Seattle’s civilian public-safety department is taking on a major new mission to stop gun violence.
Seattle’s civilian public-safety department is taking on a major new mission to stop gun violence.
Mayor Katie Wilson plans to make the CARE Department the city’s central hub for coordinating emergency response, community intervention, and prevention programs.
The proposal, which is included in Wilson’s 2027 budget plan, would transfer more than $5 million in annual contracts with nine community violence intervention organizations from the Human Services Department to the Community Assisted Response and Engagement Department.
“What it has to do with is moving contracts over to CARE so we can identify the metrics that would indicate that the community-based providers are doing what they need to do and they are working in partnership with public safety teams like law enforcement,” said CARE Chief Amy Barden.
What is needed is more system-level coordination, according to Barden. She offered the example of a teenager who is involved in gang activity and at risk of retaliation.
“Wherever that kid is in Seattle, they should be provided the right amount of support and opportunity to get out of that system safely," Barden said.
CARE already operates Seattle’s 911 communications center and coordinates emergency responses involving police, fire, and medical personnel.
Under the expanded role, violence intervention workers would be integrated more directly into that system.
CARE Chief Amy Barden will be taking an expanded role in helping to reduce gun violence in Seattle. (Photo: KOMO News)That change would allow dispatchers and responders to quickly connect with community organizations already working with people involved in or affected by gun violence.
“We need law enforcement if shots are fired but then who can go out after,” Barden said. “Do you need victim support, survivor support, community connection? Also, what is known in the records, the records management."
The contracted programs provide conflict mediation, support for gunshot victims and their families through Harborview Medical Center, outreach in neighborhoods where shootings occur, and intensive intervention for people officials say are most connected to gun violence.
Barden said the effort is intended to eliminate gaps between city departments and make information about available community services more accessible during an emergency.
“That's what we're trying to do here is to make sure that if police make an arrest they are referring to a system that will then avail the person of change,” Barden said.
Wilson’s proposed budget also includes funding for a gun violence reduction director and coordinator within CARE to oversee the strategy.
The changes follow a summer marked by high-profile violence, including the deadly shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival in July and a series of shootings in Belltown over Labor Day weekend.
Wilson’s proposal also calls for increased Seattle police bicycle patrols in Belltown, Little Saigon, Rainier Beach, and along Aurora Avenue North.
The Seattle Police Department’s narcotics unit would work with gun violence teams to target drug dealers who officials say exploit people in crisis.
Wilson’s plan would further maintain funding for a city attorney who would seek Extreme Risk Protection Orders, which can temporarily remove firearms from people deemed to pose a significant risk to themselves or others.
Much of the mayor’s plan puts additional emphasis on prevention, including a $600,000 investment in a new after-school program at Rainier Beach High School, peer mentoring and support for community groups serving teens. The city also plans to continue youth employment, apprenticeship and mental health programs.
Wilson also wants to work with the University of Washington’s Center for Firearm Injury Prevention to evaluate existing intervention programs and identify service gaps. A partnership with Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions could also help Seattle establish violence reduction councils that would review homicides and recommend changes aimed at preventing future killings.
