The sheriff of King County, Washington, did not tell city officials about a Buried City order banning homeless encampments within 500 feet of places like schools and parks until the order’s constitutionality was resolved. I was instructed not to carry out the execution.
Currently, Burien Mayor Kevin Schilling is considering an interlocal agreement between the city and county sheriff’s office. Schilling said if he determines the agreement is broken, he will consider creating a city-run police department.
On March 4, the Burien City Council adopted a new ordinance banning overnight sleeping on public property between 7pm and 6am the next day if shelter, beds or treatment facilities are available.
The new law also prohibits camping on public property during the day.
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Orson Lee, who has been homeless for six years, drinks from a water bottle as outreach worker Mary Giberson looks on in a park in Burien, Washington. Outreach teams are deployed to provide water and other assistance to the homeless. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdez)
When the new ordinance is passed, the city states on its website that it will work closely with the Kings County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) and service partners to ensure outreach and services are provided before the ordinance goes into effect. He said that The city also said it understands that KCSO cannot enforce this code without first verifying that shelter, beds and treatment facilities are available.
King County Sheriff Patty Cole-Tindall on Friday told lawmakers not to enforce the new law, citing concerns about its constitutionality, according to an internal document obtained by FOX News contributor Jason Lantz. He said he gave instructions.
“We have strong concerns about whether the provisions of this ordinance are constitutional based on existing legal authority,” Cole-Tindall said. Rantz reports for KTTH.
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Andrea Suarez dismantles a tent as trash piles up at a homeless camp on March 13, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (John Moore/Getty Images)
“We do not want you to find yourself in a situation where you are asked or expected to do something that may violate your legal rights,” the sheriff’s office said in an email obtained by the department. . “Until the constitutionality of the public camping ordinance is resolved, we direct that this specific provision of the Umiri City Ordinance will not be enforced.”
Cole-Tindall did not inform Burien city officials, including Schilling, of the decision.
County officials and the sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiries about the matter.
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FILE – King County, Washington, sheriff’s deputies have been directed by leaders not to enforce a new ordinance in Burien that makes homeless encampments illegal within 500 feet of places like schools and parks. (St. Petersburg)
The sheriff was appointed by King County Executive Dow Constantine and approved by voters in 2021.
“This is an undemocratic situation that occurs when government officials decide what happens in local government,” Schilling told FOX News Digital. “The City of Burien is committed to providing millions of dollars to the King County Sheriff’s Office in hopes of enforcing our city’s ordinances and laws to keep our communities safe and public spaces accessible to everyone. I am paying.”
The mayor said Constantine and Cole-Tindall are putting politics ahead of public safety.
The station reported that Constantine does not support clean-up efforts and therefore does not support Brien’s efforts to address homelessness.
The 30-year-old mayor, who was in high school when Constantine was elected in 2009, said the problem has remained unresolved for years.
“Instead, King County has homelessness at an all-time high, the highest number of overdose deaths in the nation, and continued tax increases for programs that deliver no results and don’t solve the problem.” said Schilling. “I believe in government accountability and personal responsibility. This is not a liberal or conservative issue. Issues of homelessness, drug addiction, mental health issues, and criminal behavior bridge traditional partisan divides. It is over.
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“We need to prioritize treatment over tents and public safety over politics so we can get people off the streets and into shelters and services,” he added.
KTTH reported that City Council members voted 5-2 to approve the bill because they deemed it an “emergency ordinance” related to the health and public safety implications of previous laws that prohibited camping on public lands. The ordinance was passed by a vote.
Despite not enforcing the homeless encampment ordinance, Cole-Tindall directed councilors to continue enforcing criminal code violations.
