How AG candidates say they will address public safety issues in WA

OLYMPIA — Over more than a decade as state attorney general, Bob Ferguson created a dedicated civil rights division, went after pharmaceutical companies for their role in the opioid crisis and challenged the Trump administration on issues such as its effort to bar immigrants from majority Muslim countries.

His successor will lead a high-profile office that has broad power to investigate and file civil cases. But the attorney general can’t bring a criminal case unless the office gets and accepts a referral from a local prosecutor or the governor.

Still, the attorney general, often referred to as the state’s “top cop,” can take both high-level and direct actions to address crime and safety issues. During his tenure, Ferguson has filed charges to target organized retail theft, pushed for new gun laws, and spearheaded an initiative to clear the state’s backlog of untested sexual assault evidence kits.

The Aug. 6 primary for his replacement pits Democrats Nick Brown and Manka Dhingra against Republican Pete Serrano. The top two candidates will advance to the general election in November.

Brown is the former U.S. Attorney for Western Washington, and previously worked as legal counsel to Gov. Jay Inslee.

Dhingra, a state senator from Redmond and former King County prosecutor, has played a key role in shaping Washington’s recent criminal justice policies since her election to the state Senate in late 2017.

Serrano is the mayor of Pasco and a lawyer who has worked for the U.S. Department of Energy. He’s also the director and general counsel of a legal foundation that has challenged COVID-19 vaccine mandates and certain state gun laws.

Gun regulations may be the public safety issue where candidates diverge the most clearly; while Dhingra and Brown have advocated for stronger gun laws, Serrano has fought the state’s ban on high-capacity magazines and assault weapons in court.

According to a recent poll commissioned by The Seattle Times in partnership with KING 5 and the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public, 7% of likely general election voters say crime will be most important to them when voting this year. Nine percent said that guns will be most important. The poll of 708 likely voters was conducted from July 10 to 13 and had a credibility interval of 5 percentage points.

The Seattle Times asked each of the three main candidates about their high-level positions on public safety issues. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Nick Brown

• In your view, what is the state’s most significant public safety problem?

I’m going to give you two answers. I think it’s a combination of the fentanyl crisis that the state is facing. And that is true in big cities, in small towns, it is a universally destructive issue all across the state. I think that has to be sort of top of mind for the next attorney general, and the next governor. But I’m always very cognizant of the ongoing gun violence that we have here in the state, as well. And so I can’t put one as more of a significant issue than the other. Fentanyl is a newer issue, just really coming on the scene in the last three or four years in a significant way. Gun violence has obviously been ongoing, but it has ramped up in recent years, both violence and suicides from firearms, so I would put those at the top of the list.

• What, specifically, would you do as attorney general to make Washington safer?

I think that there’s a combination of roles that the attorney general has when it comes to public safety issues. So there are issues directly relating to how we deal with specific crime or public safety issues that we’re having, fentanyl and gun crisis included. I think the AG’s office has a real opportunity to provide for further coordination and collaboration with both local officials and federal officials on stopping the flow of narcotics into our state. There’s not a huge enforcement piece within the AG’s office directly. But I do think there’s a real opportunity to help collaborate with other law enforcement and community officials to make sure that the AG’s office is a resource for local jurisdictions that need additional help. I think that’s going to be really important. There’s a related role to make sure that the AG’s office is highly involved in helping the Legislature draft good policy around public safety issues. And having spent the vast majority of my career in the justice space as a lawyer and a policymaker, I think I bring a lot of knowledge and credibility to that space, and can help the legislature continue to improve and refine some of our public safety policies. When it comes to firearm violence, specifically, the AG’s principal job is to defend Washington’s gun safety laws, which I think have proven to have positive impacts on public safety here in Washington.

Manka Dhingra

• In your view, what is the state’s most significant public safety problem?

I think this is something that differs from region to region. And it depends on who you ask. One of the issues that I’ve heard from individuals is response time from law enforcement. And again, that varies across the different areas. But if I had to pick one, I would say gun violence. I think people are really dealing with gun violence in different ways in all communities. And I think this is a role where the Attorney General’s Office can really make sure they are being a resource to local prosecutors and law enforcement, especially when it comes to surrender of firearm orders.

• What, specifically, would you do as attorney general to make Washington safer?

I mentioned about the surrender of firearm, that I think is definitely a role the AG’s office can play. The other thing where I think the AG’s office will play a much larger role is doing a lot of work with the Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention. That is an office that actually, my bill created. We were the first in the nation to have a statewide office like this, and really taking a look at data across the state on where gun violence is occurring. And really being strategic about making sure we go into those communities. And instead of just reacting after the fact, also making sure we are doing work around best practices and doing early intervention work. But I think that data collection and data analysis from a statewide level is definitely where I think the AG’s office can collaborate and play a bigger role with the Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention, and really be more data-driven, in how we address gun violence in our communities.

Pete Serrano

• In your view, what is the state’s most significant public safety problem?

It’s the increase of drugs, in particular fentanyl, in our streets, and that’s obviously contributing to the homeless crisis that we’re seeing. Honestly, it’s tough to really give it a top one, because we’re also seeing these tremendous spikes in youth-based violent crimes, right? So as much as I want to focus on drugs, I want to make sure that we’re also focused on figuring out how to preserve our youth and protect them, even from themselves.

• What, specifically, would you do as attorney general to make Washington safer?

It’d be really a couple of issues. One, the first would be to just make sure that we fund our criminal prosecution side as much as possible and really look down and say, OK, you know, Department of Justice is missing this particular issue on the federal side, the AG’s office can maybe offer some resources or tag team with … and that’s more of a body count issue, right, making sure we’re fully staffed. And then when it comes down to local prosecutors, the AG’s office can actually come in, and either offer resources or start implementing programs by statute. So just really have that open conversation with prosecuting attorneys, with sheriffs, with DOJ, and say, “OK, Washington is not safe. We all know that. We all see that, all of us who live here have that firsthand evidence. My office is open, we are willing to partner and we’re willing to prosecute where we have jurisdiction.”