‘Blatant lawlessness’: Tacoma police chief says the ‘I don’t care’ attitude in WA is her biggest concern

Tacoma Police Chief Patti Jackson joined “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio to cover everything from her department’s staffing gains to Washington’s juvenile gun laws and a new community partnership designed to build trust before a crisis forces the introduction.

Jackson, who was sworn in as Tacoma’s first permanent female police chief in February, said she measures success not by whether everyone agrees with her department but by whether people understand how decisions are made.

“My whole philosophy is that most people meet the police on the hard day,” Jackson said. “It could be whether they’re a victim, could be when they’re a witness or even a suspect. And we all have to agree, that’s really not the best time to try to build a relationship.”

Tacoma’s staffing is the envy of the state

Jackson said the department hit single-digit vacancies earlier this year, reaching as low as five open positions, at a time when most agencies in Washington are struggling to fill rosters. The department currently has 10 vacancies against a budgeted force of 368 officers, down from a pre-pandemic authorization of 405.

“Did you see me sit up in my chair? I sat up in my chair extra tall because this is something I am fired up about,” Jackson said. “We got down to single-digit vacancies, which were at five. We’ve been able to add a few more positions, so we’re at 10 today. That still is unheard of. It’s a very good spot to be in, but we’re not done.”

Jackson credited support from the city council, mayor, and city manager and said recruitment works when officers feel valued.

“I can’t send a good product out to serve our community if I’m not making sure they’re well enough to do it,” Jackson said. “I go into turnout. They said before, people don’t come to turnout. I think they’re sitting there taking a poll, hoping that I don’t come again tomorrow, because I will go in every single day.

“I love every one of these men and women that I serve, and I’m not afraid to let them know that,” she added. “Not all of them are going to come to my house for dinner, and they’re lucky if they don’t, because I can’t cook.”

Jackson calls five-strike juvenile gun law ‘ridiculous’

KIRO host Gee Scott asked Jackson about Washington’s current law requiring five convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm before a juvenile can face a sentence longer than 30 days, the same issue King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion raised on the show earlier this month.

“To me, five times is ‘I don’t care. I didn’t learn the first time, I didn’t learn the second time, I didn’t learn the third time.’ I think that it’s ridiculous,” Jackson said. “It’s not like the cartoons. You’re not going to be able to shoot somebody, and then they’re going to be coming right back. This is something that’s going to stick with you the rest of your life.”

‘Blatant lawlessness’ is her biggest concern

KIRO host Ursula Reutin asked Jackson what worries her most even as statewide crime numbers fall.

“The blatant lawlessness,” Jackson said. “It’s people with that ‘I don’t care’ attitude and ‘I can kind of do whatever I want,’ and then there’s been some supporting habits that have been there that really kind of teach people that, ‘Ah, you do this, you’re not going to go to jail.’

“It feels to me like the pendulum is swinging,” she continued. “The message I give to our agency here is, let’s just do our job. We disrupt criminal activity. If people are engaging in criminal activity and it’s something that they must be arrested for, arrest them. If they get released from jail or if the criminal justice system doesn’t pick them up, we did our job. Let’s do it again.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.