Welcome to Ideas For Seattle. Here you can contribute your ideas for the future of our city. You can also vote on existing ideas submitted by your fellow citizens.
To get started, simply choose a category from the list on the right. Then search to see if your idea has already been submitted. If it hasn't, you can then submit it for others to discuss or vote on.
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4,616 votes
Legalize marijuana and tax it.
Just Do It! The city would make a LOT of money on this. It's already happening so why not bring it out in the open and treat it like the business it is. Take the profit motive away from the drug gangs and let us law abiding citizens enjoy a toke without worry.
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656 votes
Bring back community policing.
Get the officers out of patrol cars and out walking and riding beats. A physical presence on the street deters crime.
Have officers patrol the same areas over time so they get to know residents, merchants and criminals. -
344 votes
Foot/Bike Patrols for SE Seattle
Foot and bike patrols for Southeast Seattle. Friday, Saturday and Sunday during peak criminal activity hours on Rainier Ave S, between S Alaska and S Orcas. If that goes well, maybe shuffle patrols around as criminal activity shuffles around.
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270 votes
Fund and Hire More Police
The streets where I live (Ballard) and work (U District) are dangerous; every week brings a report of violent cirme. We don't have enough police, haven't hired them in years. We need them.
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262 votes
Remove Enforcement Cameras at Intersections
Current cameras are installed for revenue gathering purposes only. Not safety. Middle class taxpayers, paying to have them installed are the main targets/victims...with these camera's, we taxpayers are basically hurting ourselves. Camera's placed in high crime areas and parks would be more use... more
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149 votes
Get rid of Mayor Nickel's ban of firearms on public property and enforce current laws
Get rid of Mayor Nickel's ban of firearms on public property and enforce current laws. This would save a lot of time, money, and energy on needless litigation. The real issues around crime are more systemic (socio-economics, education, etc.) and need to be addressed in the right forums.
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118 votes
Stop all drug arrests
It is a waste of tax dollars. The money would be better spent on treatment programs.
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115 votes
Strongly enforce moving violations by motor vehicles
Drivers in Seattle drive with little regard for pedestrians or bicycles. They fail to yield, run red lights, make turns through crowded crosswalks, force bikes off the road and otherwise make it difficult and dangerous to travel in anything other than another car.
If these idiots were worried abo... more -
97 votes
Increase penalties for distracted driving
It is disrespectful to the lives of pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and other drivers to drive in a distracted manner. Using cell phones while driving should be made a primary ticketable offense, and accidents resulted in distracted driving should result in the same stiff penalties given to... more
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84 votes
Open police records to the public
We need more transparency from the police.
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76 votes
Recruit officers from within communities
Strive for a police force that reflects the unique makeup of each community. Encourage officers to live in the community they patrol by creating/offering incentives: cost of living allowance, etc.
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72 votes
Get out into the neighborhoods and get crosswalks and lights
where they are needed the most.
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59 votes
add more light to streets and parks
so many of our streets are dark and shadowed. by adding additional streetlights and ambient lights in parks, more people will feel safe at night. and more people on the streets will make safer neighborhoods.
i'd like to see this done in the most green way possible, solar-powered LED downlightin... more
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48 votes
Start a safe injection site for needle drug users
Insite in Vancouver has been a successful safe injection site for needle drug users. Safe Injection sites connect users with counseling, medical treatment, and clean equipment. This would directly decrease the rateof HIV and Hep C transmission in the city. The city of Seattle should work with ... more
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37 votes
Put more police officers on our streets overnight for free by decommissioning their fireboats.
Harbor Patrol has 30 officers that staff two police fireboats. The fire department already has fireboats and plenty of firemen to take care of fire and rescue, but we can't get enough cops to take care of crime. Let's move some of those cops into our neighborhoods.
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27 votes
Increased police presence in Pike/Pine Cooridor,Belltown, Pioneer Sq., Waterfront and First Hill.
Neighborhood safety is vital to creating a vibrant and liveable neighborhoods. Increased police presence and enforcement is the first step to eliminating legal activity and property damage.
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26 votes
Install more red light cameras
As a pedestrian, I support every reasonable effort to encourage motorists to follow the laws. How great would it be if drivers were as wary of running red lights or turning in front of pedestrians as pedestrians are of jaywalking?
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22 votes
Split the north precinct into 2-4 smaller precincts
Currently police officers in the north precinct travel from Ballard to Lake City to the U-district to Carkeek Park in a single shift.
If we allowed officers to shuffle a bit between precincts, but mostly chop the north precinct into 4 smaller precincts, it seems like we should be able to reduc... more
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22 votes
How about actually enforcing the Smoking Ban?
We voted on a smoking ban in public spaces yet you can't wait at a bus stop without inhaling someone else's smoke, or dine at an outdoor patio before someone lights up. They just crowd on the doors, not 25 ft. away...just to get out of the rain! What other laws can we disregard?