The violent crime rate in Seattle has reached a 15-year high, with the city's blood bank now begging for donors to keep up with the increasing demand.
Dr. Kirsten Alcorn, Co-Chief Medical Officer at Bloodworks Northwest, stated that the blood bank had seen an increase in gunshot wounds, with one victim requiring 50 units of blood to stay alive.
"Most of the blood that flows through me right now doesn't even belong to me. It belongs to the people who were generous enough, brave enough to give me that blood," said King County Sheriff's Office Detective Dave Easterly, who was shot in the line of duty in March.
The blood bank requires at least 1,000 donors daily to keep enough blood products stocked for emergencies. "We've had several patients recently, who have taken upwards of dozens of units of blood components to get through their immediate trauma resuscitation and again, that's the immediate trauma, and then any additional surgeries could require more blood," said Alcorn.
According to the Seattle Police Department, the city's violent crime rate increased by 4 percent in 2022 compared to 2021, the previous all-time high in reported crimes.
The department said aggravated assault and motor vehicle thefts were "significantly" high in 2022 compared to the five-year weighted average. In 2022, there were 49,577 violent and property crimes, with 52 homicides investigated, an increase from 41 homicides in 2021, the second-highest homicides after 53 in 2020.
2023 is already shaping up to be another record-breaking year for homicides. Last week, the Seattle Police Department was ordered by their chief to no longer engage in any pursuits, making matters worse.
Additionally, over 600 officers have left the department since the city council defunded the police in response to the riots in 2020. Some officers were terminated, while others transferred or retired in response to the city's COVID vaccine mandate.
Even assaults on firefighters have become so common that this week, the city council passed a new law that will classify obstructing a firefighter or EMS worker as a gross misdemeanor, in the same way obstructing a police officer does. According to the department, 50 firefighters have been attacked in the last six months, mainly by the homeless.
Login