Seattle crime survey reveals a decade of shifting safety concerns

Seattle has a unique resource for understanding the public’s concerns and perceptions about crime, safety and policing.

Over the past decade, Seattle University’s annual Seattle Public Safety Survey has offered an unusually detailed view of how residents perceive safety and policing in their neighborhoods.

Ten years’ worth of surveys tell a story of shifting concerns about crime and safety in Seattle, one that reflects both local dynamics and national movements.

Perhaps the most striking trend in the survey data revolves around its questions on the public’s trust and confidence in the police. These questions are synthesized into a “police legitimacy” rating on a scale from 0 to 100.

In the first four surveys, from 2015 to 2018, the police legitimacy score was in the 60s. It dipped slig