The mayors of Everett, Lake Stevens, Marysville and Sultan announced Tuesday the formation of a new, countywide coalition aimed at improving public safety in Snohomish County.
Mayors and police chiefs gathered at Senator Henry M. Jackson Park in Everett for the announcement. Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin said the new coalition will help local leaders coordinate their approach to public safety and work collaboratively with all levels of government to address crime.
"Our communities large and small, urban and rural, are experiencing a disturbing rise in crime," said Franklin.
Franklin said the city of Everett saw a decrease in crime from 2016 to 2020, but saw an increase of 8% in 2021. The city has seen an increase in crime of 19% in 2022, according to data from the Everett Police Department presented at the news conference. Franklin said shots fired calls are up 66% in 2022, and drive-by shootings are up by 123% in Everett.
"That's a significant and frightening increase," said Franklin. She said that Snohomish County's mayors are committed to working together "with urgency" to handle these mounting issues.
City of Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring said cities are continuing to deal with increases in homelessness, drug addiction, and criminal activity. "You can’t have a healthy, vibrant community unless people know they are safe," said Nehring.
Russell Wiita, who is the mayor of Sultan, one of Snohomish County's smallest cities, echoed his fellow mayors' statements saying, "These issues don't discriminate based on the size of your city."
This comes less than two months after mayors in south King County, including Auburn, Federal Way, Kent and more, penned an open letter detailing their frustrations over the massive increase in violence their cities have seen in the past two years. South King County mayors pleaded with state lawmakers for increases in funding to mental health programs and drug addiction services, and placed part of the blame on several new state laws.