A Seattle-area sheriff has directed her police force not to implement a new City of Burien order on homeless encampments.
The order outlaws homeless encampments within 500 feet of places like schools and parks. King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall told deputies not to enforce the order until the constitutionality of the law was sorted.
“We have strong concerns on whether the terms of this ordinance are constitutional, based on the existing legal authority,” Cole-Tindall said in an email sent to the force, obtained by KTTH Radio host Jason Rantz.
“I do not want any of you to find yourself in a situation where you are asked or expected to do something that could violate legally-established rights,” the sheriff wrote in an email obtained by the station. “I am directing you that we will not enforce this particular section of the Burien Municipal Code until the constitutionality of the public camping ordinance is resolved.”
According to the report, Cole-Tindall did not make city officials, including Mayor Kevin Schilling, aware of her order. Councilmembers were reportedly caught off guard, only hearing about the chief’s order when KTTH reached out to him for comment.
“This is the undemocratic situation that occurs when a higher government official gets to dictate what occurs in local governments,” Schilling told Fox News Digital. “The City of Burien pays millions of dollars to the King County Sheriff’s Office with the expectation they will enforce our city codes and laws to keep the community safe and publicly accessible for all.”
The sheriff was appointed by King County Executive Dow Constantine in 2021. Schilling said Constantine and Cole-Tindall are playing with politics instead of public safety.
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“Instead, King County has the highest level of homelessness ever, the highest number of overdose deaths in the country, and continuously increasing taxes for programs that do not show results or solve problems,” Schilling said. “I believe in government accountability and individual responsibility. This isn’t a liberal or conservative problem. The issue of homelessness, drug addiction, mental health issues, and criminal activity cuts across traditional partisan divides.”
The Burien City Council passed the “emergency ordinance” in a 5-2 vote, citing health and public safety concerns.
