Video: Mayor, police ‘hot spot’ briefing on Alki

3:08 PM: We’re at Alki, just east of the Bathhouse, with Mayor McGinn, Capt. Steve Paulsen, Lt. Pierre Davis, and Lt. Ron Smith, as the mayor and captain lead the last of five briefings around the city on summertime policing “hot spots.” … The mayor says, “The big story here is that this precinct is the lowest crime rate of any precinct in the city .. the majority of crimes are property crimes … burglary is down 21 percent over 2011 …” and auto theft/prowling is down too, as are other types of major crimes, he says. Capt. Paulsen starts his remarks by saying that West Seattle is successful because of “relationships with the community. … It’s all about relationships and partnerships.” He notes that the summer months are big on Alki and that’s why police are there. We asked if anyone was ever arrested in connection with the Whale Tail Park gunfire incident; the captain says the Gang Unit continues to investigate, but no arrests so far. He reiterates that West Seattle/South Park have had a double-digit decrease in property crimes, “and we’ve been enjoying significant declines over other parts of the city …” He attributes that to the partnership, with eagle-eyed neighbors reporting what they see … also, “we are putting the right people in the right places at the right time.”

3:16 PM UPDATE: The briefing is over after just seven minutes. No revelations. One person from regional media is asking the mayor about the Department of Justice situation, off to the side. He had mentioned at the beginning that he had toured the precinct earlier with Capt. Paulsen, as well as touring High Point. We have the brief briefing all on video and will add it here when back at HQ.

5:49 PM: And there’s the video in its entirety, unedited.

7 Replies to "Video: Mayor, police 'hot spot' briefing on Alki"

  • Noelle July 25, 2012 (8:31 pm)

    If crime is down, why call Alki a “Hot Spot” and give credit to the feeling of unease that many West Seattleites have been talking about? West Seattle and Alki in particular have had a few crimes over the last several years that really grab attention. Over all this is a great place to live, but no place is perfect. I feel Safe walking around and happy to go for an evening stroll, but I don’t want that to change.

    • WSB July 25, 2012 (9:01 pm)

      Noelle, I probably failed to put this in enough context … should have included the original announcement of the mayor’s plan to tour all five precincts and talk about “hot spots.” The fact that the “news conference” here lasted all of eight minutes is testament to the fact that compared to some other parts of the city, we don’t have much to talk about. Property crime, yes, and that’s why we have something of a focus on it here – it’s the kind of crime more likely to hit a person than violence or direct person-to-person robbery – but the fact that the worst thing I could bring up to ask about was the “shots fired, nobody hurt” incident (though a close call for the resident of that house across the street, who said hi to us at the Summer Fest info booth – scary story!) is pretty telling.

  • Noelle July 26, 2012 (10:37 am)

    Thank you for more context. I miss understood the point of the “Hot Spot” news.

  • Panda July 26, 2012 (10:53 am)

    His podium looks like a riot shield… coincidence? hmmmmmm

  • Chris July 26, 2012 (2:23 pm)

    “but the fact that the worst thing I could bring up to ask about was the “shots fired, nobody hurt” incident”

    you didn’t ask about the murder?

  • West Seattle since 1979 July 26, 2012 (6:05 pm)

    Dick, the Sounders attendance isn’t comparable to what the arena would draw. The Sounders average 39,000 a game. The arena would only hold 19,000.
    Traffic before an M’s game is a better comparison. They average about 22,000.

    I’m on the 22 bus now which went down 4th Ave. by the stadiums, and traffic flowed very well even though there is an M’s game tonight. I went through there about 5:40 or so.

  • West Seattle since 1979 July 26, 2012 (7:09 pm)

    Sorry that I put the comment about the arena on the wrong story.

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