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Bellingham City Council - Public Health, Safety, Justice, and Equity Committee

BEL-CON-PHJ-2026-03-23 March 23, 2026 Public Health & Safety Committee City of Bellingham 35 min
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The Bellingham City Council's Public Health, Safety, Justice, and Equity Committee unanimously approved an experimental ordinance granting the Public Works Director authority to temporarily close downtown alleys on recommendation from the Police Chief to disrupt entrenched drug dealing activity. The measure, designated AB 24867, passed 3-0 and will advance to the full City Council for final consideration. The proposal targets specific downtown alleys where data shows concentrated criminal activity, with 108 violent incidents and 342 drug-related calls in just a three-block section during 2025, including 89 overdoses. The city spent $185,000 of its $234,000 annual downtown cleaning budget on just two alley sections, with over $40,000 already spent in early 2026 on the same areas. Deputy Administrator Forrest Longman characterized the initiative as an "experimental, targeted, and temporary measure" designed to provide respite to downtown businesses and employees facing dangerous conditions while creating space for crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) improvements like enhanced lighting and security cameras. The ordinance would make unauthorized entry a misdemeanor but staff emphasized their hope to issue zero citations through education and deterrence rather than prosecution. Committee members acknowledged this represents a short-term intervention within a broader strategy that includes the mobile opioid treatment center, Way Station services, community court programs, and $15 million in housing services funding. The discussion revealed tension between enforcement approaches and service provision, with officials emphasizing their focus on disrupting predatory drug dealing rather than criminalizing substance use disorder or homelessness.

- **AB 24867 - Temporary Alley Closure Ordinance**: Passed 3-0 by committee - Grants Public Works Director authority to close alleys on Police Chief recommendation - Makes unauthorized entry a mis…

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The ordinance represents the city's response to what officials describe as a crisis point in downtown public safety, with specific alley sections becoming epicenters of illegal drug activity that threatens business viability. Deputy Administrator Longman presented heat map data showing concentrated criminal activity in narrow alleys with limited sight lines that present enforcement challenges for police. The policy framework emphasizes disruption over punishment, with gates and signage intended to deter entry rather than generate arrests. Seattle has implemented similar measures, though staff acknowledged difficulty obtaining detailed outcome data from that city. The smaller scale of downtown Bellingham compared to Seattle raises questions about whether displaced activity will simply relocate to other downtown areas rather than dispersing broadly. Mayor's comments framed the initiative within broader downtown investment strategy, including activation g…
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**Deputy Administrator Forrest Longman** advocated for the measure as one tool in a comprehensive approach, emphasizing its experimental nature and commitment to regular assessment. He stressed the policy targets criminal drug dealing rather than individual substance use, noting the severe impact on business operations and employee safety. **Mayor** (name not specified) positioned the ordinance within broader downtown investment strategy, emphasizing commitment to making downtown "everyone's neighborhood" while acknowledging current conditions prevent universal access. Focused comments on predatory drug dealing and the visibility of illegal activity that facilitates first-time drug purchases. **Deputy Police Chief Jay Hart** provided strong support based on 26-year career experience, noting traditional enforcement limitations when officers cannot maintain constant presence. Described current conditions as worst he has witnessed in downtown alleys. **Committee Chair Daniel Hammill** brought personal observation experie…
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**Deputy Administrator Forrest Longman, on program goals:** "The intent of this alley closure ordinance is to provide the framework for an experimental, targeted, and temporary measure to disrupt the pattern of drug activity that's made some of these alleyways harmful for everyone, including the people that spend time there." **Forrest Longman, on enforcement approach:** "This is not an intent to criminalize this explicitly. We're hopeful that this would result in 0 citations." **Mayor, on d…
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The ordinance advances to full City Council consideration at the next regular meeting. Staff committed to bi-weekly assessment meetings to monitor impacts and unintended consequences, with flexibility to modify or reverse the closures if outcomes prove problematic. CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) improvements will be planned during closure periods, potentially including enhanced lighting, security cameras, and oth…

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The committee advanced new authority for administrative alley closures without requiring full council action for each instance, representing a significant expansion of executive emergency powers over public space access. This shifts decision-making from legislative to administrative level while maintaining police recommendation requirement. The policy establishes misdemeanor penalties for unauthorized alley access, creating new criminal liability in previously public spaces. However, the enforcement approach prioritizes education and deterrence over prosecution, with explicit goal of zero citations. Downtown pub…
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# Temporary Alley Closures: A Tool to Disrupt Downtown Drug Activity ## Meeting Overview The Bellingham City Council's Public Health, Safety, Justice, and Equity Committee convened on March 23, 2026, to consider a controversial new ordinance that would grant the city authority to temporarily close downtown alleys to combat entrenched criminal activity. Committee Chair Daniel Hammill was joined by councilmembers Holly Huffman and Edwin "Skip" Williams for what proved to be a measured but decisive discussion about using physical barriers as a tool to disrupt drug dealing that has plagued specific downtown alleys for years. The single agenda item — an ordinance regarding temporary alley closures for public health and safety — represented a significant shift in the city's approach to addressing the intersection of public safety, business concerns, and social services in downtown Bellingham. What emerged was a picture of alleys so compromised by criminal activity that the city was willing to try physical closure as an "experimental" measure, while acknowledging the uncertain outcomes and potential unintended consequences. ## The Case for Temporary Alley Closures Deputy Administrator Forrest Longman opened the presentation by framing the ordinance as "an experimental, targeted, and temporary measure to disrupt the pattern of drug activity that's made some of these alleyways harmful for everyone, including the people that spend time there." This wasn't, he emphasized, intended to be punitive toward people using the spaces, but rather "to remove conditions that allow the dangerous behaviors to take hold and persist." The data Longman presented painted a stark picture of the problem's scope. In 2025, a three-block section of downtown alleys recorded 108 incidents of violence, 342 drug-related calls, and 89 overdoses. The financial burden was equally striking: Public Works spent $234,000 cleaning downtown through the solid waste division, with 80% of that amount — roughly $185,000 — spent cleaning just two sections of alleyway. "Year to date for those sections, the city spent over $40,000,"…
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### Meeting Overview The Public Health, Safety, Justice, and Equity Committee met to consider an ordinance allowing temporary alley closures for public health and safety. The proposal would give the Public Works Director authority to close problematic downtown alleys at the request of the Police Chief to disrupt entrenched drug dealing and criminal activity. ### Key Terms and Concepts **CPTED:** Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design — strategies like improved lighting, cameras, and physical design changes to reduce criminal activity through better environmental conditions. **See, Click, Fix:** The city's public reporting system where residents can report issues like graffiti, trash, or maintenance problems that need attention. **Way Station:** A downtown facility providing hygiene services, restrooms, laundry, and showers for people experiencing homelessness or other challenges. **Mobile Opioid Treatment Center:** A mobile unit operated by Dequal Care (Unity Care) providing methadone and suboxone treatment for opioid addiction, currently serving 20 active clients and 40 periodic clients downtown. **Heat Map:** A visual representation showing concentrated areas of police calls and criminal activity, clearly highlighting problem spots in downtown alleys. **SSC:** Solid waste collection company that empties dumpsters in downtown alleys and has expressed safety concerns about people hiding in dumpsters. **Predatory Drug Dealing:** Criminal drug sales that specifically target and exploit vulnerable people, as distinguished from substance use disorder itself. **Bike Patrol:** Specialized police unit that monitors downtown areas, particularly effective in alleys and narrow spaces where patrol cars cannot easily access. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Dan Hammill | Committee Chair, City Council Member | | Holly Huffman | Committee Member, City Council Member | | Skip Williams | Committee Member, City Council Member | | Forrest Longman | Deputy City Administrator | | Jay Hart | Deputy Chief of Operations, Bellingham Police Department …
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Public Safety Economic Development Government Operations AB 24867 Seattle Ssc Sanitation Unity Care Way Station Daniel Hammill Edwin Skip Williams Forrest Longman Hollie Huffman Hollie Huffman Jay Hart Alley Management Behavioral Health Business Safety Cpted Crime Prevention Criminal Justice Downtown Development Drug Enforcement Homelessness Public Space Management Substance Abuse Policy