The good progressives of Seattle became so fed up with crime that they elected a law and order Republican City Attorney.

Some appreciation from the editorial board of the Seattle Times:

Jail for repeat offenders in Seattle pays off for public safety

Crime in Seattle continues to dip downward. Here’s a possible reason why: people responsible for the most low-level criminal activity aren’t on the streets. They are in jail.

A recent status report from Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison on her High Utilizer Initiative shows that focused attention on the most active, repeat criminal defendants has paid dividends.

Comparing last month with February 2022, violent and property crimes decreased by 31%. While there’s no way to say exactly what factors contributed to that welcome news, those closest to street-level mayhem say the High Utilizers Initiative made a positive difference.

The editorial draws a direct downward trend in crime to the start of the program, and states the reason for its success in refreshingly frank language:

Before the initiative, those identified as high utilizers averaged 6.3 misdemeanor criminal referrals to the City Attorney’s Office per year. During the initiative, that dropped to 2.7, mostly because they were in jail.

It is one more sign of our unhinged times that protecting citizens from criminals has become a partisan political issue. I am happy the people of Seattle pushed past that and are restoring some sanity to their streets.

What say you?