Brand-new Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is denying allegations that one of her orders ends arrests of public drug use in the city.
The Seattle Police Officers Guild on Sunday issued a statement stating city leaders issued a directive halting such arrests and instead promoted diversion program recommendations.
"You'll know when I announce a policy change, because I'll announce a policy change," Wilson, a self-described Democratic socialist, said in a statement.
"Several weeks ago, I published a vision for public safety, which begins with the commitment 'that everyone in Seattle, of every background and every income, deserves to be safe in their homes, streets, parks, and places of business in every neighborhood across our city,'" she said.
"I remain committed to that vision. Our work now is to carry it out, including enforcement of the possession and public use ordinance in priority situations and ensuring that the LEAD framework and other effective responses to neighborhood hot spots are implemented with an appropriate level of urgency, sufficient resources, and a commitment to results."
In an email sent to officers last week, Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes announced that drug possession and use cases would be routed to the LEAD program rather than pursued through prosecution, beginning immediately.
"All instances of drug use or possession will be referred to Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) — a program designed to redirect low-level offenders in King County from the criminal justice system into supportive social services," he wrote.
Barnes added that a failure to meet LEAD requirements would let prosecutors reassert their involvement in the case.
According to the Seattle Police Department, Barnes' email addresses a recent clarification from the City Attorney’s Office on how public drug use cases will be prosecuted in 2026.
"To be clear, nothing has changed when it comes to police continuing to make drug-related arrests in Seattle," the department said.
Seattle Police Officers Guild President Mike Solan slammed the LEAD program.
"The recent naive, ignorant political decision to not arrest offenders for open drug use in the City of Seattle is horrifically dangerous and will create more death and societal decay," Solan said in a post on X.
"It embodies an enormous flaw in those in our community who think that meeting people where they are who are in the throes of addiction, is the correct path to lift them up."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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