Lights out? Stuff dumped? 2 new options for city’s ‘Find It, Fix It’ problem-reporting app

Quick update about the city’s Find It, Fix It app, which you can use to report various problems via your smartphone. From the announcement:

… Smartphone users now can use the app to report illegal dumping and streetlight outages, in addition to abandoned vehicles, graffiti, potholes and parking enforcement issues, which have been features of the app since it launched in August 2013. …

Since its launch last summer, Find It, Fix It has been downloaded to 6,350 mobile devices and users have submitted 6,393 requests through this new channel (graffiti, 2,551; other, 1,744; pothole, 1,012; abandoned vehicles, 558; and parking enforcement, 528).

Don’t have it? You can download it by going here.

ScubaFrog April 9, 2014 (11:47 pm)

This is great, I’m going to download this app right now. Some jerks sprayed graffiti (gang stuff?) on Bonaire Drive about a week ago.

Chris April 10, 2014 (5:44 am)

Not to be Mr. Skeptical, but I have a small amount of faith regarding Seattle’s ability to “fix” things quickly.

In Arbor Heights, a light standard was hit on a residential street about 1.5 years ago. Seattle City Light JUST fixed it about a month ago.

Not exactly good service. And, this level of responsiveness and efficiency is not uncommon.

Mike April 10, 2014 (5:58 am)

I’ve used this, took a pic of a dumped mattress in our alley and gave them coordinates to get it. Took 4 days for it to be removed. My assumption was the city didn’t see or care about my report and a neighbor took it away to the dump.

Anne April 10, 2014 (6:40 am)

Just downloaded App & reported the pothole at intersection of 42nd & Alaska.

Brian April 10, 2014 (6:43 am)

@Mike: About four days is the time frame I’ve experienced in getting results from Find It Fix It so I wouldn’t be so sure that it wasn’t the city who fulfilled your request.
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Using the app, I reported an abandoned car near Lincoln Park (four flat tires, expired tabs) that had been sitting there for weeks. Within a week it was removed. I also reported a bicycle that was locked to a rack in front of the Morgan Junction Zeek’s Pizza for weeks with all of its parts stripped and it was taken care of within a few days.
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I’ve been fairly pleased with the results from using this application. It makes reporting problems in the city so much easier than it was before.

2 things April 10, 2014 (6:59 am)

First, I have submitted pothole info through the online form and found the city to be very responsive. I was genuinely impressed.

Second, the app seems like a waste of money. If they’ve only had 6000 requests in the span of 9 months, perhaps it would be a lot more cost efficient to direct people to the existing we form. Creating and maintaining an app is costly.

ScottA April 10, 2014 (7:28 am)

I’ve used the app and the web form. The app is pretty darn good with easy photos and automatic location options.

@Chris and others who are surprised it takes months or years for the city to fix things. Realize that corrective actions are almost entirely complaint based. SPU, City Light, SDOT all react to complaints. I’ve notified departments of dozens of fixes needed in the few blocks near where I live in the past couple of years and for the most part departments are responsive – sometimes very quickly. I’ve learned in recent days that City Light is finally getting a bit more focus on old poles that should have been removed years ago (they’re right next to newer light poles). City Light traditionally doesn’t care about the poles once their wires are off of them and leaves it to Comcast, CenturyLink and other pole tenants to remove them which has been a very ineffective approach. The double poles are eyesores and in some cases safety hazards.

Anne April 10, 2014 (8:01 am)

I think the App could be very useful-maybe even more than the online form-the ability to take an immediate photo of a situation is something I really like-& think more may use a smart phone App than waiting to get to a computer & filling in a form–just quicker.
While I didn’t have a photo of the pothole I reported this morning-I received an immediate response & “case” number.

ScubaFrog April 10, 2014 (9:47 am)

I downloaded the app and reported the graffiti on Bonaire – the receipt (email + case number like Anne stated) said it should be fixed within ’10 business days for public land’. Cool app, I hope that it proves efficient. Thanks for the info WSB.

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