King County Sheriff to boost security in high-crime downtown Seattle areas

(The Center Square) – The King County Sheriff’s Office will collaborate with other entities to boost its security presence in downtown Seattle’s more dangerous areas as part of its recent transit corridor safety pilot program.

Transit riders around the downtown Seattle area will see an increased police and security presence as part of the county’s ongoing Operation Safe Transit initiative. More specifically, security will be more present around Seattle's Third Avenue, the King County Courthouse, King County Metro bus stops and the downtown transit tunnel.

Operation Safe Transit was launched by the King County Sheriff’s Office on May 1 as a pilot program that focuses on combating crime on transit and at transit locations. Since then, approximately 85 arrests have been made.

Last week, King County Sheriff deputies arrested four notable individuals as part of its Operation Safe Transit initiative. Three of the arrested suspects were known drug dealers and the fourth had a warrant for assault. Drugs and two handguns were recovered.

“We recognize how the situation in this part of downtown is affecting the public, as well as employees and we are taking every step possible to help improve safety in this area,” King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall said in a news release. “The ultimate goal here is to abate crime and fear of crime on our transit system.

Through July, there have been 225 cases of violent crime in the downtown area at a section of Third Avenue. Out of the 225 cases, there was one homicide, 142 cases of aggravated assault and 69 robberies, according to the Seattle Police Department Crime Dashboard .

The King County Sheriff’s Office’s new pilot program collaborates with other departments including the Seattle Police Department, King County Metro and Sound Transit, among other partners.

Sound Transit and Metro Transit’s bike teams will begin playing a significant role in the work to reduce crime around the region’s transit corridor. According to King County, the bike teams’ visibility often serves as a crime deterrent.

“Both [King County Executive Dow Constantine] and Sheriff Cole-Tindall are committed to this joint effort, aiming to make 3rd Avenue a place that is welcoming and accessible to all,” the county executive’s office stated in a news release .