officers a good idea, and said the department is working on some kind of “pop up” facility.

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