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https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/public-safety-is-fragile-three-former-spd-chiefs-on-why-an-anti-police-anti-criminal-justice-agenda-is-a-recipe-for-chaos/

‘Public safety is fragile’: Three former SPD chiefs on why an
anti-police, anti-criminal justice agenda is a recipe for chaos

Oct. 15, 2021 at 2:18 pm Updated Oct. 15, 2021 at 2:18 pm
Marchers organized by Decriminalize Seattle and King County Equity Now
walk to City Hall to call for defunding the police on Aug. 5, 2020.
(Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times, File)

By Kathleen O'Toole, Carmen Best and Gil Kerlikowske
Special to The Times

Some politicians and candidates for public office across the United
States — including in Seattle — have taken up the radical call to
eliminate the police and end the prosecution of almost all misdemeanor
crimes. Some even viciously scorn police officers and encourage arson
and property destruction as morally imperative when protesting injustice.

These calls to abolish the police and end criminal prosecutions are
emboldened by real incidents of police misconduct, racial conflict and
our failure as a nation to provide equitable opportunities for all. In
their zeal to address these real problems, they have adopted the
unrealistic and deeply naive belief that any form of punishment is
counterproductive in deterring crime. They believe our system of
accountability for criminal behavior should be dismantled and replaced.
Guided by this rigid ideology, they reject dialogue and compromise on
issues of policing and criminal justice reform, and indeed preach that
the system is too corrupt to ever be reformed. Therefore, it must be
entirely abolished.

We have all served as chief of police in Seattle and have great
affection for the city and its community. We wholeheartedly agree that
we must fundamentally reform our police services, address systemic bias,
develop alternatives to police response, and insist on fair, respectful,
and effective policing. We have been recognized nationally and
internationally for our commitment to these principles, as well as our
successful, multidisciplinary approaches to community safety. We believe
there are important reforms that can and should be made to better serve
the people of Seattle while also supporting the critical work of officers.

In Seattle, the future of its police service will be determined in the
upcoming election. Our extensive experience shows us that the extreme
push to abolish the police and dismantle the criminal justice system is
a recipe for chaos, especially when violent crime is increasing in
Seattle and across the country. If enacted, it will make people less
safe, not safer. With consequences for criminal behavior eliminated,
neighborhoods will see an increase in all types of crime. Our economic
recovery from the pandemic will be weaker, as already reeling small
businesses are victimized by rampant theft and rising street disorder.
The quality of life will decline, people will second-guess decisions
about moving into the city, and companies will see risk instead of
opportunity and hold back on new investments. Some will even leave.

The people most harmed by this radical absolutist approach will be the
very people who most need effective police services — residents of
traditionally underserved communities, our most vulnerable neighbors
such as the elderly and those who are homeless, and the shop owners who
serve us every day of the week.

Recognizing the importance of fair and effective policing, what message
does it send to your community’s police officers when they are
repeatedly and publicly denounced as “Nazis,” “serial killers” and
“pigs,” and attacks against officers and violent destruction of property
are applauded as righteous acts? To us, it would mean a continuing
exodus of officers and demoralization that could push the Seattle Police
Department closer to the brink of functional collapse.

More than 300 Seattle officers have already left since January 2020, an
unprecedented 22% of the department. The current police chief, Adrian
Diaz, has warned that he no longer can deploy enough officers, resulting
in an alarming increase in response times to the most severe,
life-threatening incidents and no response at all to some less serious
situations.

The demand that we eliminate the police and stop the prosecution of
misdemeanor crimes is also reckless given that possible alternatives
have not yet been developed, deployed, tested and proven effective.
Public safety is fragile. It requires a community that willfully
complies with the law and a police service that is correctly staffed,
trained, and seen as a legitimate partner in keeping people and
neighborhoods safe.

There is a better way forward, however, and we remain optimistic.

We continue to advocate for significant policing reforms: better
recruiting standards, stronger policies, better training, more
transparency and accountability, smarter crime prevention strategies,
and a thoughtful, multidisciplinary response to nonviolent, noncriminal
incidents that includes behavioral health and social services. We should
not turn to the police to respond to every event just because they are
the only option.

Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government recently announced a
new initiative in five jurisdictions (Durham, N.C.; Harris County,
Texas; Long Beach, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Phoenix,
Arizona) to develop and test alternatives to police response. The
Harvard team will provide technical assistance, training curricula for
response teams, new 911 call protocols, and support with community
engagement. This is the right approach — deliberate, thoughtful,
carefully planned and implemented. Rigorous evaluation standards should
be established from the beginning to ensure these novel approaches are
safe and effective, and help those in crisis while protecting public safety.

Rather than abolishing the police, we should carefully develop these
more holistic approaches to community safety. Establishing when and how
we can deploy social workers and other non-police responders to 911
calls will allow our police officers to focus on incidents causing the
most harm — violent crime and offenses against our most vulnerable
people. It will also allow our officers to focus on the few persistent
offenders who commit the most crimes.

The people of Seattle are rightly frustrated by deteriorating public
safety and are eager for change. But don’t be fooled by the radical
anti-police, anti-criminal justice agenda. Eliminating accountability
and embracing anarchy will make things far worse.

Kathleen O'Toole served as chief of police in Seattle and Police
Commissioner in Boston.
Carmen Best is the former Seattle police chief and a current adviser to
ChangeWA, a nonpartisan organization focused on advancing common-sense
governance built around smart growth, public safety, government
accountability and good governance.
Gil Kerlikowske served as chief of police in Seattle and as President
Barack Obama’s director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

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'Public safety is fragile': Three former SPD chiefs on why an
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