(WSB photos by Dave Gershgorn)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Standing in front of a packed community room at the Southwest Precinct tonight, Shon Barnes revealed that it was his first community meeting since becoming Seattle Police Chief a month and a half ago.

He also revealed a working title for the style of crimefighting and crime prevention he intends his department to practice:”Seattle-Centric Policing.”

It’s a cup-half-full sort of style – he closed by saying that he doesn’t think about SPD being hundreds of officers short, but rather “1,000 officers strong.” Here’s our video of his entire speech:

Barnes began by introducing himself as a former public-school teacher (US history and world civilization for high-school students). “I felt like that was my calling.”

His path into law enforcement began when he lost a star student to gun violence – not as a victim, but as a perpetrator. In trying to debrief what had happened, Barnes said, a school resource officer suggested he should go into police work. Inspired by the community-policing emphasis in Greensboro, North Carolina, he moved there and worked there for 20 years, then to Chicago to work in “civil oversight,” and then he was recruited for the job in Madison, Wisconsin, where he had been working for four years when recruited to come here, getting a call from a longtime friend, former SPD Chief Kathleen O’Toole.

In considering Seattle, Barnes said, he looked at “do they believe in community, are they resilient, what kind of support would I get from the mayor and council?” He was impressed with the answers, and even though he was “one year from retiring,” he took the leap. “This is where I want to end my career.”

He laid out priorities, while insisting “these are not the chief’s priorities, they are the department’s priorities”: Crime prevention, community engagement, retention/recruitment topped the list. (He said he’s always recruiting, everywhere he goes. And he noted that the first officer he swore in here was a transfer from Madison.) He said he’s insistent on continuous improvement, “every single day getting better and better.”

His “Seattle-Centric” concept seems to be deeply local-focused – he gave an example of fighting the Kia/Hyundai thefts in Madison by setting up a “crime-pattern tracker,” triggering a different kind of response if four cars were stolen in 10 days within a half-mile area. Understanding how crime “operates” helps police “understand significant incidents a little better.”

Precinct captains are going to be “very very important in Seattle-Centric Policing,” he said, with a nod to Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Krista Bair (photo above; she spoke earlier in the meeting, and we’ll have that information later in this report).

Then he took questions. We recorded that separately:

First question, from Alki Community Council president Charlotte Starck (photo below)\, was about dealing with juvenile offenders.

Barnes said “we have to be mindful” of the fact that sometimes incarceration can do more harm than good. Second question, staffing: Barnes said it was improving, with 20 new officers in the academy now and 15 in the next class. He also said he’d like to make “some changes” in the recruiting process but he has to “consult with the union contract” first. Academy capacity is no longer a problem, though, Barnes said, noting he’s been told “SPD is a priority” at the academy. Next question was about traffic enforcement, particularly speeding; Capt. Bair spoke extensively about street concerns and the fact there is some traffic enforcement going on between dispatches.

Rebuilding trust with police was at the heart of a comment made by an attendee from South Park, where people remain wary about any relationship between SPD and ICE; Barnes declared that there is none, and mentioned his recently posted statement to that effect. Building trust “is like building a sandcastle 1 grain at a time,” he said.

On the flip side, another attendee wanted to know about showing appreciation. “Can we bring cookies?” Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Satterwhite said any “donations” can be made through her. The wide-ranging questions and comments continued, fron where officers live – one who lives in Delridge said the SW Precinct has more officers “who live where they work” than others – to gratitude for the data SPD puts on line.

Speaking of data, earlier in the meeting, Capt. Bair recounted precinct-wide crime stats as part of her opening remarks to and about the newly relaunched group:

*Crimes against people (assault, for example) are down, 75 so far this year compared to one year earlier
*Homicides are down 100 percent, since West Seattle/South Park have had none so far, compared to one by this time in 2-24
*Robberies down, 26 year to date compared to 31
*Aggravated assaults, 41 compared to 58
*Property crimes such as arson have doubled – 2 compared to 1
*Burglaries are down, 117 compared to 189
*Motor-vehicle thefts are down, 132 compared to 21
*Confirmed gunfire (the subject of weekly SPD commander meetings, she noted) is down, 19 this year, 25 last year
*One category that’s up – theft “and all larceny,” 431 vs. 411, though Bair said, “we are doing really good stuff at Westwood Village, working with the loss-prevention group.”

Also from the meeting:

PRECINCT ADVISORY COUNCIL’S NEW STRUCTURE: Ella McRae, community builder in High Point, is the new community co-chair. Members, as introduced during the meeting, are mostly leaders or members of established community groups in West Seattle and South Park (which have dwihdled in number in recent years, as some disbanded without new leadership to carry the torch, though a few have found it and gained new energy and momentum). They hope the group will be able to meet quarterly.

EVENTS COMING UP: Westwood Village Resource Fair 11 am-3 pm Saturday in the ex-Bed Bath Beyond, with more than 40 service providers participating; Coffee with a Cop at High Point QED Coffee 10-noon Monday; Drug Take-Back Day at the precinct, 10 am-2 pm Saturday, April 26.