King County, WA Council Allots $600,000 to Improve Courthouse Security

This past Wednesday the Metropolitan King County Council voted unanimously to allocate $600,000 in emergency funding to better secure the entrances and area surrounding the King County Courthouse in Downtown Seattle. However, this initial $600k will only cover six months of improvements; additional funding will have to be decided on in the future.

From The Reading Eagle:

“The action comes after assaults and other incidents on the streets and sidewalks just outside the King County Courthouse.

KOMO reports that Seattle police statistics show more than 160 assaults near the courthouse in the first nine months of this year, and many county employees and jurors say they no longer feel safe walking in and out of the courthouse.

Officials said the extra money will be used to post deputies at the entryways, additional screeners at the security lines and outreach workers on surrounding streets.”

The 3^rd Avenue entrance and surrounding area, notorious for numerous assaults and other dangers which was recently shut down due to the security concerns. As of this writing it is scheduled to reopen on January 1^st, 2020. The new funding and accompanying additional security personnel may move up that timetable.

We will provide further updates as circumstances warrant.

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