Extra Seattle Police ’emphasis patrols’ to include 2 areas of West Seattle

(October 25th WSB photo)

Four weeks after Mayor Jenny Durkan‘s most-recent walking tour in West Seattle, she’s announced that two local areas are part of “extra holiday patrols” planned by Seattle Police. From a news release just sent by the mayor’s office:

To help enhance public safety for Seattle residents and visitors during the holiday season, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and Chief of Police Carmen Best announced today that the Seattle Police Department (SPD) will begin extra holiday patrols in nine areas across Seattle on November 30 and continue them through December. SPD will also deploy specific operational plans and patrols on both November 29 (Black Friday) and December 31 (New Year’s Eve) …

… Neighborhoods that see high volume of holiday shoppers and holiday events with emphasis patrols will include:
Ballard
Downtown retail core between 3rd and 6th Avenues between Olive and Union
Capitol Hill
Fremont
Columbia City
University Village
University District
Westwood Village/Roxhill Park
West Seattle Junction/California Ave SW

Residents and visitors in areas with extra holiday patrols can expect to see an increased presence by SPD officers both on foot and on bikes.

Earlier this year, Mayor Durkan and Chief Best announced pre-summer and summer emphasis programs to improve public safety and address maintenance needs in neighborhoods across Seattle.

Emphasis patrols are a recognized practice in police departments across the country and an evidence-based strategy to fight crime. They are also a decades-long strategy in Seattle.

In 2019, the emphasis patrols, combined with the work of City departments to address maintenance needs, showed positive results. Officers in emphasis zones made contact with hundreds of individuals, offering services, referrals to Law Enforcement Assisted-Diversion (LEAD), warnings, and citations. Residents have reported increased visibility by SPD officers.

Holiday emphasis patrols will not reduce regular SPD and City of Seattle operations, including police patrols and criminal investigations throughout Seattle; regular operations and criminal investigations will continue. SPD will continue to evaluate the impact to understand continued and future deployments in those and other areas.

As part of her 2020 Proposed Budget currently being considered by City Council, Mayor Durkan proposed including $847,000 to continue those community-based emphasis patrols at 2019 levels in 2020.

As of November 20, 2019, Citywide crime is down six percent compared to the same time in 2018.

These won’t be the first such patrols in those areas of West Seattle – precinct leadership has mentioned them multiple times before in local community meetings.

Eric1 November 21, 2019 (4:04 pm)

I like the careful wording. Note there is no indication that they will actually remove more criminals from the street. Just more patrols… and perhaps more arrests. Kind of like increasing the opportunities for a catch and release fishery. You still go home empty handed even if you catch more fish. On the bright side, the fish/perp will still be there for the next fisherman/officer to catch.

PDiddy November 21, 2019 (4:32 pm)

We dont need extra patrols. We need to lockup the prolific repeat offenders and throw away the keys.

Mj November 21, 2019 (4:36 pm)

Yes but the City Prosecutor needs to get a lot tougher on repeat offenders. Catch and release is not effective!

mk November 21, 2019 (4:56 pm)

I’m happy to hear about California Ave/Junction however there are so many violations and low level crimes I don’t see how they will be able to make a dent in the status quo. In other words, if they focus on traffic violations at Alaska and California, they will have their hands full, and no resources to focus on anything else. Lol.

Mj November 21, 2019 (5:27 pm)

Ever one pays the price for shoplifting via higher prices! I would like to see the perps made accountable, extended time in jail for repeat offenders is needed.

Beth November 21, 2019 (6:50 pm)

Community policing works. Being visible and engaging works. Emphasis patrol is just a temporary, oftentimes PR move. Give our officers more respect and let them be a part of the solution not some mayoral feel good.

Norman November 21, 2019 (6:55 pm)

Thankyfully someone listened, California Ave can be pretty sketchy at night on the weekends, that isn’t even mentioning the side streets. Happy to see our boys & girls in blue out keeping the riff raff down

Richard Maloney November 22, 2019 (8:25 am)

Agree we need to catch and keep the criminal element at the Graybar Motel. Problem is, who wants to pay for it? Police, court rooms, defense lawyers, prosecutors, jails, prisons, parole system….they all cost an incredible amount.

Judges really don’t like the revolving door, but they are faced with utterly insoluble problems.

I think we are overlooking our islands as a place to drop the recidivists. Let the miscreants work out new lives on, say, Blake Island.

Rick November 22, 2019 (10:19 am)

Why ruin Blake Island? How about trimming fat,waste,graft,nepotism,etc.,etc. from city,county and state agencies,homeless industrial industry, etc.etc.etc. and use those monies responsibly and accountably? Yeah, I know. I’m just being delusional again.
- Tsurly November 22, 2019 (12:18 pm)
  
  How about we fund it by cutting off the welfare teat to all the red counties the state?
Gene November 22, 2019 (11:39 am)

Thanks for the laugh- you are joking-right????

Bmc November 22, 2019 (9:07 am)

I noticed a library security officer at the ws branch yesterday.

Lincolnparklove November 22, 2019 (10:39 am)

There are alot of things that can be done to reduce losses. Some times you need to lock an item up. You need to set up your store in such a way that areas are visable to cameras . You need to maintain cameras. Set people at doors during busy times. Place registers so that items are rung up and the person is out the door. Teach your clerks to make sure they ring up all items, new clerks ,distracted clerks make errors. Set up and maintain trespass orders. Work with other businesses when you are getting hit upon. The police have loss prevention programs . There are loss prevention programs and software now days. There are also people that donate to charitable institutions. No one should have to steal shoes for their child or food we are an area of billions.