Responding to the outcry over reports on prolific criminal offenders in Seattle, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said people upset about crime and addiction should keep in mind that violent crime here has decreased dramatically since the '80s.

She and King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht spoke Wednesday at the Seattle Channel’s Civic Cocktail in downtown Seattle. “We can’t police our way out of this,” Johanknecht said. “We are a cooperative partner in how we go about bringing an end to homelessness.”

Best said crimes committed by people related to drug addiction or other behavioral crises are simply more visible than they were in years past.

“I think people are just concerned because the landscape admittedly has changed, and it’s much more prevalent and visible than I think it was a few years ago,” she said.

Best said police are working hard to address those crimes.

“We’re not going to arrest people because they’re homeless," Best said. "We will arrest people for criminal activity. And by the way I would say last year we made just under 11,000 arrests – more than they did in 2017 and much more than they did in 2016.”