Story and photos by Karen Berge
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

After concerns surfaced following the Camp Long incident last week that preceded an hours-long SWAT standoff at a Delridge home, members of the park’s Advisory Council extended an open public invitation to its next meeting. (The meetings are public anyway, but not usually so high-profile.)

That meeting was held this past Thursday night.

The council had set aside the first half hour of the 2-hour meeting to focus on the top-of-mind incident involving what was reported as a large group of teens partying on Thursday night, July 14, with some reported to be intoxicated. They structured it for a 10-minute debrief, 10 minutes of public comments, and 10 minutes to present/discuss the council’s recommendations. About 20 people were there, including three Seattle Police Department representatives – Southwest Precinct operations Lt. Pierre Davis and Community Police Team (CPT) Officers Jonathan Kiehn and Ken Mazzuca — as well as members of the Advisory Council and Camp Long staff, plus other representatives from the Parks Department and Olympic Security (which provides security for the park), as well as a few people who live in the immediate neighborhood, and a woman who was chaperoning children on a park campout that night.

“We want you to know that we are taking this very seriously,” began Cheryl Fraser, area manager from Parks. She expressed how sorry they are that this incident happened and assured the group that they plan to take steps to follow up. She noted, “One good thing about an incident like this is that it helps keep eyes and ears on park lands.”

Officer Kiehn addressed concerns that had been raised and described the sequence of events that took place that night. He clarified, “We know much more now than the officers knew at the time.” All police knew at the time, he said, was that “a couple of 9-1-1 calls had come in, talking about a party and a lot of noise”; he said those calls did not indicate weapons were involved. He acknowledged that the first officer on the scene initially (who usually handles DUI’s) was delayed, as he did not have the access key to the large iron gate at the entrance.

Responding officers soon were told that a male suspect had threatened his ex-girlfriend with a gun in the park, but they say they were told by witnesses that this suspect had left the park. They obtained his name, “ran him, got a good address, went to the house, knocked on the door, there were expletives, and the door was shut.” Officers then contained the house (what unfolded from there has been reported in prior coverage). SPD’s level of expectation of problems at Camp Long kept going further down, they told Thursday night’s meeting, as they believed that the suspect was inside that Delridge house (though it turned out that he wasn’t in the house when the standoff ended – he instead had turned himself in at the precinct).

Officer Kiehn noted that the goal of the officers who responded to the party melee inside the Camp Long park was to “flush the kids from the property.” This took approximately two hours – police explained that as teens were expelled from the park, others arrived, as word of the party had spread via cell-phone calls and text messages from those inside the park.

The woman whose group was staying in 2 of the Camp Long cabins located nearest to Cabin 8, where the big party had begun, was the main speaker during the public-comments segment. She and several others were camping there with a group of 14 children, ranging in age from 4-7. She described at length how the incident – believed to have begun as a birthday party for an 18-year old girl – had ballooned from approximately 30 participants at 10 PM to more than 75 by 11 PM.

As the night progressed, she said, she and the other adults in her group became concerned as they witnessed someone break out the windows in one of the restrooms, noticed open use of drugs and alcohol by minors, saw “injured kids bleeding,” and watched as the party got more out-of-hand. They phoned police around 11:30. She emphasized that “we would have taken our kids and just left” if they had known that something else was going on and that a weapon was reportedly involved.

Officer Kiehn explained that the responding officers “truly believed that he (the suspect with the gun) was contained in the house”. Lieutenant Davis later reiterated that if there had been information that indicated the presence of a weapon in the park, the response would have been “totally different” and the cabin renters would have been escorted to safety by SPD. He added that the officers “did what they were supposed to do per protocol.”

A short discussion of how to prevent future similar incidents followed. Recommendations included:

· Have the security company check all the cabins. Olympic Security currently does a drive-through to check for rowdy behavior, but they do not check each cabin closely or look for unauthorized occupants.

· Have SPD officers learn the location of all the cabins in the park. Officer Kiehn noted that this might be “beyond reasonable” for every officer to do. Suggestions followed for adding “wayfinder” signs within the park, so that the cabins can be more quickly and easily located. As well, a map showing the cabins and trails could be attached to the entrance gate or stored in a lockbox nearby to help emergency responders.

· Implement a stronger screening process and more accountability for any damage caused by those who rent the cabins. Sheila Brown, education program supervisor at Camp Long, noted that in this case the person who rented Cabin 8 for the birthday party was a middle-aged adult who would not have been excluded by more stringent screening. Follow-up suggestions included requiring those renting a cabin to pick up the keys personally, and taking additional steps to clarify the responsibilities that are outlined in the contract. Chas Redmond, secretary of the Camp Long Advisory Council, noted that he’d “like to see the parents of those that rented it (Cabin 8) involved.”

· Make sure that all cabin renters know the emergency procedures and that contact information for the Parks Duty Officer is more visible. The procedures are included in the rental contract but have not been emphasized.

· Add an emergency light by the gate that could be activated if a similar incident happened. Add lighting along the pathways that could be utilized during an emergency.

· Add onsite staffing or maintain a police presence when the cabins have been rented. Advisory Council member Mat McBride noted that although overnight staffing might not be feasible because of budget, perhaps the hours could mirror what the community centers do by adding staff on weekends. Sheila Brown pointed out that there have been other parties held in the park without incident. Since 2004, there have only been 4 or 5 incidents of concern in the park, none within the last 3 years. Officer Kiehn noted that the number of incidents in Camp Long don’t indicate a need for a full-time officer there.

This portion of the meeting wrapped up with a question of whether those who had been camping during the incident would have the comfort level to rent the Camp Long cabins again. Although one person said she would feel uncomfortable doing so, another commented on the beauty of this park and said that, especially with some changes in place, staying overnight again would not be a safety concern.

The 2nd portion of the Camp Long Advisory Council meeting was about a sponsorship proposal that was floated to the group by Bill Keller, Associated Recreation Council (ARC). Over the past 6 months, he has talked with a “green construction” contractor who is interested in winterizing and refurbishing the cabins, and installing Wi-Fi and A/V equipment in the lodge. This could facilitate year-round use and potentially more usage by small businesses and for corporate retreats. Keller noted that some type of signage or other recognition for the sponsor would be involved, but that it would be tasteful; the goal would be to make sponsorship effective for the donor but not be over-the-top or overbearing for users of the Camp Long park. He noted that potential income from these additional sources could offset some of the damage done by the “Death-by-1000-Cuts-Budget” and provide a more sustainable revenue stream for the park.

Resulting discussion from the Advisory Council members was characterized by persuasive comments of varying viewpoints. Concerns were raised about the potential downside of sponsorship, including the permanence and the scope of the of the arrangement.

Timeframe was questioned; the answer from Keller, “before year’s end,” startled at least one council member, and the response that “pacing any changes within the park and making the community comfortable with changes” is important.

Key points were a desire to maintain the integrity and rustic feel of the park, keep it as a place to learn survival skills rather than a comfortable corporate retreat versus the importance of taking necessary steps to ensure that Camp Long be kept open. Several cited the Environmental Learning Center at Carkeek Park in north Seattle as an example; it has been closed because it was not financially viable.

Bill Keller urged the group to “take a straw poll” as the meeting drew to a close. There was pushback from most; a few weighed in with preliminary opinions but most asked for more details regarding the proposal.

David Kipnis, President of the Camp Long Advisory Council, made a few brief announcements at the meeting. He announced the need for additional Advisory Council members; if you are interested, get in touch. Upcoming events on the Camp Long calendar include the Arts In Nature Festival on August 20th – 21st. The grand opening for the Challenge course will be on September 24, from 2 to 4 PM for facilitator walk-through, with 4 to 7 PM for the dedication and ceremony.

The Camp Long Advisory Council meets monthly on third Thursdays at the Camp Long lodge, 5200 35th Ave SW, from 7 to 9 PM.