A comprehensive, evidence-based plan to deliver results and save lives.
Seattle –Gun violence takes lives, traumatizes neighborhoods, and demands a serious, coordinated response. Mayor Katie B. Wilson is delivering one today.
“Seattle will not accept gun violence as inevitable, and neither will I,” said Mayor Wilson. “We have a responsibility to make sure that communities in this city feel safe, and today I am acting on that responsibility with a coordinated, data-driven plan that brings every tool we have to bear on this problem. We are acting together, and we are acting now to respond to gun violence and prevent it before it happens.”
The mayor’s Gun Violence Plan brings together community violence intervention, emergency response, social services, law enforcement resources, and regional partnerships under unified leadership for the first time. It is a comprehensive plan designed to reduce the types of gun violence Seattle is experiencing and organized to deliver results.
This plan reflects effective governance. It uses existing City resources by reorganizing how services are delivered and directing funding proposed in the 2027—2028 budget where it will make the biggest impact to address one of Seattle’s top priorities.
The plan:
- Moves community violence intervention into the CARE Department for faster action when shootings occur
- Increases bicycle patrols for visibility and faster response time while the Seattle Police Department continues to expand
- Establishes dedicated leadership to leverage and coordinate work across City departments and community organizations across the region, because gun violence does not stop at city borders
- Invests in youth after school programs and Teen Nights at community centers, while increasing free in-person and virtual mental health services for 13—24 years old to keep youth from reaching a crisis point
- Institutes strategic collaborations and formal homicide reviews to identify where systems and services failed and correct them so similar homicides don’t occur again and create shared metrics to keep us focused on success
Strengthening Our Response when Shootings Happen
The Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) Department, the City’s third public safety department, will now lead the City’s work to stop gun violence and help people affected by shootings. This department already runs Seattle’s 911 Communications Center and coordinates thousands of emergency responses every day, connecting callers with police officers, firefighters, medical aid, and the City’s Community Crisis Responders, who recently expanded their hours from 10 hours a day to over 18. Community violence intervention workers are now being brought directly into the City’s emergency response system so they can act faster during emergencies.
Included in the mayor’s proposed budget for 2027 are positions for a new Director and Coordinator of Gun Violence Reduction who will oversee and support the Gun Violence Plan at CARE. Also included in the proposed budget is the reassignment of violence intervention programs, representing more than $5 million annually in contracts across nine community organizations, from the Human Services Department (HSD) to CARE so these providers can respond more quickly alongside Seattle Police Department (SPD) and Seattle Fire Department when someone calls about a shooting.
These violence intervention programs include:
- On-the-ground teams that help calm conflicts, support neighborhoods where shootings happen including along school routes, and assist with recovery after violent incidents
- Support for gunshot victims and their families in partnership with Harborview Medical Center
- Intensive support for the small group of people most involved in the majority of gun violence
Seattle Police Department is Taking Action
SPD is taking immediate steps to further reduce gun violence. Bike patrols are increasing in Belltown, North Aurora, Little Saigon, and Rainier Beach to improve visibility and response time. The Narcotics Unit is working side‑by‑side with gun violence teams to target dealers who prey on people in crisis. Starting in 2024, SPD began reversing the trend of more separations than new officer hires. In 2026, SPD is on track to hire more than 140 officers. The mayor’s proposed 2027 and 2028 budget continues funding the expansion of the police force. Seattle will see more police officers on the streets in 2027 than in 2026.
SPD also stands ready to partner with community and CARE on a “focused deterrence” approach that concentrates attention on the small number of people responsible for most of the shootings. Community partnership is central to this effort. Backed by CARE and SPD, trusted local organizations and neighborhood leaders will deliver a clear message: we stand with our neighbors, and we’re here to offer options other than violence. Those who choose violence will face swift and decisive legal consequences for the harm they cause.
Investing in Violence Prevention and Supporting Those at Risk
HSD will continue investing over $8 million in programs that help prevent violence by supporting kids, teens, and families. The goal is to make sure young people have the stability, care, and resources they need so challenges don’t turn into violence. Community partners help families get immediate support, including case managers, housing assistance, job and training resources, food access, and mental health services. The department also funds safety programs in select middle and high schools that help students resolve conflicts, ensure safe routes to and from school, offer case management, and provide access to a small fund for basic needs.
The City is expanding positive opportunities for teens, especially in neighborhoods facing high levels of stress because of gun violence. This includes a $600,000 investment in Settle Parks and Recreation to provide a new after school program at Rainier Beach High School, peer-mentorship opportunities, and increased support for community organizations that support teens. For example, free counseling services for those 13 to 24 years old, after school activities like continuing Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Teen Late Night pilot at High Point and the other 8 locations citywide on Friday and Saturday nights, conflict mediation, and life-skills development. The City is also continuing funding for the Seattle Youth Employment Program, which offers paid internships to stay connected to positive opportunities that keep youth on track for success, and expanding union apprenticeships. These efforts give teens safe places to go, trusted mentors to talk to, and structured activities during times when risks are highest.
To make services easier to access, HSD is strengthening its network of providers who serve young people with clearer ways to be referred to help, improved information sharing, and more staff training so families get consistent support sooner and young people receive stronger help during tough times. This Safety Network will be supported by two new roles within HSD funded in the mayor’s 2027-2028 budget: a Network Coordinator and a Senior Data Analyst to give schools a direct line to community safety teams, coordinate support, and train service providers.
HSD also directly supports victims and survivors of violence through its Crime Survivor Services Unit, where trained advocates ensure survivors feel safe, heard, and supported, helping families heal and reducing the chance of future harm.
In addition, the City is hiring a new attorney in Seattle City Attorney Erika Evans’ office dedicated to filing civil Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) petitions for court orders to take firearms from people who pose a significant risk to others. ERPOs are an evidence-based, outcome-driven public safety tool that can be used with both adults and juveniles. This dedicated attorney will work directly with SPD, reviewing violent crime intelligence, retaliation threats, witness intimidation, and other risk indicators for ERPO eligibility to prevent violence before it happens. The focus will be areas experiencing high levels of gun violence, including Rainier Beach, Aurora, and Belltown.
New Collaborations with the University of Washington and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
The work of reducing gun violence includes many levels and sectors of government and includes community and academic organizations. While necessary to address a problem of this scale and urgency, it requires continuous assessment for effectiveness and alignment. The City will convene our community partners and the University of Washington’s Center for Firearm Injury Prevention to map existing gun violence prevention and intervention programs and their data, establish a baseline of what is working, and identify those most harmed by gun violence and the services they require. This effort will identify where gaps and opportunities exist and provide a solid foundation for evaluating strategies and building Seattle-specific models tailored to our city’s needs.
Until now, Seattle has not formally reviewed homicides to understand system level missed opportunities for prevention and intervention. To fix this, the City is collaborating with the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to establish the City’s first Violence Reduction Councils. These councils facilitate collaborations between public health experts, social service providers, and criminal legal system partners to review every homicide, identify gaps, and recommend changes that will help prevent future violence.
Watch this video message from Mayor Wilson
Read Mayor Wilson’s Gun Violence Plan
What People are Saying
Amy Barden, Chief, Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) Department
“I applaud Mayor Wilson for committing to a strong, evidence-based, and pragmatic approach to ending gun violence in our city. This is both a public health and public safety crisis requiring tight coordination and accountability across numerous City and County departments and community organizations. Our neighbors deserve to be safe, and we know that striking the right balance of accountability and support will both break and prevent destructive cycles in individual lives. CARE is ready to fulfill its legislated role as the coordinating entity of this collaborative strategy.”
Erika Evans, Seattle City Attorney
“The City Attorney’s Office will have a dedicated attorney focused on taking guns out of the hands of dangerous people through Extreme Risk Protection Orders. This is one piece in a much larger puzzle, from offering fulfilling youth engagement opportunities to seeking strong measures of accountability. We are thankful for the dedicated focus of everyone working toward building a brighter future free from gun violence.”
Tanya Kim, Director, Human Services Department
“Seattle’s community violence intervention work was built through years of partnership with community organizations and people closest to the work, and we are grateful for what they have built and continue to do everyday. This is the right time for CARE to take on a larger role, connecting this work more closely with the City’s first response system and broader public safety strategy. HSD will continue to support community-based organizations providing the services and resources that help prevent violence and create pathways to support.”
Leesa Manion, King County Prosecuting Attorney
“Reducing gun violence is a team effort that requires the partnership of police, prosecutors, elected officials and community leaders. King County prosecutors have worked hard to reduce gun violence by holding accountable those causing harm in our communities. We also recognize the value of effective interventions designed to get guns out of the hands of juveniles and others before they become victims or perpetrators of harm. I appreciate the City and CARE’s commitment and focus on this critical priority. Implementing effective interventions includes data-based decisions and effective monitoring and evaluation to make sure programs are getting results. There is encouraging data from similar programs in other cities showing reduced gun violence, and we need the program in Seattle to be equally effective.”
Tahir Duckett, Executive Director of the Center for Innovations in Community Safety, Georgetown Law
“With this announcement, Seattle is taking an important step in the development of its community safety ecosystem. Bringing violence prevention alongside community crisis response can help us start to build a dedicated home for upstream investments in safety, leading to more effective and efficient service delivery.”
Jon Kiehnau, Belltown Resident
“Residents and businesses in Belltown need lasting solutions around public safety. The mayor’s plan includes bike patrols, crisis responders, treatment for drug addiction and severe consequences for people who prey on them. We support Mayor Wilson, SPD and the city attorney for their coordinated commitment to near-term ground-level improvement in Belltown.”
Rebecca Neusteter, PhD, Executive Director, Health Lab at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy
“Seattle’s decision to elevate community violence intervention and gun violence reduction work under CARE is a meaningful and significant step forward. By treating gun violence as the public health emergency it is — and investing in the community-based infrastructure needed to address it — Seattle is demonstrating the kind of bold, evidence-informed leadership that other cities across the country should take note of. This is exactly the direction we need to be moving.”
Mallory O’Brien, PhD, Associate Scientists at the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
“The Violence Reduction Council framework leverages both public health and public safety research and practice. Incorporating the VRC framework into Seattle’s Gun Violence Plan will provide structure to cross-sector data and information, public and private agencies, executive and frontline personnel, and community members to build trust and accountability while innovating solutions and programs across sectors that reduce firearm violence.”