Seattle mayor promises law to crack down on open-air drug use

SEATTLE - Seattle leaders on Monday promised they will crack down on open-air drug use in the city.

This comes after city council voted against a bill to prosecute drug possession last week.

Despite council members protestations, open-air drug use is essentially still allowed in Seattle and here’s why. 

When the city council voted against pursing the misdemeanor crimes locally, they passed the charging decisions to King County prosecutor Leesa Manion. But her office tells FOX 13 it doesn’t have the staffing to take on Seattle’s drug cases:

According to Seattle and King County public health department, there are 544 confirmed overdose deaths this year.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Seattle City Council narrowly shoots down bill to prosecute drug possession

Data shows the majority of those deaths are due to drugs.

"This is a serious crisis. We need a serious response. So, that’s been our message. The numbers are going in the wrong direction. They’re going in the wrong direction fast. People are dying on our streets at greater number each and every day each and every week," said Jon Scholes.

Scholes is the President and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association.

Last week, the DSA sent Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, as well as the city council and the city attorney a letter urging leaders to address the drug crisis.

"We’ll come up with an ordinance that allows us to make lawful arrests, yes. We’ll come up with a strategy to give our officers clarity on how they’ll make sure people that need treatment get treatment, yes. And we’re going to do this collectively," said Harrell.

On Monday, Harrell said the city will have a plan, but there is a long way to go.

"I want to see this make a physical difference on our streets. Passing that statute with no intention, no promise, no commitment in advance to use it to do anything was basically where we were standing last week. I couldn’t go through with it. I couldn’t do it," said Andrew Lewis.

Lewis is a city council member. He was one of the five votes against passing a drug law in Seattle last week.

Lewis says he wants a law on the books, but wants to know it will make a difference.

"I’m excited to be in a position where we have the entire city government focused on one problem. That is the problem. The problem of fentanyl on our streets. The problem of our neighbors dying. The problem of us not being able to fully utilize our downtown because it is so overtaken by open air drug use," he said.

There are no specifics available for what this plan would look like.

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Leaders hope to have it ready by July 1.