Staff urge targeted changes to Everett SODA order areas; recommend removing Wiggum's Hollow, adding North Broadway
June 05, 2025 | Everett, Snohomish County, Washington
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City staff and police presented recommended changes to Everett's SODA order areas at the Community Health and Safety Committee meeting on June 4, 2025, saying the routine two‑year review required by EMC 10.13.040 supports three targeted alterations: remove Wiggum's Hollow Park from the designated SODA areas, retain Henry Jackson Park, and add North Broadway from the 700 block to Marine View Drive.
The recommendation matters because the municipal code (EMC 10.13.040) requires the council to review SODA orders biennially and because SODA areas carry enforcement implications and have been subject to legal challenge. Lacey (staff member) said the police department and city attorney recommend keeping most SODA areas unchanged “with 3 changes recommended based on the data.”
Police analysts provided maps of fatal and nonfatal overdoses, arrests for drug and narcotic violations, and calls for service in 2021–2024. Sgt. Chris Bennett and Sgt. Nate Wallace told the committee that different datasets tell different parts of the story: arrest data reflect reported law enforcement actions, while calls for service can show additional substance‑related incidents that did not result in arrest. "We're not gonna have numbers" for incidents involving on‑scene Narcan or private interventions, Bennett said, drawing attention to the limits of the available data.
Staff and police highlighted that Clark Park, James Hill Park and Wetmore Plaza account for the majority of narcotics‑related arrests in city parks; Wiggum's Hollow appears lower in the park ranking, while Jackson Park draws heavier, recurring activity. "We're not seeing the level of activity that's, that we're seeing there at Jackson Park," Sgt. Wallace said of Wiggum's Hollow. He described Jackson Park as having large parking lots and being adjacent to East Marine Drive and woods where unlawful camping and congregations have been observed; the sergeant said Jackson presents conditions that make it more conducive to the type of open‑air drug use the SODA orders are intended to deter.
On North Broadway, staff said earlier development and pandemic conditions led the council to remove that block from the SODA areas in the prior review, but both data and increased complaints have since shown a rise in activity between the 700 block and Marine View Drive. "We're not getting patrolled as much as it probably should," Sgt. Wallace said of the far‑north portion of North Broadway, noting fewer routine patrols and repeated complaints tied to the 7‑Eleven area.
Council members pressed staff on how arrest totals, calls for service and police observations line up. Council member Bader asked why arrest dots on the maps do not fully reflect on‑the‑ground activity at Jackson Park; staff replied that the parks were added in the last cycle in part because of neighborhood complaints rather than a straight recommendation from police, and that patrol patterns and facility layouts can produce different observable results than arrest counts alone. Staff cautioned against expanding SODA boundaries citywide. Lacey said the city balances targeting trafficking hotspots with avoiding undue limits on residents' access to transit, treatment, court and daily activities; she noted SODA orders can be contested in court and that narrowly tailored boundaries have helped the city defend them.
Committee members asked technical clarifications: the SODA orders typically cover two blocks on either side of designated streets, but staff said the written recommendation materials contain exact boundary descriptions and some park boundaries are extended beyond the two‑block standard to reflect local geometry. Clark Park's closure corresponded with a near absence of activity while closed; Sgt. Wallace said, "Since it's been closed, we've seen almost no activity. I believe when it opens, though, I mean, it's just gonna spike back up." Parks staff indicated a soft opening in July for Clark Park.
No formal council vote occurred in committee. Staff said the council will receive a full briefing on June 18 for the first reading; the final reading is scheduled for the council's first meeting in July. The committee discussion left the matter as a staff recommendation and placed it on the council reading schedule, with additional data available in the written recommendation packet.
Meeting materials, according to staff, show about 1,700 total relevant arrests for 2023–24 citywide and a parks breakdown where Clark Park, James Hill Park and Wetmore Plaza account for the lion's share; Wiggum's Hollow ranked fourth and Jackson Park fifth in the park list provided. Staff emphasized limitations in the analysis: some overlays could not be produced for all park maps and the analysts rely on police and fire responses and recorded recaps, so unreported incidents are not counted.
The committee did not adopt a motion; staff's recommendation will move to the council for the readings scheduled in June and July.
The recommendation matters because the municipal code (EMC 10.13.040) requires the council to review SODA orders biennially and because SODA areas carry enforcement implications and have been subject to legal challenge. Lacey (staff member) said the police department and city attorney recommend keeping most SODA areas unchanged “with 3 changes recommended based on the data.”
Police analysts provided maps of fatal and nonfatal overdoses, arrests for drug and narcotic violations, and calls for service in 2021–2024. Sgt. Chris Bennett and Sgt. Nate Wallace told the committee that different datasets tell different parts of the story: arrest data reflect reported law enforcement actions, while calls for service can show additional substance‑related incidents that did not result in arrest. "We're not gonna have numbers" for incidents involving on‑scene Narcan or private interventions, Bennett said, drawing attention to the limits of the available data.
Staff and police highlighted that Clark Park, James Hill Park and Wetmore Plaza account for the majority of narcotics‑related arrests in city parks; Wiggum's Hollow appears lower in the park ranking, while Jackson Park draws heavier, recurring activity. "We're not seeing the level of activity that's, that we're seeing there at Jackson Park," Sgt. Wallace said of Wiggum's Hollow. He described Jackson Park as having large parking lots and being adjacent to East Marine Drive and woods where unlawful camping and congregations have been observed; the sergeant said Jackson presents conditions that make it more conducive to the type of open‑air drug use the SODA orders are intended to deter.
On North Broadway, staff said earlier development and pandemic conditions led the council to remove that block from the SODA areas in the prior review, but both data and increased complaints have since shown a rise in activity between the 700 block and Marine View Drive. "We're not getting patrolled as much as it probably should," Sgt. Wallace said of the far‑north portion of North Broadway, noting fewer routine patrols and repeated complaints tied to the 7‑Eleven area.
Council members pressed staff on how arrest totals, calls for service and police observations line up. Council member Bader asked why arrest dots on the maps do not fully reflect on‑the‑ground activity at Jackson Park; staff replied that the parks were added in the last cycle in part because of neighborhood complaints rather than a straight recommendation from police, and that patrol patterns and facility layouts can produce different observable results than arrest counts alone. Staff cautioned against expanding SODA boundaries citywide. Lacey said the city balances targeting trafficking hotspots with avoiding undue limits on residents' access to transit, treatment, court and daily activities; she noted SODA orders can be contested in court and that narrowly tailored boundaries have helped the city defend them.
Committee members asked technical clarifications: the SODA orders typically cover two blocks on either side of designated streets, but staff said the written recommendation materials contain exact boundary descriptions and some park boundaries are extended beyond the two‑block standard to reflect local geometry. Clark Park's closure corresponded with a near absence of activity while closed; Sgt. Wallace said, "Since it's been closed, we've seen almost no activity. I believe when it opens, though, I mean, it's just gonna spike back up." Parks staff indicated a soft opening in July for Clark Park.
No formal council vote occurred in committee. Staff said the council will receive a full briefing on June 18 for the first reading; the final reading is scheduled for the council's first meeting in July. The committee discussion left the matter as a staff recommendation and placed it on the council reading schedule, with additional data available in the written recommendation packet.
Meeting materials, according to staff, show about 1,700 total relevant arrests for 2023–24 citywide and a parks breakdown where Clark Park, James Hill Park and Wetmore Plaza account for the lion's share; Wiggum's Hollow ranked fourth and Jackson Park fifth in the park list provided. Staff emphasized limitations in the analysis: some overlays could not be produced for all park maps and the analysts rely on police and fire responses and recorded recaps, so unreported incidents are not counted.
The committee did not adopt a motion; staff's recommendation will move to the council for the readings scheduled in June and July.
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