‘We are building safer communities’: King County receives $15M grant to strengthen crisis response, prevent gun violence

King County Executive Girmay Zahilay announced Tuesday that King County received a $15 million grant from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) Public Safety Funding Program (ESHB 2015) to expand local public safety initiatives.

The funding will support crisis intervention training for law enforcement and corrections officers, enhance behavioral health crisis response, and bolster community-based gun violence prevention efforts across the region.

“With the heartbreaking tragedy at Seattle Center, we must double down on our efforts to interrupt cycles of violence, strengthen community safety, and ensure people get the right support when they need it,” Zahilay said.

“These investments reflect our comprehensive approach to public safety, providing first responders with the training they need to safely de-escalate situations, expanding behavioral health response teams to help people in crisis, and investing in community-based strategies to prevent gun violence before it occurs,” he continued. “By investing in these effective, holistic approaches, we are building stronger, safer communities throughout King County.”

Signed into law last year, ESHB 2015 created a $100 million statewide grant program to help local jurisdictions strengthen public safety outcomes. Funding can be used to hire new entry-level law enforcement officers, support co-response programs that pair officers with behavioral health professionals, and invest in other community safety initiatives.

The legislation also granted local governments the authority to adopt a public safety sales tax; as a councilmember, Zahilay co-sponsored the legislation establishing King County’s Safe and Stable Communities Safety tax to maintain and enhance key public safety services.

Targeted investments across King County

King County’s $15 million grant will fund a range of strategies focused on prevention, de-escalation, crisis response, and community healing.

There will be $4.9 million designated to support countywide gun violence prevention programs that work to stop violence before it occurs, intervene with those at greatest risk, respond when violence happens, promote community healing, and build safer neighborhoods across the region.

Meanwhile, $4.8 million will go toward expanding crisis intervention and de-escalation training for first responders and corrections officers. It will also fund mandated trainings for King County Sheriff’s Office deputies, including emergency vehicle operations, defensive tactics, legal intervention, and other core skills that help keep the public and officers safe.

Another large chunk, $2.47 million, will fund Mobile Rapid Response Crisis Teams and diversion efforts that connect people in crisis to treatment and services, rather than the criminal legal system, whenever appropriate.

Another $1.2 million will help expand the Regional Crisis Response program in North King County cities, deploying mental health professionals alongside first responders to provide immediate crisis response, de-escalation, resource referrals, and follow-up tailored to the needs of people experiencing behavioral health challenges. The funding will also add behavioral health resources in Covington.

An additional $850,000 will help bolster the Therapeutic Response Unit, which pairs King County Sheriff’s Office deputies with trained mental health professionals to respond to calls involving mental health, substance use, and social service needs.

The remaining $760,000 will go toward King County Sheriff’s Office deputies. Funding will support the hiring of new deputies assigned to Maple Valley, Covington, and Kenmore, strengthening local staffing and response capacity.

King County sheriff says grant will strengthen co-response model for people in crisis

“The King County Sheriff’s Office appreciates any support and assistance for public safety,” King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall said. “Our Therapeutic Response Unit in particular is one that has grown and evolved over the last three years and has become an integral part of the way we serve our communities.

“The co-response model allows our team to help people in what is often the hardest moment of their life, and this grant enables us to continue our mission to get them the care and services they need as quickly as possible,” she continued.

Through this $15 million grant, King County will expand proven, community-centered strategies that keep people safe, connect residents in crisis to care, and prevent violence before it occurs —advancing a future where every community in King County can be safe, stable, and supported.

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