EVERETT, NOV. 27: Amid a perfect storm of staffing shortages, dwindling funds, and a relentless drug epidemic, police departments across Washington are working to stay afloat.
The City of Everett and the Everett Police Department (EPD) are trying to address these issues by applying for grants, working with nonprofits, and doing community outreach. But what is Everett Police doing day-to-day to address these National issues?
I rode along with Sgt. Nathan Wallace who leads the department’s community outreach and enforcement team.
Fentanyl Epidemic:
The main problem that Everett Police is facing is the Fentanyl Epidemic. Fentanyl is now involved in nearly all opioid overdose deaths in Snohomish County. The county lost about five people per week on average last year to Fentanyl, according to data from Snohomish Overdose Prevention.
On the ride along Wallace met up with Tay, who was living at a homeless encampment off Airport Road. Tay has been in and out of the system for drug possession. He said that he preferred the pill form of Fentanyl, sometimes consuming 10 pills a day.
According to Wallace, Fentanyl is usually found in pill or powder form. One pill can range from $2-3 dollars.
“If you keep using the way you do, when will you overdose?” Wallace asked.
Tay didn’t answer.
Tay is one of many who are in and out of jail, the hospital and on the streets. Wallace said that he knows roughly 60% of the people who are on the streets because they go through the system so frequently.
At the Snohomish County Jail, there is a recovery facility for those who are going through withdrawal. According to Lieutenant Scott Lewis, the ward has grown over the years due to the number of inmates in recovery.
“We will have people who are here and watch someone go into cardiac arrest from drug detox, watch someone almost die, and then they leave and go right back out and do it [drugs] again. They think ‘Narcan will save me’ or ‘it won’t happen to me’,” Lewis said.
Grant-funded social service workers are the main line of defense between those on the streets and jail. When Wallace and officers arrive at a scene, those who are struggling with addiction are given the option to get clean at a detox center.
If they decide to get clean right then and there, he will call a social worker to help in any way they need. This includes access to food, clothes, housing and treatment centers.
Wallace said the issues are finding someone on the streets willing to get clean as well as a treatment center that has enough space and resources. There are 12 detox centers in Western Washington. The use of a facility depends on the client’s situation, medical needs and insurance Wallace said.
There are currently five deployable social service workers employed by Everett not including supervisors who accompany workers in the field. There are currently four openings.
How did we get here:
Wallace has been working with EPD for roughly 17 years. He said the biggest change he’s seen is the different drugs making their way into the city. He has also noticed different responses to crime, and overall leadership response to public safety.
Although the opioid epidemic isn’t new, the surge of synthetic and highly addictive Fentanyl has become the leading opioid of choice in the U.S. since 2015.
EPD isn’t alone in trying to address the drug epidemic, with Seattle passing an ordinance in 2023 to address open-air Fentanyl use. Cities all across the Nation are finding ways to address the epidemic, balancing staffing shortages and lack of funding.
Police numbers have been declining since before the COVID-19 pandemic, for a multitude of reasons. Many departments are trying to fill spots for officers who have left or retired. Wallace said he has never seen all 224 positions filled at EPD. 197 of them are currently filled.
Wallace also said that the hiring process can get long, often prolonging new officers into the department.
As for funding, the city of Everett is currently facing a $12.6 million deficit. Although 60% of the budget is planned to go towards EPD, the department still faces significant reductions. Nearly 7.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions will be reduced.
What is working, what is not:
Wallace and his team will patrol Everett looking for “bad actors”, those who are selling drugs or weapons. One drug dealer that would frequent the area around the Monte Cristo Hotel in downtown Everett was responsible for a majority of the drug flow in that area, Wallace said.
After being arrested a few times, the dealer became annoyed, so he left Everett in October of this year. Wallace said that since he has been gone, the area has been “80% better”.
“The goal is to do something to make the community somewhat safer. Getting a bag of fentanyl off the streets, we made the neighborhood safer for a little bit… you gotta look for the little wins,” Wallace said.
This tactic goes hand in hand with Area Emphasis Patrol (AEP), where law enforcement spends a certain amount of time during a shift patrolling problem areas, Captain of the North Precinct Kevin Fairchild said.
Wallace expressed frustrations with the effectiveness of Buffer Zones, an ordinance passed in 2021, making it illegal to sit, lie down or provide people with services without a permit in a given area.
Wallace said that enforcement of these zones can be difficult. The first is that buffer zones only apply to public property. For areas that are privately owned, if the property owners don’t file a complaint, it is harder for officers to enforce.
For example, the 7-Eleven on 1611 Pacific Ave has been an area of concern. Wallace said that the owners are aware of those who camp out in front of the building but don’t necessarily mind, making it harder to force anyone to leave.
Since buffer zones were established in July 2023, 22 warnings have been recorded around 2624 Rockefeller Ave as of October, according to a public records request. As for citations, three have been given.
The buffer zones around 8530 Evergreen Way and 3301 Lombard Ave, recorded fewer numbers.
The new Flock Safety Cameras have been a huge help Wallace said. The grant-funded Flock Safety cameras are utilized to help identify reported license plates and monitor high crime areas before police arrive on scene.
In the first month that the cameras were operational, there were 21 flock camera-related instances resulting in several arrests and recoveries of stolen vehicles. Wallace said his only complaint was that the city didn’t have more Flock Safety cameras.
At the end of the day
To Wallace, there isn’t another job he could see himself doing. He said that it can be frustrating at times, but he looks for the small wins.
Wallace said that in his opinion, there are different ways to address issues that Everett Police are facing. He said there needs to be more accountability for those doing crimes, and there needs to be more services for treatments and mental health.
This past summer, Everett launched the Emergency Mobile Opioid Treatment Everett (EMOTE) which takes a different approach to addiction. EMOTE self-initiates outreach or responds to requests from referrals from crisis responders.
“EMOTE is a partner in providing peer support and offering services to those who may find themselves in crisis, recently overdosed, in need of medication appointments or interested in support,” Social Work Supervisor Kelli Roark
Since July, the program has made approximately 200 contacts and provided service to 150 of those, KING 5 reported. Of those people, 50 were referred to detox or rehab centers and half of those were enrolled.
“I wish people took the time to actually look at the laws to see what we legally can and can’t do. I can’t make so and so leave the sidewalk just because you don’t like the way he looks and it doesn’t make what he is doing illegal,” Wallace said.
Wallace also encourages those who want to help with the drug epidemic and homelessness to partner with already established services.
“At the end of the day, these are just really hard problems to solve. To try and find a way to solve the root of the problem it’s… if we could figure it out, we could gain some traction on the issue,” Wallace said.
*Pseudonyms are used in reference to this source.
Updated, Nov. 27, 11:06 a.m.: Title changed to better reflect article content.
