Pierce County election candidates should rise above rehashed ‘defund police’ rhetoric

From Washington D.C. to Pierce County, Washington, politicians can’t stop using the catchphrase “defund police” as a cudgel to clobber political opponents. Though it’s simplistic and unnuanced, it’s also an indisputably potent weapon in the 2020 election as racial unrest roils the country.

President Trump wielded it in his speech Thursday evening while accepting the Republican presidential nomination. “Make no mistake,” he said, “if you give power to Joe Biden, the radical left will defund police departments all across America.”

A day earlier, Republican Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier took aim at his Democratic challenger, Larry Seaquist. “You may have seen that a former staffer of mine covering criminal justice issues is supporting my opponent, who wants to defund our police,” Dammeier posted on Twitter and Facebook. “Let me be clear: I oppose defunding our police.”

I found it odd (to say the least) that Dammeier took to social media to chide a former county employee, let alone a whistleblower. Otherwise, it was just another unfortunate but predictable turn in the GOP’s divisive “defund police” narrative.

Of course it doesn’t help when Democrats send mixed signals, engage in semantic games or try to play both sides of the fence.

Biden has rebutted the “defund” accusations but can’t seem to shake them. And Seaquist, the former state legislator from Gig Harbor, set himself up for criticism with a Facebook post in the throes of the George Floyd protests early this summer.

“Today, we join Black Lives Matter in demanding police accountability and divestment,” the Seaquist campaign posted on June 11.

Where I come from, “divest” is another word for “defund,” a movement that gravely concerns the TNT Editorial Board, especially in light of the City of Seattle’s recent fiasco.

In Tacoma, by contrast, it’s encouraging to see the disciplined planning the City Council is doing for next year’s police budget so far, even as city leaders push forward with essential reforms such as officer body cameras.

Seaquist told me Friday that he regrets the June 11 post and doesn’t support defunding police. “Looking back, it wasn’t an appropriate use of the term and I continue to look for appropriate ways to talk about justice issues.”

He added: “Right now both parties seem to be using (defund police) as a partisan rallying cry.”

Sadly, that’s true.

What voters really need in this election season, nationally and locally, are candidates on both sides who renounce hot-button slogans and embrace big-picture thinking. To achieve equal justice for all and to adequately fund public safety agencies shouldn’t be mutually exclusive goals.

In Pierce County, a 2016 study of Sheriff’s Department staffing found a shrinking number of deputies since 2009 — 189 compared to 235 — even as the unincorporated population increased by nearly 30,000. The study recommended adding at least 40 patrol deputies to improve response times and public safety. That hasn’t happened.

Where do the Pierce County executive candidates stand on sheriff staffing? It’s hard to tell by looking at the Seaquist and Dammeier campaign websites. Voters deserve to hear more about this in the next two months.

Should the department have more staff, less staff or status quo? At a time of declining revenue, that’s debatable — so let’s hear them debate it.

They should also discuss how to generate money for the kinds of social service supports that can reduce crime. For instance, where do they stand on a one-tenth of 1 percent behavioral health tax, which county leaders have repeatedly failed to adopt?

On his website, Dammeier talks more about accomplishments than plans. In an en email exchange with me, he noted how he’s helped expand behavioral health resources, such as putting co-responders on the street with patrol deputies and the opening of a new county crisis recovery center later this year.

Dammeier recently lifted a COVID-19 hiring freeze so the sheriff can fill vacant positions. But it’s unclear what his vision is for public safety staffing if he wins a second term.

Seaquist issued a statement Thursday saying he would lead an effort to “reimagine public safety.” (Better to reimagine than to defund, I say.) Short on specifics, it calls for consulting with citizens “to develop a broad strategy for the balanced mix of policing and social support services.”

The Democrat told me Friday he does think the sheriff’s office is underfunded in some areas, adding that deputies he’s talked to in the Peninsula detachment are “stretched thin.”

Both candidates pledge to promote reforms that make the criminal justice system more equitable and just. The need for this should be patently obvious after the injury and death of so many Black men in police custody this year, from Jacob Blake in Kenosha to George Floyd in Minneapolis to Manuel Ellis in Tacoma.

If there’s one thing that unites Americans in 2020, it’s a collective desire to feel safe in our communities — safe from a raging virus, from street violence and from rogue law enforcement officers.

Pierce County leaders and prospective leaders should speak loud and clear on these issues between now and Nov. 3. Not resort to brandishing easy slogans like a blunt weapon.

Matt Misterek has been a News Tribune editor since 2003 and editorial page editor since 2016. Reach him at matt.misterek@thenewstribune.com

This story was originally published August 29, 2020 at 7:00 AM.