As the highest regulation enforcement official in King County, it’s Leesa Manion’s job to maintain weapons out of the arms of kids. And the urgency is barely growing. Whereas violent crime basically is trending downward, amongst juveniles it stays stubbornly excessive.
As does the variety of youth victims.
Thwarted by the state Legislature, which, extremely, upheld a regulation permitting minors 5 convictions for gun possession earlier than a decide can sentence them to jail, Manion, the King County prosecutor, has been racking her mind for an additional solution to intervene.
Her newest concept: utilizing the regulation that offers police the ability to briefly take away weapons from at-risk adults, however tweaking it for juveniles. Generally referred to as “crimson flag legal guidelines,” these Excessive Danger Safety Orders (often known as ERPOs) come into play when an individual threatens to hurt themselves or others. This 12 months, Manion’s workplace has acquired greater than 100 ERPO filings — largely concerning adults.
However since July, she has begun to deploy the identical software when younger individuals make threats, serving ERPOs within the houses of at the least six college students who indicated plans for mass violence and confirmed the means for carrying it out. That features children within the Bellevue, Renton and Bothell college districts.
That is nowhere close to the 140 referrals for juvenile gun crimes which have poured into Manion’s workplace throughout 2025. ERPO hearings are civil proceedings — not felony — aimed solely at barring entry to firearms. They’re a proactive, preventive intervention, in different phrases, not one thing that occurs after against the law has been dedicated.
Usually in these instances, the weapons are owned by dad and mom who don’t know their children are carrying weapons or making threats on-line. An ERPO served on a mother or dad about their little one will be, on the very least, a strong wake-up name.
Manion is now asking the Metropolitan King County Council to develop her fledgling pilot program with funding for a further legal professional who would deal with youth ERPOs solely, in addition to cash for 2 sheriff’s deputies who would work with the challenge.
County Councilmember Reagan Dunn, a staunch gun-rights supporter, says Manion’s concept deserves severe consideration. But the funds proposed for subsequent 12 months by King County Govt Shannon Braddock contains not one dime for it.
Braddock additionally has declined to fund Manion’s second effort geared toward combating youth violence: cash for a further legal professional within the Safer Colleges program, which coordinates with Ok-12 districts when college students have been referred for gun costs or are truant. There’s appreciable crossover right here. Of the 51 youths charged with illegal gun possession in 2023-24, 85% had irregular college attendance.
Bulking up these initiatives would value lower than $1 million whole, a modest quantity when weighed in opposition to the potential carnage that might be prevented. Perhaps the council can discover efficiencies, like funding an legal professional who may work with each the Safer Colleges and juvenile ERPO tasks concurrently.
Robust financial instances pressure robust decisions, no query. However Manion’s efforts to get forward of youth crime needs to be recommended, supported and eyed for growth.
