Arlington using SODA law to oust drug users, crime

The City of Arlington is trying a new tactic to keep drug users and drug-related crime out of a troublesome area — banning people.

Arlington’s Smokey Point neighborhood is a busy commercial area that has been plagued with signs of drug use.

“A lot of evidence of actual drug activity in the area; individuals using heroin,” Kristen Banfield with the City of Arlington said. “It used to be hidden. Now, not so much.”

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Banfield says there are higher reports of property crime in this area, as well as car prowls. Piles of used syringes are found in parking lots throughout the neighborhood. So the Arlington City Council unanimously approved an ordinance this week that sets up a Stay Out of Designated Area program, aka a SODA ordinance. It is expected to go into effect next week.

“It would allow a municipal court judge to choose to impose an order on an individual charged with a drug-related crime to stay out of a specific area for up to 24 months,” Banfield said.

It would be done on a case-by-case basis and allow police officers to arrest a person if they violate the stay-out order, even if they are not breaking other laws. Violators would face fines and possibly more jail time.

“That hopefully will help reduce the amount of illegal drug activity we are seeing in this area,” Banfield said. “Then we can arrest that individual for a violation of that order and judges are not very big fans of individuals that violate their orders, especially if they do it repeatedly.”

Critics of ordinance argue that it will just push drug crime to neighboring areas. Banfield argues otherwise. She notes that Marysville has had a similar program for five years, Everett has had one for 10 years, and Arlington hasn’t seen their drug users move over from those cities.

Banfield also said that the city is looking into other plans to tackle the drug-related issues, such as partnering with Marysville and the county to hire an embedded social worker. That worker would engage people in the north part of the county.

KIRO Radio’s Hanna Scott contributed to this article.

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