Seattle's Defund the Police policies produce the social change you'd expect

Seattle’s violent crime rate rose to its highest point in 15 years in 2022, with reported homicides surging by about 24% compared to 2021, according to the Seattle Police Department’s (SPD) Year-End Crime Report, more than a year after the city cut its police budget.

Rapes and aggravated assaults increased by about 4% and 5% respectively, contributing to 5,591 total reported violent offenses, a roughly 4% spike, the report shows. Though arson and burglaries declined, 1,596 more motor vehicle thefts were reported, and Seattle ended up with an around 4% higher overall crime in 2022 despite a fourth-quarter reduction.

Seattle’s City Council reduced SPD funding by almost 17% in its 2021 budget following the George Floyd protests of summer 2020.

[Will Seattle’s residents learn the lesson? Or will they flee, taking their capital to places like Texas, Florida, Tennessee, and other states with better approaches to public order? You can bet that the progressives in charge in Seattle won’t give up on their “reforms” this easily. — Ed]