South Seattle Saw Only 2 LEAD Referrals as Citywide Drug Arrests Rose

At the April 28 Public Safety Committee meeting, no legislative items were on the docket. Instead, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) and the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (aka Let Everyone Advance with Dignity, LEAD) program gave presentations on the implementations of the drug use and public use ordinances, as well as the success and shortcomings of LEAD.

The presentations revealed that drug arrests by SPD increased by 47% from 2024 to 2025, while drug diversions decreased between 30% to 40% in that same time period. The decrease in diversions was due to funding instability, which led to LEAD accepting fewer participants. Most of those participants came from the downtown corridor: Of the city's 300 law enforcement referrals from April 2025 to March 2026, only two came from South Seattle.

The meeting started, as always, with public comment, which included statements from representatives from the Low Income Housing Institute, the Seattle Indian Center, and We Heart Seattle, as well as community members and former Seattle Councilmembers Tanya Woo and Sara Nelson. Everyone advocated for a greater city response to drug use and homelessness, but varied on the degree of law enforcement action and the amount of social services needed.

At the end of public comments, Public Safety Chair Bob Kettle acknowledged the "wide range of individuals" that spoke and detailed how "[Seattle] has neighbors in crisis, but we also have neighborhoods in crisis." He added, "Some people said, 'Yes, more diversion,' and we do need arrests, maybe more, maybe less, but what we have to have is less of [doing] nothing."

Council staff and SPD presented statistics on implementing the drug possession and public use ordinances. In 2024, there were 633 drug arrests, while in 2025, there were 942, a 47% increase. During the same period, due to funding challenges, pre-arrest diversions decreased by 41% (164 to 96), and post-arrest diversions decreased by 30% (256 to 180).

Although Seattle ordinances state that "diversion, treatment, and other alternatives to booking are the preferred approach when enforcing the crimes of simple possession," SPD has prioritized arrests, citing operational issues such as training and LEAD capacity.

In his comments about LEAD, Chief Shon Barnes said, "My goal today is not to dismiss [LEAD], but to support it. The program has value and can be an important tool … but it cannot be the only solution. This program should be a supplement to the fundamental need for clear standards of behavior in public spaces and consistent with enforcement."

Councilmember Eddie Lin, referencing a recent public safety town hall in North Beacon Hill, said "There's sorta a narrative that … officers can't arrest for drug possession." He asked SPD representatives if there were arrests for drug possession and drug dealing; they nodded yes to both questions.

The LEAD department then discussed the program's successes and shortfalls. Independent researchers found that LEAD reduced recidivism, or the tendency for someone to reoffend, by 58%, and participants in the program were 89% more likely to be housed. Although successful, LEAD saw a 28% decrease in all program referrals (arrest, social contact, and community referrals) from 2024 to 2025 (705 to 540).

Lisa Daugaard, co-executive director of LEAD, said the main cause of the significant drop-off was a lack of stable funding in 2025, which reduced the number of new participants LEAD could accept. Now that the program is fully funded this year, Daugaard said LEAD expects to receive over 840 referrals in 2026.

Daugaard stressed in her presentation that the City of Seattle has "aggressively audited the contract for LEAD every year." (Meanwhile, the King County Regional Homelessness Authority is facing scrutiny over the recent report of the agency's finances and accounting practices.)

The most significant data points for South Seattle could be seen on a chart showing the monthly law enforcement referrals by precinct. From April 2025 to March 2026, the South Precinct, which spans from North Beach Hill to Rainier Valley, saw only two referrals, compared to the West Precinct, which saw 118 in that same period.

Due to time constraints, Lin was unable to ask questions related to LEAD's presentation, but said he wanted to "figure out why there are no [referrals]" from the South Precinct.

Lin then told the Emerald that it was "super concerning that there's no LEAD diversions from the South Precinct," but said he has "a lot of faith" in South Precinct Captain Heidi Tuttle and will reach out to her.

After the meeting, the Emerald attempted to ask Barnes why there were no LEAD referrals from the South Precinct, but he refused to answer questions.