(The Center Square) – Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown proposed a new initiative on Tuesday aimed at expanding the city’s capacity to prosecute criminal offenders and organizations dealing and trafficking narcotics.
The announcement follows a July report from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs that noted annual shifts in crime from 2022 to 2023. The report noted crime was down by an average of 3.4% across Spokane County; however, drug-related violations skyrocketed .
Brown’s proposal involves creating a new city-level position that will work alongside the Eastern District of Washington U.S. Attorney’s Office, which is headquartered in Spokane.
“Our community has been deeply affected by the opioid epidemic. To address this crisis, I am looking to create a new special attorney role to target the root of the problem – drug dealing and trafficking,” Brown wrote in a news release. “By focusing upstream, we aim to cut off the supply before it reaches our most vulnerable, preventing more people from falling victim.”