Seattle on Track to Break Homicide Record Amid Police Shortage, Rising Crime Fears

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is investigating three separate incidents that homicide detectives were called out to over the Labor Day weekend.

There were two suspicious deaths on Sunday, and two adults and two children were found dead after a reported shooting and house fire in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood Saturday morning.

On Thursday, the SPD said they reached 50 homicides with four months still left until the end of the year.

Officials with Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound and the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) both said those numbers are because criminals don’t fear consequences from police.

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There were 52 homicides in all of 2022.

With the investigations this weekend, the city of Seattle on track to pass last year’s homicide record. {snip}

Officials with the SPOG estimate the department has lost around 600 officers since 2020.

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People have shared their concerns about public safety in the city and said there’s not enough that’s being done to protect the residents in Seattle.

“There’s literally no prevention, no crime prevention for anything, and unfortunately there’s not enough of a police presence,” said Jamie Carroll.

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