Seattle’s streets are teetering on the edge of chaos as a controversial new policy on drug possession raises eyebrows and tempers across the city.

Under newly sworn-in Mayor Katie Wilson, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) has rolled out a directive to divert most drug possession and use cases to a social services program instead of prosecution, sparking fierce debate over public safety and the city’s ongoing homelessness and drug crises.

Katie Wilson, a 43-year-old Democratic socialist and co-founder of the Transit Riders Union, took office as Seattle’s 58th mayor on Friday with a progressive vision that’s already stirring the pot.

Drug Diversion Policy Sparks Immediate Outrage

Just days before Wilson’s inauguration, SPD Chief Shon Barnes sent an internal email on New Year’s Day announcing that, effective immediately, charges for drug possession and use would be redirected to the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program.

LEAD aims to steer low-level offenders in King County toward social services rather than the criminal justice system, though exceptions apply for drug sellers, violent felons, and those under Department of Corrections supervision.

Chief Barnes insisted officers will still charge individuals for public drug use in specific cases, but critics aren’t buying the assurances.

Police Union and Residents Push Back Hard

The Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) slammed the policy, with President Mike Solan calling it “horrifically dangerous” and warning it will fuel “death and societal decay.”

Solan didn’t hold back, labeling the approach “suicidal empathy” and a “waste of time,” arguing it fails to address addiction effectively while endangering communities.

Residents and lawmakers echo the concern, pointing to Seattle’s spiraling homelessness crisis—King County’s homeless population surged 46% to 16,385 from 2019 to 2024, per the Discovery Institute.

Public Safety Fears Reach Boiling Point

Republican state Rep. Jim Walsh took to social media to blast the order as “just stupid,” claiming it green-lights open drug use in public spaces.

Nonprofit group We Heart Seattle warned the city risks becoming a “sanctuary” for illicit drug use, drawing more users due to lax enforcement—a magnet for trouble, they argue.

Local frustration is palpable, with resident Brandon Herman describing a city-owned encampment as an “open-air drug market” littered with trash and human waste, neglected by officials.

Mayor Wilson Defends Her Stance

Mayor Wilson pushed back against the criticism, telling the Daily Mail, “You’ll know when I announce a policy change, because I’ll announce a policy change.”

She doubled down on her public safety vision, emphasizing enforcement of possession and public use laws in critical situations while supporting LEAD as a tool for neighborhood safety—though skeptics question if this is just progressive spin.

Meanwhile, public sentiment leans heavily against such lenient approaches, with an October 2023 Seattle Metro Chamber index revealing 60% of 700 surveyed voters feel less safe in their neighborhoods, and two-thirds oppose lax enforcement of public drug use.