Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison has released a one-year review of the High Utilizer Initiative, which aims to identify and reduce the impact of individuals responsible for repeat criminal activity across Seattle. The initiative, launched in March 2022, is a partnership between the city attorney’s office, the Seattle Police Department, and the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
The report revealed that the initiative reduced crime by high utilizers and averted over 750 police referrals, which is a 57% drop in high utilizer criminal referrals, equivalent to an 11% reduction in the annual incoming cases to the City Attorney’s Office. In total, 168 individuals were identified as high utilizers over the past year, and the list was updated quarterly based on their latest criminal activity, participation with services, and other factors.
The High Utilizer Initiative aims to ensure that individuals committing the most crime receive focused attention. This involves faster review of cases, faster charging decisions, significant coordination with Seattle Police to take action on active warrants, increased coordination with the King County Prosecutor’s Office on filing or resolving felony cases, and collaboration with service providers where services are appropriate. The goal is to make sure high utilizers do not fall through system cracks and commit repeat offenses without intervention.
The initial results of the initiative have been positive. Before the initiative, the high utilizer cohort averaged 6.3 misdemeanor criminal referrals to the City Attorney’s Office per year. During the initiative, that number dropped to 2.7. And for individuals who exited the initiative, the average was 0.6. The City Attorney’s Office estimates that, in the first year of operation, the High Utilizer Initiative was able to eliminate over 750 criminal police referrals reflecting many thousands of criminal acts.
Holding high utilizers accountable for repeat criminal conduct is the game-changer that reduced their impact on the City. Seattle Police Chief Adrian Z. Diaz said, “The High Utilizer Initiative is helping to decrease crime in Seattle. SPD is committed to the great work being accomplished by Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison’s office and thanks her — and all our criminal justice partners — for their work to address the City’s most pressing public safety needs.”
The High Utilizer Initiative also worked with service providers to coordinate services for many individuals, including shelter and housing options after exiting jail and mandatory treatment programs in lieu of jail. While these efforts produced a handful of notable successes, the overall effort to get high utilizers to engage with services produced poor results. In particular, a significant number of individuals were released from jail to in-patient facilities for substance use disorders. In all but a few of those cases, the defendant absconded from the program within the first 24 hours. This highlights the need for better system response in addressing individuals with substance use disorder and effectively engaging them in treatment.
In its first year of operation, the High Utilizer Initiative successfully improved public safety by decreasing the impacts of the highest utilizers of Seattle public safety and criminal justice resources. The City Attorney’s Office estimates, based on historical data from this population, that the initiative’s crime reduction impact was thousands fewer crimes and over 750 fewer misdemeanor police referrals to the City Attorney’s Office. For community members, this translated to meaningful impacts for those neighborhoods most affected by high utilizer criminal activity.
“We know that individuals locked in a cycle of crime need focused attention and intervention. The past year resulted in many positive changes for neighborhoods that had been repeatedly victimized by individuals on our High Utilizer list,” said City Attorney Ann Davison. “As we look forward, it’s critical we continue to improve the High Utilizer Initiative, including better system response in addressing individuals with substance use disorder and effectively engaging them in treatment. I’m thankful to the County and City partners who collaborated with us, in particular Chief Adrian Diaz and King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion.”
King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said: “The collaboration between the Seattle City Attorney’s Office and the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has never been stronger. I am grateful for City Attorney Ann Davison’s partnership. We have met with and listened to community members and small and large businesses. We all want prolific criminal behavior to stop and for our communities to be safe and vibrant. I am encouraged by the decrease in recidivism. We will continue to work together, in a thoughtful way, to address both the criminal behavior and, most importantly, the root causes that are driving that behavior.”
Seattle Police Chief Adrian Z. Diaz also praised the initiative, saying, “This past year, the High Utilizer Initiative has shown meaningful success in identifying those who most often and egregiously break the law — then helps prevent them from continuing illegal behavior. The High Utilizer Initiative is helping to decrease crime in Seattle. SPD is committed to the great work being accomplished by Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison’s office and thanks her — and all our criminal justice partners — for their work to address the City’s most pressing public safety needs.”
The report shows that high utilizers were regularly contacted by the Seattle Police Department and referred to the City Attorney’s Office, but that number dropped significantly after they were identified as high utilizers under the initiative. Before the initiative, the High Utilizer cohort averaged 6.3 misdemeanor criminal referrals to the City Attorney’s Office per year. During the initiative, that number dropped to 2.7. And for individuals who exited the initiative, the average was 0.6. Over the past year, 142 of 168 high utilizers were booked into jail at some point.
While these results are promising, the High Utilizer Initiative has also faced challenges. The initiative attempted to steer a number of high utilizers struggling with fentanyl and/or meth addiction to residential substance use treatment programs. Unfortunately, most high utilizers failed to engage or stay with those treatment programs. This highlights the need for better engagement with services and effective treatment programs.
