Nearly 100 Chase bank locations join SPD’s ‘Safe Space’ program to protect victims of hate crimes

KIRO 7 News Staff
·1 min read

On Wednesday, the Seattle Police Department announced that Chase bank locations across Western Washington will join its “Safe Place” program.

Seattle police started the program to address low reporting of anti-LGBTQ+ crimes and school bullying incidents. In 2018, the program was expanded to include anyone who may have been the victim of a bias crime.

Participating businesses commit to being a safe place for victims to go after experiencing a hate crime.

Since launching in 2015, the program has been repurposed to 345 other law enforcement agencies across the U.S., Canada and Europe.

Nearly 8,000 locations in Seattle currently participate in the program.

Each of the 96 Chase branch locations will now display a rainbow badge sticker, signaling that its employees pledge to call 911 to report any incidents and will give victims in a safe, public area until police arrive.

Businesses can sign up to participate in the program for free on the SPD Safe Place program website.