That’s Andy Worline, just elected to chair the Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council in West Seattle’s northeasternmost neighborhood, taking the reins from Pete Spalding, who took over on an interim basis after Matt Swenson resigned six months ago. Andy’s election (by acclamation of all 20-plus attendees in the Cooper School cafeteria) came midway through a meeting that began with some reassurance from Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen, invited by Pete because of a recent car-crime spree that rattled the neighborhood. Read on to hear what he had to say, along with details of the upcoming Pigeon Point Spring Clean event, and more:

“Pigeon Point is usually a pretty quiet neighborhood,” as Spalding put it, but then came one night a few weeks back when, by his count, criminals hit 16 cars. Add to that the trouble at a Pigeon Point house where police wound up shooting a dog (that later died), and, again in his words, “… we felt like we’re being invaded up here.”

Enter Lt. Paulsen into the discussion. As far as police know, he said, things have calmed way down in the Pigeon Point area since then – only two car prowls reported so far this month, and one home burglary … at least, that’s all that’s been reported, and he stressed, it’s vital that people report crime when it happens, so, at the very least, police staffing can be distributed appropriately, and so that crime stats reflect reality.

Speaking of reality vs. perception, Lt. Paulsen again refuted the oft-voiced public belief that the economy is to blame for crimes like car break-ins and home burglaries; he says it’s mostly teens and drug users, looking to get something easy and fast, and they’re going for all the items you always hear about – GPS’s, purses, wallets, laptops, radar detectors. “We’re calling car prowls ‘the new burglary’,” he said. “Make your car as unappealing to prowlers as possible – take off the (GPS) suction cups, etc.”

And he reiterated something you’ve heard here, time and time again: If you see something or someone suspicious, call 911. You can even make your report to 911 anonymously. They have caught more than a few criminals thanks to watchful, fast-acting citizens, Lt. Paulsen said. “Our success (in catching suspects) doesn’t just come from police – it comes from citizens taking care of their neighborhood.”

Also recapped, the incident in which a dog died after being shot by police. Officers were at the house because of what turned out to be a mistaken report that the residence should have been vacant; it was messy, but people who were living there were indeed paying rent to somebody. The pit-bull dog that charged police was just trying to protect its owner, Lt. Paulsen explained, but officers wouldn’t even have been there if they hadn’t been lied to. He says no criminal charges are expected to result from the case, though civil action might result.

The group also talked about the recent “problem properties” tour of Delridge (WSB coverage here and here); Spalding recapped the long list of city officials who attended, and the fact that Councilmember Tim Burgess had promised a forthcoming proposal as part of his Safer Streets Initiative.

Also discussed at the Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council meeting:

COOPER SCHOOL TRANSITION: Spalding reported meeting recently with the principal of Pathfinder K-8, which will be moving into the Cooper building as the result of the school-closure process recently concluded. He was told the school would still be available for neighborhood meetings, as it historically has been, and that the principal would attend a future Pigeon Point Council meeting to introduce himself to neighbors. A Pathfinder parent (and Pigeon Point resident) in attendance said there’s talk of creating a “Walking School Bus” for PP families with Pathfinder students, maybe even one that could be joined by other families at a given dropoff or rendezvous point, to lessen the possibility of traffic congestion in the neighborhood before and after school.

SPRING CLEAN: On May 2, it’s the community-wide cleanup in Pigeon Point; all help welcome. And it was pointed out, it’s one week before West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (registration continues through April 25; do it online, or print out a form, at westseattlegaragesale.com).

EARTH DAY EVENT AT COOPER ELEMENTARY: Hundreds of volunteers are expected in the West Duwamish Greenbelt south and east of Cooper School this Saturday, 10 am-2 pm, and their work party will be followed by an Earth Day Festival at the school 2-5 pm (all part of the Duwamish Alive! Earth Day slate).

Find out more about the Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council at pigeonpoint.org.