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1. Tom
   Member Profile

   This is a follow up to the posts from last week. For those of you who didn't see those, several forum members discussed the possibility of building a centralized network among block watch captains to better help crime preventions efforts throughout West Seattle. Our individual block watches have worked well, but, unfortunately, the various block watches are not necessarily well connected. On my own block, we can't even tell you who the captain is two blocks over, which is unfortunate since crime typically is not isolated to one or two blocks.

   Anyway, I have spoken with Benjamin Kinlow. He is very supportive of our efforts and indicated a willingness to help us connect with captains throughout the area. However, it is pretty clear that it would be best to put together a plan/foundation and then take it to him and others to build on. Otherwise, I worry that this might not get off the ground.

   It might not be a bad idea to get a handful of individuals together and try to meet sometime soon to put our heads together on how to best organize this and use the resources available to us.

   As discussed it the previous post, it would be great to coordinate with the WSB as well. Perhaps, WSB might be willing to create a page on the blog for us...I'm not sure.

   But the end goal is to improve communication, get more people involved and build a community network that can improve community life for everyone.

   Thoughts?

   Posted 2 years ago #         

2. homedk
   Member Profile

   Thanks for the follow-up, Tom! I'd be happy to be involved in the planning meeting. You can reach me at hansenviewblockwatch at comcast dot net.

   Posted 2 years ago #         

3. westseattledood
   Member Profile

   

   Thanks Tom -

   And that's the spirit homedk!
   So, if any other folks out there are interested or curious, keep an eye out here for now.

   Tom and homedk, I am going to check back in in a day or two; and then we can try to figure when and where, eh? I'm thinking keep talking here in the forum.....people DO read some of this stuff apparently.

   (oh yes you do to you shy WS lurkers. we know you are out there!)

   ;)

   Posted 2 years ago #         

4. Tom
   Member Profile

   Sounds good. In the meantime, I've been reaching out to my various friends throughout West Seattle to request info about their block watch captains. I encourage everyone to do the same. Hopefully, we can get a good group going to start it. We'll also obviously get Benjamin Kinslow at the meeting. I wonder if we should try to get the SW Community Policing Captain there.

   It may also be worthwhile to talk to the folks at the West Seattle Blog once we meet about what the needs of the West Seattle community seem to be as far as information, tips, etc and see if we can offer any ideas to them about how to make the site even better than it is.

   Posted 2 years ago #         

5. WSB
   Member Profile

   

   Also please note the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council, which is pretty much all about this sort of thing, meets next Tuesday, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct. Why the meeting isn't stuffed with block watch captains every month, I have no idea. If anyone's reason is that they went to it once way back when and it didn't work the way they wanted to - show up now and give it a whirl. Different leadership. They just announced the agenda, BTW:

   >>>>WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL

   Community Safety Meeting, Tuesday, February 16, 2010

   @ Southwest Police Precinct, 2300 SW Webster, 7 – 8:30pm

   Our speaker in February will be Karen White from the Department of Planning and Development. Her area is Code Compliance and includes working with neighborhoods to rid the area of nuisance properties, especially abandoned houses and business buildings. If you would like to submit questions in advance of the meeting please do so in an e-mail to westseattlecpc@gmail.com. Please write Attn: Richard in the subject space.

   Come address the safety issues that matter most to you. Discuss crime & nuisance hot spots with neighbors and police officers working in your neighborhood.

   THE MEETING IS OPEN TO EVERYONE. For more information contact WSCPC at
   WestSeattleCPC@gmail.com

   Posted 2 years ago #         

6. westseattledood
   Member Profile

   

   Hey all -

   Happy Valentine's Day!

   So, anybody out there interested or simply curious about this? Would any of those same folks have some time to meet very casually tomorrow? Short notice, but since the WS Crime Prevention Council is meeting Tuesday, as TR pointed out, it might be productive to attend that meeting even if we don't have a fully flushed game plan organized.

   I have a few ideas myself that I would be willing to share. On e thing that has changed since these more recent WSB discussions in the past few weeks is that WSCPC has created a new website in blog format. This is a very STRONG statement of a willingness to extend portals of citizen engagement. And, from my POV, this also creates a really accessible potential platform for exchange of ideas on how to develop the BW Captains Network and the Council's role in that, if the Council were to set BW revitalization as a Council goal under the new leadership.

   Anyway, I will make time to be available tomorrow - early AM around 10 or late PM around 4.

   If they are open tomorrow at these hours, (I have not checked) I am thinking Uptown Espresso on Delridge might be a fairly central location to meet. Big space with good seating.

   So if anyone actually reads this before then and can show up, SAY SO!

   Posted 2 years ago #         

7. homedk
   Member Profile

   Just seeing this posting at almost midnight Sunday night... I could meet around 4 PM tomorrow, but 10 AM won't work.

   Posted 2 years ago #         

8. westseattledood
   Member Profile

   

   4:00 PM
   Monday, Feb. 15 (today!)
   Delridge Uptown Espresso.
   3845 Delridge Ave SW
   (Delridge and Andover)

   See you then homedk; And any and all others who have the inclination.

   If folks out there reading know who their Block Watch captain is, it would be awesome if you would forward the link for this
   thread to them as a heads up.

   If you don't yet have a Block Watch and are interested in getting information about how to form one, feel free to attend.

   Looking forward to meeting more of my West Seattle neighbors. See you later today.

   Posted 2 years ago #         

9. Tom
   Member Profile

   I plan on attended the Council meeting tomorrow. Unfortunately, my company does not consider today an official holiday, so I cannot make the meeting at the coffee shop today.

   Posted 2 years ago #         

10. Irukandji
    Member Profile

    

    I'd love to join in, but I'm home with a sick kid. Keep me posted.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

11. WSB
    Member Profile

    

    Somebody more officially involved will certainly post later today, but in the short run, for any night owls: It was announced at Tuesday night's West Seattle Crime Prevention Council that a Facebook group is now set up to further advance the Block Watch Captains' Network organizational efforts. Here's the link (I'm finishing a blurb that will be on the home page here shortly too)
    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=337488370959

    Posted 2 years ago #         

12. westseattledood
    Member Profile

    

    I just checked the Facebook site and, in less than 12 hours, 25 Block Watch Captains have signed in.

    This citizen effort has the support (and gratitude) of the SPD's Southwest Precinct, the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council, and the city of Seattle Crime Prevention Coordinator for the SW Precinct, Benjamin Kinslow.

    Cheers and thank you for the collaborative spirit of these great groups and all the Block Watch Captains!

    Help to spread the word, if you have a minute. Forward the
    posts on the Home page or this forum thread or the following
    link to your neighborhood BW Captain:

    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=337488370959

    And thank you WSB! As a community of communities, we are all beholden to you!

    Posted 2 years ago #         

13. Tom
    Member Profile

    This is great! Thanks for setting it up. Quick question. Can someone offer a brief explanation on how the group pages work on facebook as opposed to the typical page? My trivial facebook posts do not show up on the group page or on group member's pages, do they?

    Also, how does this technically facilitate communication? This is not a criticism at all; just my ignorance of facebook. Does the group have a newsfeed that anyone can post to?

    Finally, the WSB description of this on the main page described this as not being a new place to report crime. I think I understand what is meant by that, but I would argue that one of the reasons for the network is to help pass information from block to block (i.e. watch out for the suspicous blue honda that has been idling on various blocks in this or that area).

    Posted 2 years ago #         

14. westseattledood
    Member Profile

    

    Tom

    re: Technical stuff about Facebook - I defer to homedk as she has the knowledge and has set the site up. God bless her!

    Keep in mind that this is but the very initial phase of this effort. It is a starting place and whether Facebook will be the ultimate longterm platform will be determined over time. We
    need to allow time for people to find out it exists, to sign in
    and say "present and Block Xxxx of Neighborhood X
    accounted for", if you will. There is going to be a learning
    curve for understanding of how it is uniquely interactive and
    familiarization with the Facebook platform. Once that starts to
    happen, issues of the specific parameters of engagement
    on the site will happen.

    No, this Facebook site is NOT the place to "report" crimes.
    That is first and foremost the place of SPD. Always, right? It
    was in the strictest sense of "crime reports" which WSB was
    alluding to, I believe. Once that has been done, then folks
    can "communicate" that "reported crime" to their Block Watch
    Captain and/or WSB Crime Watch and/or the WSCPC. I
    would suggest folks take advantage of all three places. It will
    be easy to forward these communications because if how
    interactive they are. But Captain folks will have to open a
    Facebook account for this site to participate and organize
    themselves on how to share information.
    I guess I am understanding your example was a concern
    about "suspiciousbehavior". That in my mind is very different from "reported crimes" because a crime has not yet
    happenned.
    I am uncertain whether I have addressed what you have said
    Tom, but it really isn't my place to unilaterally assume the
    goals and parameters of this group and the new Facebook
    site. At this juncture, I believe the discussion should be
    begun on the WS BW Captains' Network site.
    Thanks so much for your initiating the discussion and for reading.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

15. westseattledood
    Member Profile

    

    geesh. Pardon the goofy marginations on that last post. I'm on my phone. Urgh.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

16. homedk
    Member Profile

    Tom, I agree that Facebook has its drawbacks, but thought that it might be a good venue for getting networking started since so many people are using it these days. I like that it’s more interactive & easier to maintain than a website, but more personal than a blog. By more personal than a blog, I mean that most people on Facebook are using their real names & photos; my thinking is that this may help build community & avoid some of the problems that come from anonymity. I'm hoping/trying to strike a balance between having an open forum that people will join, but yet not making it too easy for "trolls" or others who want to derail productive discussion or exploit it for their own gain.

    As far as your personal/trivial postings showing up on the group page, you can adjust that with the privacy settings on your Facebook account. You can either set each option (Wall Posts, Photos, Videos, etc.) to the “Only Friends” setting, as opposed to "Friends of Friends" or "Everyone". Or, you could also do it by customizing your settings specific to this Blockwatch Captains' group & any other group you have joined - to exclude us, but leave your Friends & others able to see your content.

    FYI, I'm by no means an expert on Facebook, so after changing your settings you should test them to make sure that you know what is visible & are okay with that. To test it, you can look at the list of group members & click on "See All" to expand the list. Then scroll down & you'll be able to see if your "trivial" comments are showing up or not. If you look at a large group list, you'll always see lots of people who haven't adjusted these settings...

    Regarding your last point, as Westseattledood says, we can discuss how we'd like to see this evolve. I will say that I hesitate to see us go in the direction of posting details about suspicous people, cars, etc. As a block captain, I've received emails from people that were intended to be helpful; yet they were sometimes based on racial or economic biases, or fear, not because the person was a threat... I don't want to delve too deeply into this now, (at 1:30 in the morning...

    Hope this is helpful & hope to see you on the new Facebook group!

    Posted 2 years ago #         

17. JensM
    Member Profile

    In case there is another way to communicate, our block watch and others will be left out.
    No Facebook.

    Can't it just be a weblog? Why does it have to be Facebook?

    Posted 2 years ago #         

18. westseattledood
    Member Profile

    

    JensM -

    Are you a BW Captain or a member of a BW group? Sounds like you have a Block Watch group you are a part of. Ask your Captain to join the Facebook site because it will ensure that more people are NOT left out.

    Facebook is darn easy to open an account on. If BW Captain folks can get on line for a "weblog", then they will be able to use Facebook, I am certain.

    This group is for ALL Southwest Precinct BW Captains. They will take the ideas and information they need to best serve their groups. AND, all the captains will begin forming a large network so that, ultimately, NOBODY is without a Block Watch and no one is left out of anything. That's a big goal, but an achievable one, I think.

    We sure don't want anyone to be left out! And, we are working to keep that from happening. But we need help! If you are a BW Captain, please join the Facebook website.

    WSB attended the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting tonight and might write a little something about it on the front page. So keep an eye out for that.

    WSB also is an important source of information for all West Seattle folks who are not BW captains. The Crime Watch section of WSB is VERY important. Also, the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council has a website for more information at wscpc.org.

    Thanks for caring about your neighbors. Good to know folks like you are out there!

    Posted 2 years ago #         

19. homedk
    Member Profile

    Hi JensM! Adding to what WestSeattleDood just said, I’m sorry to hear that you won’t consider participating in our group if it is on Facebook.

    It would be helpful to understand why you feel that way, especially if it is something that we haven’t considered. For many of the reasons I cited in my posting above (#16), Facebook seems to suit our purposes & has some good things in its favor. One of the better things (I think) is that people for the most part are not participating anonymously. That helps promote community & I think that’s especially important when the topic is Blockwatch, safety & other issues relating to community.

    I love ‘blog format for certain things & I’m not opposed to setting up or using a ‘blog if Facebook turns out not to work for our purposes. Several years ago, I set up a ‘blog for my own Blockwatch area, so I know from experience some of the downside & limitations. One of the biggies is that ‘blog software is generally set up so that only the person who set it up can post things & readers can only comment on the postings. Logistically, that means that if I’m busy with something else, the ‘blog languishes; if something time-critical happens while I’m busy, then I can end up being a bottleneck. It means that readers are able to react & respond to things I post, but have to email content for new topics to me for posting.

    If you aren’t able to join or participate on Facebook, you might consider attending the next WS Crime Prevention Council meeting. Several of us on this thread, attended the WS CPC meeting this evening (Tuesday, 3/16) & I was happy to see A LOT of Blockwatch Captains there. Quite a few of us stayed to talk to each other after the meeting. It’s a good way to network with each other in person. We’re talking about having a Blockwatch Captain meeting as well; when we set that up, we’ll certainly announce it here on WSB – so stay tuned.

    FYI, our Facebook group has now grown to over 60 members. Hope you’ll reconsider joining us there!

    Posted 2 years ago #         

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