Incidents including drive-by gunfire and tagging have led to questions about how active gangs are in West Seattle right now. To get some answers, the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council will hear from Seattle Police Gang Unit Detective Clayton Agate at its next meeting, one week from tonight. All are welcome – 7 pm Tuesday, April 16th, Southwest Precinct meeting room (Delridge/Webster).
I will be there. It is sdisappointing that with the Delridge/Henderson intersection being so close to Westwood Village and the South Precinct that we would have as much activity as we do.
I personally see patrol cars frequenthly in the area, but it is not acting as much of a deterent. Either people are too scared to report what they see so that there can be any enforcement, or people are complacent, know something, but allow it to happen anyway.
I am tired of it, and will continue to fight the trash in our neighborhood.
perhaps if the cops got out of those patrol cars and actually walked the area on foot that would be a real deterrent. Driving through the area is a pretty lame model for policing, and given the troubled area is really just a few dozen blocks, it seems getting people on foot is the best way to really drive change.
In my past experience working in a local school district with teens many parents know when their child owns a gun or is involved in criminal/gang activity and they turn their heads hoping it will go away, or take care of itself. To me that’s the first crime.
Ray, I do believe people are feeling intimidated and afraid to report crime in the area. I know I fear for the repercussions when I think of calling the police on some bad activity happening across the way from me. Reason being, the police never seem to actually solve anything when they do come. If they can’t prove anything, they let the thugs off. The next thing the thugs want to know is which neighbor called the police. It’s a vicious cycle.
You know bridge- in a perfect world with plenty of money to hire enough police officers- walking a neighborhood beat would be ideal. Unfortunately there are NOT enough officers — in order to cover their districts/areas & being able to get to them in a timely manor requires them being in a car.
I
Every year when the weather starts to warm up, I hear increasing incidents of the unmistakable sounds of gunfire echoing from the Delridge area up to the Westwood neighborhood. I really wish it would stop.
An armed Officer, or south of the city border, a Sherriff walking the streets occasionally wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.
Gene took the words right out of my mouth. The police are in their cars to answer OUR 911 calls. Call the police and report the activity that helps them do their job ‘with permission’ as Seattle wants it.
Im going to openly go out and say tge seattle police department is a complete joke. They built this super fancy police precinct on delridge. To have more police presence in the west seattle area. But I never really see these cops patroling the lower income neighborhoods like south delridge. Or highland park. Were most of the problems happen. but you see these “police officers” patroling alki, alki or beach drive all the time. All im saying is these cops are horrible and are not focusing on the problematic areas just the ones where the better off lay there heads at night.
Come to the meeting and ask police directly about patroling assignments and why you never see them. Besides the gang detective’s presentation, precinct leadership are at this meeting every month to listen to concerns and answer questions.
People who SEE or SUSPECT criminal activity have a DUTY to report that to 911.
There is no vicious cycle if you call because police WILL show up on patrols.
Calls to 911 can be made anonymously just like these comments on these WSB posts – so do not buy into the idea that you can’t do anything. It is not true.
There are far more wise people than the small cliques of trouble makers who make many miserable or without hope. The greater numbers of good gives the good people TRUE power to free themselves by reporting the troublemakers and criminal activity. All of it.
But each person has to decide if they will exercise their TRUE power of good citizenship or remain oppressed by bullies.
Understand this: The daily patrols are assigned by activity which has been actually reported to SPD. If nobody reports crime, the police don’t have a record of it and so it is very unlikely you will see extra patrols. THAT is how it works. The squeeky wheels get the grease. If EVERYBODY reports the TRUTH it eventually works.
Also, when you vote this year (you are registered to vote, right?) consider whether and how the policymakers budget for policing. Will retiring officers be replaced with new hires, for instance?
People – ANY people – have a TRUE voice with 911 and their vote. Use it.
Commenting on this blog does NOT count. You MUST report crime to SPD when you see it. You MUST give power to your voice – not here – but where it REALLY counts.
Hey Repeat,
If calls can truly be made anonymously, then why when I called the next day to follow up about gunfire I reported on my street, did the officer on the line tell me several others called and started rattling off first and last names of all the neighbors who called? That is insane to me! I was so freaked out that they just volunteered the information like that. It does not make me feel protected or secure in reporting crime. It makes me feel extremely vulnerable.
Ya, so I’m not saying take dozens of cops out of their patrol cars and deploy them into Delridge to walk the beat–I’m suggesting having a couple of boots on the ground in that specific area because there’s so much trouble. Instead of being absolutely reactive in policing, running from 911 call to 911 call, maybe having a couple of people actually walking in the worst few blocks of one part of West Seattle could be a good investment. But whatever–I’m sure it’s much more effective to simply ignore the problem strategically and blame people for not calling 911 whenever they sense there might be trouble. . .
@ Repeat– what you say is true. But… I live in a neighborhood with much “activity” and I make it a point to call as often as I can.. If anything, I would at least like to get the property designated as a nuisance.. There has been times when the operator has asked me if I am being personally threatened.. When I say no, I have been told not to use 911. That I should make a report online– which I have done.
There have been a few times that patrols have been ramped up- especially after gunshot reports – but it typically just consists of police driving down Holden and looking down the alley.. If they’re not afraid to conduct their business right in front of a fire station– I dont think a police car driving by is going to deter any of the behavior.
I have the utmost respect for the police in our city– and I really dont have the answers.. I just know that a phone call to 911 isnt the majic solution– its just not that easy.
You complain about funding the police department, demand the justice department to come in (which costed millions), then you sit and wonder why there is a lack of police presence. tisk tisk tisk.
arguing with each other in blog comments doesn’t do a lot of good for anyone who is actually going to this meeting
Sorry, comment time is over.
| 15 COMMENTS