Ordinance No. 6659 proposes to add a new Chapter 9.24 to the City Code. This chapter, patterned after a similar code provisions in cities across the state, seeks to identify certain areas within the City as being subject to an anti-drug emphasis. Those portions of the City that are identified as anti-drug emphasis areas could be used as an enforcement tool for people engaging in illegal drug activity in certain areas could be ordered to stay out of those areas, and there failing to do so could constitute a public nuisance and a violation of the law for which penalties could be assessed. Samples of similar ordinances are included here with, including samples from Tacoma, Lakewood, Marysville, Everett, Bothell, shoreline, University Place and Arlington (proposed). Each of these ordinances, seeks to accomplish the same thing that. Auburn’s proposed ordinance seeks to accomplish. Checking with prosecutors involved with some of these jurisdictions, the assessment, we received was that this is a valuable tool for the police, prosecutors, and courts to address recurring illegal drug activities in certain areas. This ordinance would/could result in additional prosecution to address illegal drug activity, but it gives the police an additional tool that would not otherwise be available. If a person were convicted of a crime involving illegal drug activity in a certain area of the city that has been identified as a drug emphasis area, the court order in the violation could include a provision that restricts the violator from returning to that area. Other than where the violator lives within one of the identified drug enforcement areas, it would be advantageous for the city, the police and neighbors to have people restricted from returning to locations where drug activities were occurring. Again, the cities with whom we were able to check regarding their similar ordinances expressed support for the use of such an ordinance.

Also, in connection with Ordinance No. 6659, although the drug emphasis areas are defined in the ordinance, to assist in visualizing where those drug emphasis areas are within the city, maps showing the identified drug emphasis areas and city parks (also drug emphasis areas) are included as well.