Seattle (Dec. 31, 2025) – Today, City Attorney Ann Davison released the 2025 Annual Report from her office, detailing successes achieved over the past year, as well as significant achievement over the past four years.
“When I was elected, I vowed to make the actions of this Office transparent to the public,” said City Attorney Davison. “Over the past four years, we’ve created a significant change in our public safety systems. I’m proud of all we have accomplished, not just this year, but throughout my term. Serving as City Attorney has been one of the privileges of my life.”
The Seattle City Attorney’s Office (CAO) Annual Report details data and analysis of the work done by the CAO Civil Division, Criminal Division, and Public Safety Liaisons.
Criminal Division
- 5,000 case backlog cleared.
- Filing decisions expedited.
- Regained strong partnership with Seattle Police Department.
- Annually handles 11,000 misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor referrals from the Seattle Police Department and approximately 2-3,000 contested infractions from Seattle Municipal Court.
Civil Division
- Created Graffiti Restitution Ordinance, allowing civil action against graffiti vandals; 25 suits filed against three prolific taggers, totaling approximately $40,000 in damages.
- Gained largest settlement by a city from the chemical company Monsanto for its contamination of the Lower Duwamish River with PCBs.
- Continuing to guide suit against automakers Kia and Hyundai, holding corporate actors accountable for their role in car theft crisis.
- Took civil action against Glock, Inc. for its manufacturing practices that allow easy conversion to automatic weapons.
- Sued the Trump Administration for unlawfully withholding funds from the City of Seattle.
Public Safety Liaisons
- Successful enforcement outcomes realized in some of the most problematic after-hours nightlife locations.
- Provided guidance to SPD to serve Nuisance Property letters to several locations.
- Vacant Buildings Operational Workgroup grew targeted buildings from 30 to 59; 31 of total have been demolished or rehabilitated.
- Provides quarterly safety updates to Seattle Fire Department.
- Provides regular training for Seattle Police Department personnel on topics like search and seizure, criminal procedure issues, and testimony preparation.
“As I took office in 2022, 76% of the public thought the city was on the wrong track, according to the Seattle Chamber of Commerce Index Poll,” said City Attorney Davison. “The public said enough was enough. Our laws mattered and it was time they were enforced fairly. After all of our work, this fall that same Index poll showed that, for the first time in the past five years, a majority of residents believed Seattle was heading in the right direction. I believe that change was meaningfully connected to what we’ve accomplished here at CAO.”
The Annual Report is available on the CAO website here.
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