Seattle's 'stay out' zones for drug arrests go mostly unused

Seattle lawmakers last year made a late push to expand the city's ability to crack down on misdemeanor crime and disorder in commercial areas — setting up six "stay out" zones for those arrested on drug-related offenses and expanding the number of jail beds available for Seattle-based bookings.

But three months later, those efforts have gone largely unused. As the average number of people held on misdemeanor charges in the jail has crept up only slightly, the "stay out" law has been invoked by a judge just once since it took effect in October.

The minimal use of the new tool stands in contrast to the urgency with which city officials passed the bill in the first place. After introducing the ordinance in August, City Hall signed off on the zones just over a month later — lightning quick in the context of the typically plodding pace of legislating and at a time of year when new lawmaking typically slows.