Seattle Police Chief Blasts City Leaders For Ousting Police From Third Precinct
Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best is blasting city leaders for ousting police personnel from the city’s third precinct after protestors created an “autonomous police-free zone,” calling it the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” (CHAZ).
In a video addressed to her officers, created to update them about the ongoing situation at the East Precinct, Best says she is “very angry about the situation,” affirming that it was not her decision to abandon the precinct.
RELATED: Protester Shot After Man Drives Car Into Peaceful Seattle Demonstration
Although she is all for the right to speech, she notes that the protestors prohibiting them from entering their department, is preventing them from responding to emergency calls in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, which have more than tripled.
She adds, “Our calls for service have more than tripled. These are responses to emergency calls — rapes, robberies, and all sorts of violent acts that have been occurring in the area that we’re not able to get to.”
RELATED: Tacoma Mayor Says Officers ‘Should Be Fired And Prosecuted’ After Manuel Ellis Dies During Arrest