Council previews public-safety measures: graffiti and chronic-nuisance bills, real-time crime center and OPA director search

Council members said two bills addressing public safety — a graffiti abatement bill and a chronic nuisance properties bill — will be on the full council agenda at the meeting tomorrow, and both carry amendments that members said are largely technical. Council member Kettle, chairing public safety-related updates, said the items were “coming to full council” and noted there were amendments to each bill; she described the changes as largely technical fixes to ensure recent graffiti actions are documented and accounted for and to clarify processes tied to chronic nuisance properties. Kettle said central staff will be present to assist during the deliberations. Council member Strauss told colleagues he plans an amendment to the chronic nuisance ordinance to “exempt nonprofit social service providers from new provisions... related to those off-site activities” so that providers such as food banks are not treated as responsible for activity originating off their property. Strauss said he had discussed that amendment with Council member Kettle. Council President Nelson and other members also described several public-safety items underway: Nelson said he attended a briefing about a proposed public-safety sales-tax-funded program (Resolution 32174), which would dedicate a portion of anticipated public-safety sales-tax revenue to treatment and related services; he said the proposal could amount to “about $10,000,000 a year” in potential funding and that the council would receive a second discussion and a possible committee vote on July 24. Nelson said the city is holding a press event at 11 a.m. tomorrow to mark the opening of the Real Time Crime Center at Seattle Police headquarters. Kettle said she has participated in three interviews for the permanent director of the Office of Police Accountability and that the director-selection process is “in full year now in terms of appointing a full time director.” Several councilmembers emphasized hiring and operational progress at the Seattle Police Department, and Nelson cited audit briefings and unimplemented audit recommendations tied to crime and public safety that will return to committee. No formal votes or ordinance adoptions were recorded in the briefing; the graffiti and nuisance proposals were described as scheduled to be considered at the next full council meeting.