Beggs’ balanced approach

When I was elected to Spokane City Council, it was just three years after Otto Zehm died as a result of excessive force from police in north Spokane.

After the incident, residents wanted to feel safe from crime, but distrust of police divided our community. As executive director of the Center for Justice, Breean Beggs realized justice for Otto Zehm’s family and made the community safer by helping establish civilian oversight of the police and requiring body cameras for officers.

True to Breean’s balanced leadership approach, he didn’t stop there.

As an elected City Council member, he worked just as hard to increase funding for 24 new police officers and the equipment they need to do their job, as well as convinced state officials in Olympia to fund supervision of property crime offenders. Through Councilmember Beggs’ leadership, social workers are now deployed with Spokane police, guiding people in moments of crisis to community support.

Breean strives to make Spokane safer by funding police and programs that reduce crime, as well as programs that ensure accountability and trust in the police. Breean Beggs is a leader who has delivered real change for public safety. We need his leadership as City Council president.

Amber Waldref

Spokane