Mayor Bruce Harrell Announces Community Safety Forums and Upcoming Release of the One Seattle Safety Framework  

City leaders to join community members in their neighborhoods to discuss public safety and inform the One Seattle Safety Framework.

Seattle – Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced five additional community safety forums that will give the public opportunity to help shape the soon-to-be-released One Seattle Safety Framework.  

Building on lessons learned from the citywide public safety forum held in March, the five community forums will be held in neighborhoods across the city, starting at Garfield High School on April 30, 2024. Each forum will give the public opportunity to share their ideas for how to make Seattle safer and interact with officials from the city’s public safety departments.

To register for the 4/30 community forum at Garfield High School from 6-7:30pm, sign up here.    

“Public safety is our highest priority – the One Seattle Safety Framework defines the outcomes we aim to achieve and the vision to help get us there, based on what we know works and have put into effect, new approaches, and our shared values,” said Mayor Harrell. “Ensuring the framework is informed by meaningful community input is critical for its success – and these public forums will help add and enhance specific actions most impactful to neighbors and communities. I am grateful for the hard work our emergency responders do every day, and I look forward to working with them, the City Council, the City Attorney’s Office, and our neighbors to continue building a safer Seattle.” 

Mayor Harrell’s vision for the One Seattle Safety Framework is to create a city where everyone, in every neighborhood, is safe and feels secure. The framework includes six key strategies, which the public is invited to comment on at the upcoming community safety forums. 

1. Reduce gun violence and other violent crime with evidence-based solutions and enforcement strategies.  
2. Respond to 9-1-1 calls efficiently and effectively by hiring more officers and diversifying response options. 
3. Address the root causes and impacts of violence by investing in community-based solutions and upstream interventions. 
4. Prioritize a public health and trauma-informed approach to reduce overdoses, reduce violence, and better support victims and survivors. 
5. Coordinate community safety efforts to avoid duplication and inefficiencies by breaking down silos between departments. 
6. Build and maintain community trust through strong accountability systems and community engagement on law enforcement priorities. 

Based on feedback received at the upcoming forums, the City will continue to refine a comprehensive One Seattle Safety Framework with detailed approaches for the above strategies. The City is also releasing a new promotional video showcasing the coordinated approach of the CARE, Fire, and Police departments under this framework, watch here. 

There will be five community safety forums over the next month that will feature staff from the Seattle Mayor’s Office, Police Department, Fire Department, CARE Department, Department of Transportation, and youth liaisons. Members of the public are encouraged to attend the forum in their community as presenters will include specific local information.  

1. East, Garfield High School, 4/30, 6-7:30pm, sign up here.  
2. South, Rainier Beach Community Center, 5/7, 6-7:30pm, sign up here.  
3. North, Bitter Lake Community Center, 5/9, 6-7:30pm, sign up here. 
4. Southwest, Concord Elementary School, 5/14, 6-7:30pm, sign up here. 
5. West, Queen Anne Community Center, 5/16, 6-7:30pm, sign up here. 

The citywide public safety forum was held on March 14, 2024, at the Seattle Central Library and included Mayor Harrell, Police Chief Adrian Diaz, Fire Chief Harold Scoggins, CARE Chief Amy Smith, and HSD Director Tanya Kim, you can watch a recording of that forum on Seattle Channel’s website.