WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Officers assaulted; stolen Crown Victoria

| Crime | West Seattle news

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports:

OFFICERS ASSAULTED: A 24-year-old man is in the King County Jail for investigation of assault, malicious harassment, and burglary after an early morning incident in Fauntleroy. The SPD preliminary summary says this happened just after 1 am:

Officers responded to the 9300 block of Fauntleroy Way SW after a 911 caller reported a man trying to break down their door, and then attempting to break into another property at the same location. When contacted by police, the suspect assaulted officers as they took him into custody. Three officers sustained minor injuries and were treated by Seattle Fire at the scene.

STOLEN CROWN VICTORIA: Shannon‘s father’s car was stolen near White Center overnight:

Police case number: 23-144960

License plate number: CCX3694

Car color, model, and year: 2009 white Crown Victoria Police Interceptor

Car Identifiers: 2 spotlights and a wraparound push bar in the front of the car

Rhonda May 26, 2023 (8:37 pm)

This is why pay should be increased for all SPD officers.

Seattlite May 26, 2023 (8:51 pm)

Yes. A pay increase and added police officers.
- Scubafrog May 26, 2023 (8:57 pm)
  
  Agreed to both
CAM May 27, 2023 (12:11 am)

There is no world in which you will ever determine a reasonable cap or floor to the amount of money somebody (in any job) should be paid for the risk of being injured on the job. I’m also not going to argue that anyone getting paid under the median income in Seattle and living in Seattle should not be getting paid more. But experience would tell us that paying someone more to attract them to take the job does not make them stay in the job if they aren’t happy, nor does it always attract the right kind of candidates for the job. Maybe instead we talk about ways to make being a police officer safer again. For example reducing the number of firearms in private ownership in this country, reducing the responsibilities of police officers so they aren’t stretched so thin, increasing the availability of substance use and mental health resources in our communities (because the “it doesn’t work” claims are only valid if there’s enough resources to actually go around to everyone who wants them at all times), etc.
Felix Grounds May 27, 2023 (2:26 am)

I think construction workers should be payed more than cops, statistically, construction work is far more dangerous than police work.Police work isn’t even in the top 10 of most dangerous jobs.
- ltfd May 28, 2023 (3:20 pm)
  
  You are making the sophomoric mistake of conflating “dangerous” and “deadly”.
  - Neighbor May 29, 2023 (8:53 am)
    
    And you made the freshman mistake of speaking without knowing what you are talking about. Here are the BLS numbers: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf
- A local. June 3, 2023 (10:24 pm)
  
  Step up Felix!
K May 27, 2023 (11:49 am)

Retail and food service workers are regularly assaulted verbally and physically by customers. Can we raise their pay to the 100k that cops make?
- Rhonda May 27, 2023 (10:35 pm)
  
  How many retail and service workers have been murdered on the job in 2022? (even though they outnumber police officers several hundred times)
  - Neighbor May 29, 2023 (8:59 am)
    
    Well at least two out of the three victims here were service workers. And no cops were hurt because they weren’t there.

Late Night Nacho Fries May 26, 2023 (9:24 pm)

I think I saw the car coming out of a driveway onto Des Moines Memorial Drive (between 116th and the 7-11 on 118th) around 12:30a early Friday morning. It stuck with me because at first I thought it was a cop car coming out to pull me over.

CE May 26, 2023 (9:43 pm)

Couldn’t agree more. Police officers need to be paid more and we need more of them.

Mr J May 26, 2023 (10:05 pm)

The boot-licking that happens in the comments is disturbing. More police and more money for them doesn’t make us safer. I understand that’s a pill few seem to want to swallow. We’re investing in health and human services or diversion programs, but sure more bonuses to police because they got scratched up.

Al King May 27, 2023 (12:18 pm)

Mr J. I find YOUR comments disturbing. Clearly, you’ve got NO interest, or ideas in making anyone safer.
- Mr J May 27, 2023 (2:22 pm)
  
  Uh. Did you read what I wrote or did you just stop when you clutched your pearls? Investing in the infrastructure to take care of people and divert people from path to crime is a solution. But we’d rather give cops more money than teachers and pretend we’re safer.a cop isn’t protecting you against a drive by shooting. But if you invest in the youth and bring people out of poverty and those situations you can prevent that sort of violence. Not everyone in the community feels safe with police.
  - alki_2008 May 28, 2023 (6:48 pm)
    
    Diversion programs aren’t going to help people that have already outgrown the system and are well on their way to living a life of criminal activity. It will take a generation for today’s diversion programs to have a noticeable effect on crime statistics. Until then, we need laws enforced.

Mel May 27, 2023 (6:17 am)

In a city where you’ve got many people who sit behind a desk (myself included) making over $200k/year, I agree officers should be paid more. The liability (and danger) they face daily is not something most of us would sign up for. Most other jobs with a similar liability are making significantly more.

heartless May 27, 2023 (8:12 am)

While I agree cops should be paid more, I don’t think it should be due to the danger they face. There are 20 or so common jobs that are more dangerous–and nearly all of them pay less.

https://www.ishn.com/articles/112748-top-25-most-dangerous-jobs-in-the-united-states
D-Ridge May 27, 2023 (9:14 am)

Do you think that construction workers, garbage men, agriculture workers, taxi drivers, fishermen make more than police officers then? Because those jobs are all far, far more dangerous and no one talks about giving them a raise.
Felix Grounds May 27, 2023 (9:27 am)

In the United States, average police salary is around $62,000.Construction worker average salary is around $37,000Statistically, construction work is FAR more dangerous than police work.Stop coddling the police and give construction workers the raise.
askingforafriend May 27, 2023 (9:44 am)

what are you doing to advocate for this, Mel? besides posting in the comment section of a blog?

Alki resident May 27, 2023 (10:49 am)

I don’t understand this argument that because there are other dangerous jobs, cops shouldn’t be paid more. All the jobs listed do not deal with the possibility of getting shot and killed on a regular basis, or violence. Furthermore, the construction and other workers are private sector jobs. The police are paid by the taxpayers and the government. The arguments are classic “what aboutism” trying to negate one because of something else unrelated to the initial comment. Fox News is great at those, especially when Trump was in office. The police absolutely deserve a raise. Full stop.

Neighbor May 29, 2023 (9:02 am)

Cops are already paid more than other more dangers jobs. There, now you understand.

KR May 27, 2023 (11:28 am)

Such narrow views comparing police officers to other occupations. Take your pick of other ‘dangerous’ jobs and compare their daily emotional environment.
Does a garbage worker (and God bless them for doing their job) …do they face each shift wondering if they will be going home to their loved ones? Or will they have a job at the end of the day trying to navigate the political correctness of the day? Do they face the inequities of society daily with little or no resources to help?
Are they cursed at, spit on being out there trying to help?
Are their hands tied trying to do their jobs only to be limited by pursuit and other policies? What about the frustration of arresting someone only to have that person back on the street before the end of their shift.
I could go on. There’s so much more involved in an occupation than fatality statistics. Such narrow views
ps. Thank you again sanitation workers for what you do.

CAM May 28, 2023 (2:44 pm)

Sounds like you need to talk to some people that work in emergency medicine, behavioral health, crisis care, public health, etc. Most of those jobs are performed by people making less than police. They go to people’s homes daily for welfare checks and to provide care and put their safety in jeopardy to take care of the loved ones of other people.
- KR May 28, 2023 (5:48 pm)
  
  Exactly!
- alki_2008 May 28, 2023 (6:52 pm)
  
  Are you saying that working with the mentally ill is dangerous? Because aren’t you always commenting that people with mental illness are not any more dangerous than the general public.
  - WS Res May 29, 2023 (9:22 am)
    
    Your average person with mental illness (which remember includes depression, eating disorders, etc.) is not more likely to commit a crime than a non-mentally-ill person; in fact they’re more likely to be a victim of crime than to commit one. However, people experiencing psychosis are more likely to commit a variety of crimes, some of which are crimes of survival because they’re also more likely to be unhoused or have trouble meeting basic needs. Working in residential or hospital settings with people with major mental illness is a work situation involving people who are sometimes unpredictable or violent, and you’re expected to manage the situation while causing minimal or no harm to the ill person, and certainly without having a firearm. I was injured in the course of working with a violently angry mentally ill young person, whom I was not allowed to beat or shoot or handcuff or kneel on (while doing a job that required a Master’s Degree by the way), and I was certainly not being paid even 30% of what the police in my community were being paid at the time.
Neighbor May 29, 2023 (9:04 am)

Statistically a garbage truck driver is less likely to go home to their loved ones than a cop. So yeah, I’m sure they think about that while they operate heavy machinery in close proximity to public roads.

Byron James May 27, 2023 (9:02 pm)

Crab fishing is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.Lizzo makes $1.2 million per year in a non-dangerous industry.Obviously, crab fishing should pay more than what Lizzo makes. 😀

Admiral May 27, 2023 (10:04 pm)

Per the SPD a starting cop makes $96k a year not including benefits, a cop with 10+ years of experience makes $160k. With OT many cops make significantly more.

Concerned neighbor May 28, 2023 (11:28 am)

Does anyone have additional information on the Fauntleroy incident? Case number is 2023-144407. I tried to search through King County records but haven’t found anything.

WSB May 28, 2023 (10:50 pm)

The suspect is still in jail, bail set at $25,000. I will be asking for court documents on Tuesday – early-stage court documents are not available online, only actual charges, so this info is inaccessible until media liaisons at the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office are back in post-holiday.

Sorry, comment time is over.