As downtown crime dropped, Capitol Hill may have absorbed the spillover — 2026 trends show signs of relief

ALL CRIME TYPES ACROSS CAPITOL HILL, CD, AND FIRST HILL, 2026 AND 2021 From the Seattle Times report on downtown crime displacement A recent Seattle Times investigation revealed a painful truth in Seattle’s public safety recovery. While aggressive revitalization and targeted enforcement pushed reported offenses in the downtown core down nearly 50% between 2018 and 2025, crime appeared to displace eastward into neighborhoods including Capitol Hill like a “water bed.” The Times shows that Capitol Hill absorbed the city’s steepest offense spike, while First Hill also climbed. But fresh 2026 data from the Seattle Police Department’s Records Management System illustrates a divergence for the East Precinct with five-year totals showing cooling even as 2026 monthly trends point to a volatile reset under new leadership at the department and City Hall. In its analysis of Seattle Police Department neighborhood-level data from 2018 through 2025, the Times identified Capitol Hill as the primary re