GEE AND URSULA

Pierce County Sheriff: Safety in Seattle requires ‘common sense’ solutions

Jan 29, 2020, 1:56 PM | Updated: 3:18 pm

shooting, Pierce County Sheriff,...

Police look over the scene of a shooting at 3rd Avenue and Pine Street on January 22, 2020. (Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)

(Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)

There have been plenty of opinions on how to solve Seattle’s problems with violent crime in the days since yet another a fatal shooting downtown. For Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor, though, real solutions are found by taking a more holistic approach.

Rantz: Cops explain how to stop violent crime in Seattle

“Life is about balance and nuance, not 180 degrees one way or the other,” Pastor told KIRO Radio’s Gee and Ursula Show. “That’s not some kind of mystic knowledge — that’s common sense.”

For Pastor, dealing with crime in Pierce County has always been about accomplishing a lot with a little. The department is responsible for the safety and well-being of roughly 440,000 people, while employing just 359 officers.

Despite that, Pierce County has managed to tackle issues with drugs, mental health, and property crime in a way that Pastor designed to punish offenders, while still using common sense, compassionate solutions. That includes a system that provides drug offenders treatment while they’re behind bars, including giving them substitute drugs like Suboxone to help get them clean.

“It recognizes that there are people who are going to violate the law, and then hold them criminally responsible,” Pastor said. “And if those people are violating the law because of mental illness or over drug addiction, let’s find a way to get them out of it. Otherwise, we’re complicit in their slow motion suicide.”

As for places like Seattle — and at times, Pierce County — Pastor points to a reluctance to provide enough money to keep effective programs running efficiently in the long term.

Opinion: Seattle can’t arrest its way out of more shootings

“We have been civilly irresponsible in underfunding things,” he noted. “We underfund law enforcement. We underfund treatment, we underfund mental health, and then surprise, we wonder why we have concerns in our community.”

“The fact is, you can pay one way or pay another,” he continued. “You can provide treatment or you can dodge bullets in downtown Seattle.”

Listen to the Gee and Ursula Show weekdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

Gee and Ursula Show

Gee and Ursula

Photo: Yale players, including guard Yassine Gharram, center, celebrate with fans after their 78-76...

Julia Dallas

Gee and Ursula: Idaho band turns ‘Van-Dogs’ as they rep. Yale for March Madness

Yale took down Auburn in a major upset during March Madness. But, they might've not been able to do it without the help of a marching band.

2 days ago

boeing negligence...

Ursula Reutin

Ursula: Boeing has finally taken a step in the right direction

Boeing CEO David Calhoun acknowledged that the mid-air blowout of an Alaska Airlines door panel was a watershed.

2 days ago

Image: Photo of "The Ascent" by Larry Anderson...

Julia Dallas

‘Gee and Ursula’: Bonney Lake mayor search reveals ‘tea’ on candidate

The City of Bonney Lake is searching for a new mayor after the former mayor accepted a job with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians.

9 days ago

Both President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump have locked the nomination for their respectiv...

Bill Kaczaraba

Medved: ‘People didn’t really know (or care) there was a primary’

Medved believes that people are unhappy with their choices during this presidential cycle.

12 days ago

Photo: The homeless encampment outside city hall is being moved around Burien to another home at Do...

Ursula Reutin

Ursula: The Burien homeless crisis highlights an even bigger problem

Because of the lack of alternatives, the King County Sheriff has ordered her deputies to not enforce a camping ban in Burien.

15 days ago

court gavel...

Bill Kaczaraba

Gee & Ursula: Should judges be elected or appointed?

Gee & Ursula take on an age-old question: Should judges be elected or appointed? This comes after a case involving Judge Pooja Vaddadi.

21 days ago

Pierce County Sheriff: Safety in Seattle requires ‘common sense’ solutions