He’s been with the Seattle Police Department more than 30 years – and now, he’s about to leave. “I’ve been around for a while,” Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Benjamin Kinlow acknowledged, understated as always, while confirming to WSB that he’s decided to retire. His is a civilian position, not investigating crimes, but rather working with the community to help their crime-prevention effort – setting up Block Watches, registering Night Out parties, briefing community groups, offering crime-prevention advice. We talked with him this afternoon by phone; he says, “I can hardly imagine life without working” – but he expects to stay busy, with two grandchildren, volunteering activities, and potentially some “private-sector” interests. He also has words of thanks for WSB’ers who’ve taken an intense interest in crime prevention and information-sharing (including our ongoing Crime Watch reports). While the department cut some coordinator positions this year, and made changes last year that added a second precinct to Kinlow’s responsibilities, he stresses it was his own decision to retire. His last day will be March 15; we are checking with precinct leadership to find out how prevention will be handled after his departure.
West Seattle, Washington
14 Wednesday
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