Seattle lawmakers vote to bring back blast balls for crowd control

Seattle City Council members approved a controversial ordinance Tuesday evening in a 6-3 vote — changing how police control crowds during protests. Police will now be allowed to use less-lethal weapons, specifically blast balls.

Blast balls, used by police departments around the country, are rubber balls that explode to create a loud sound and bright flash of light. The last time SPD officers deployed the non-lethal weapon was in 2020.

Background of blast balls debate

In January, Seattle City Council’s Public Safety Committee took up a controversial series of amendments to allow the Seattle Police Department (SPD) to once again use blast balls to help them control crowds during riots and protests, like past May Day protests and the George Floyd protest in 2020, under stricter oversight and rules before implementing the non-lethal weapon.

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Critics of the use of blast balls argue they can be highly unpredictable, sending rubber fragments through the air at high rates of speed. According to Seattle City Council member Cathy Moore, the devices have caused serious injuries during protests in 2015 and 2020. In 2024, the city of Seattle reached a $10 million settlement for injuries linked to the use of less-lethal weapons, including blast balls.

The 10 amendments from Moore were designed to limit the use of blast balls and strengthen oversight of SPD’s crowd management practices, including the adoption of a crowd management policy that adheres to specific guidelines and ultimately brings the city close to ending its federal consent decree.

“Experts have consistently warned about the dangers of these devices,” Moore said. “My amendments aim to protect public safety and reduce the physical and legal risks associated with their use.”

Now passed, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell will need to declare a civil emergency and then authorize the use of blast balls each day officers want to deploy them. Those officers would be required to throw the devices underhand, aimed away from people and launched from a minimum distance of 10 yards. In addition, law enforcement officers from other jurisdictions will be required to follow the city’s crowd management policies or be reassigned to non-crowd-related duties.

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Moore said the proposals in the amendments align with recommendations from the Community Police Commission (CPC).

Dozens speak out against use of blast balls

During the committee meeting, dozens of people spoke out against the amendments, including a handful of people who claimed to have been injured by blast balls during Seattle protests.

“The explosive shattered the lip balm in my left pocket into tiny pieces,” M.J. Jurgenson, a woman who said she was part of the settlement with the city, shared. “It gave me an incision and bruise the size of my entire left quadriceps.”

Supporters of the amendments, including Seattle City Council member Rob Saka, said they strike a political balance that all sides should feel good about supporting.

“Ultimately, at the end of the day, I think this is a balanced approach that strikes a balance between the competing interests,” he said. “I ask for your support.”

Lisa Daugaard, representing the group Purpose, Dignity, Action, formerly the Public Defender Association, served on the CPC for seven years and studied reports on Seattle officers’ use of blast balls. She said the commission found the vast majority of people injured by blast balls were innocent bystanders, police officers and journalists.

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“Some of the injuries were more serious and in one instance, someone could have easily lost an eye, there was a pretty deep gash right below the person’s eye,” she said. “All these impacts were unintended. They were not the planned impact of the weapon. They chronically happen because these weapons are very difficult to aim and very difficult to control and because they explode.”

The court overseeing the city’s consent decree has required Seattle to implement reforms “with the goal of ensuring police services are delivered to the people of Seattle in a manner that fully complies with the constitution and laws of the United States, effectively ensures public trust and officer safety and promotes public confidence …,” according to language in the decree.

“The ordinance you’re considering today will establish restrictions on when those tools can be used,” Burgess said. “These restrictions are more substantial than under state law.”

Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest

Luke Duecy is a reporter, editor and anchor at KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Luke’s stories here. Follow Luke on X, or email him here.