2021 Policing and Public Safety Voter Guide
KING COUNTY
What’s On The Ballot
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King County Executive
The King County Executive is the chief administrative officer for King County. Their basic responsibility is to carry out the Council’s directives and to implement the policies adopted by the King County Council.
While the Executive does not formally make policy decisions, they have a strong influence on the policymaking process and its resultant decisions. For example, they propose budgets, oversee staff-led studies and analyses related to proposed policies, and make policy recommendations to the King County Council. Through their ongoing contacts with key interest groups, the King County Executive influences (and is influenced by) other participants in the policy development process.
[Drawn from MSRC: Roles and Responsibilities of Local Government Leaders]
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King County Council
King County Council members are legislators and part of a 9-member legislative body that makes local laws. As a charter county, King County has “home rule” powers that permit exercise of legislative authority not specifically granted by the state, provided the state has not specifically prohibited that local authority.
All legislative and policymaking powers are vested in the County Council. The Council creates county departments, authorizes positions, and fixes compensation. The Council may not direct the hiring of any employee by the County Executive, although they may have confirmation responsibility for appointments (for example, the King County Sheriff).
[Drawn from MSRC: Roles and Responsibilities of Local Government Leaders]
The Issues
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King County Sheriff’s Office Overview
The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) polices areas of King County that do not have their own local police forces. This includes Unincorporated King County as well as several cities and agencies that contract with KCSO to provide policing.
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2020 Charter Amendments & Implication for Current Policy
In Nov 2020, King County voters passed 4 amendments to the County Charter which removed legislative barriers that had been preventing elected officials from enacting meaningful changes to policing in King County. Moving forward, those who are elected this cycle will be key in determining what changes to pursue and how they are implemented.
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Community Concerns with Current King County Sheriff
Current King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht has shown a consistent lack of commitment to accountability and to fighting racism within her department, causing many community organizations and some members of the King County Council and other elected officials to publicly request that she either step down from office or retire.
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King County Jail
Significant racial disparities in housing and discipline place Black people in more restrictive housing, which has negative health impacts. An extensive audit recommends the County use a risk-based approach to continuously improve jail safety, avoid housing people in two-person cells, increase the number of suicide-resistant cells, enhance communication and training to better care for people with mental illness, and reduce racial inequities in housing and discipline.
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King County Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO)
The Office of Law Enforcement Oversight represents the interests of the public in its efforts to hold the King County Sheriff’s Office accountable for providing fair and just police services through independent reviews.
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Needle Exchange Programs in South King County
Seattle King County Public Health fully supports needle exchange programs. The goal is to get used syringes out of circulation as quickly as possible. The longer a syringe remains in circulation, the more opportunities there are for that syringe to pass on a blood-borne disease. Needle exchange programs work. In April 2021, the City of Federal Way asked Public Health to temporarily suspend the program in that city citing concerns over the program’s validity. Public Health agreed. The program was reinstated just two months later.
The Methodology
Candidate Questionnaire
A candidate questionnaire covering important local issues was sent out to all primary candidates in mid June. Based on the candidate answers to a series of Yes/No questions, a candidate comparison card for each race is generated.
In addition, we recommend voters also make use of the fully completed questionnaires made available for viewing as:
Candidate comparison cards may not adequately reflect nuances between candidate positions
Fully completed questionnaires include:
Additional comments by the candidate on Yes/No questions
Longer-form responses to open-ended questions related to policing and public safety
Candidate Ordering
GENERAL VOTER GUIDE:
Candidates are listed in the order that they will appear on the ballot.
PRIMARY VOTER GUIDE:
Candidates who returned a questionnaire are listed first and in the order that they will appear on the ballot.
Candidates who did not return a questionnaire are listed next and in the order that they will appear on the ballot.