West Seattle Crime Prevention Council to talk transit next week

Just in from West Seattle Crime Prevention Council president Richard Miller – next week’s monthly WSCPC meeting will focus on transit – safety, in particular:

Our November meeting will focus on how the recent Metro Transit route changes and the creation of a Transit Center in the Westwood neighborhood have impacted West Seattle. Our guests will include Dale Cummings, Senior Transit Planner (Metro); Mike Bergman, Service Planning Manager (Sound Transit); and Christine Alar, Transit Planning and Policy (SDOT).

The meeting is at 7 pm Tuesday, November 20th, in the meeting room at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster), everyone welcome, with your chance to not only ask questions of the guests but also to bring up community concerns to the Seattle Police leadership in attendance.

13 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Prevention Council to talk transit next week"

  • Marcus M November 15, 2012 (10:07 am)

    Someone should ask about the new permanent encampment of homeless at the Junction bus shelter

  • Harry Reems November 15, 2012 (3:07 pm)

    One way to help cut down on crime on the buses is to enforce the “pay as you enter” rule. A few weeks back I was on a bus heading downtown with my family when a young man got on the bus with a young woman and a toddler. After begging the driver to let them ride for free, they sat down and the young man (probably between 20 and 30) began talking to the young woman, dropping the F bomb multiple times, despite the presence of my children, other children seated nearby, and the toddler they brought on board. When I asked him to stop swearing in front of so many children, he and the young woman with him became very defensive and argumentative. The bus driver suggested that me and my family should “take a different bus” but I refused, seeing as we had actually paid our fare and the person who was violating Metro’s rules had not.

  • Franklin November 15, 2012 (5:25 pm)

    Marcus, can you elaborate on where and what exactly the problem is (behavior, location, time of day, etc.)? If there is an issue impacting riders, we would like to be able to help.

    Deputy Franklin
    Metro Transit Police

  • michael November 15, 2012 (6:31 pm)

    deputy franklin
    this is what we are all told by metro drivers and we are the ones who pay to ride with cash or a bus pass. metro tells or the drivers tell or act as if metro doesn’t want to cause any problems for these people. i’ve had the drunk homeless guy get on the bus with his baby buggy and run it into mytself and everyone else and the driver let this person force people to move so he had a place to park his baby buggy with open beer cars in the open that the driver could see yet the driver didn’t say or do anything about this homeless drunk person yet the rest of us are treated like crap by metro. this is normal metro treatment of riders that pay.

  • Marcus M November 15, 2012 (7:27 pm)

    Franklin,

    This would be the California & Alaska Junction bus shelter on the South? side (the one closest to the porta-potty.)
    There are almost always at least one or 2 vagrants who are not there to catch a bus around the time I head to work (before 8am). They usually have their beers open and tunes blasting on portable radios. I just passed another couple on my way home tonight at 7pm.

    They don’t really bother me but the radio is annoying in the morning.

  • Franklin November 15, 2012 (8:24 pm)

    Marcus,
    Thanks for the information. There are several enforceable violations there, including the open alcohol container, the loud music, and using the shelter for other than its intended purpose (i.e., hanging out while not actually waiting for a bus). I work in the evenings and will make a point of swinging through the area. I will also pass this information along to the day shift sergeants and see if some their deputies can address the issue.

    Michael,
    I understand your frustration. My best advice is to call 911 in an emergency situation. If the situation is more like the ones you describe (more of a nuisance or quality of life issue than an emergency), I would suggest first notifying the bus operator. If the operator is not willing or able to address it, you can always call the Sheriff’s Office non-emergency number 206-296-3311. If Sheriff’s deputies are not near enough to respond, the call will be referred to the local jurisdiction.

    Hope this helps.

    Deputy Franklin

  • Marcus M November 16, 2012 (8:12 am)

    Thank you for listening!

  • Bus rider November 16, 2012 (10:16 am)

    I know this is minor but in addition to the blaring radio there is smoking in or within 25 ft of the shelter. I would hope someone at metro could address this at the California junction. At what point are we going to give up on existing laws?

    • WSB November 16, 2012 (10:25 am)

      PLEASE bring your concerns to this meeting. WSCPC pretty much never runs more than an hour and a half. Small amount of time to commit for the chance to hear directly from -and pose questions directly to – police, transit officials in this case too, etc. – TR

  • Anthony November 16, 2012 (10:33 pm)

    I understand everybody’s frustration but it is raining, im sure they are just trying to stay dry. I was homeless once and its nice to listen to a radio and relax somewhere, it brings your spirit up and you forget that your homeless for a little. I know the junction isn’t a good place to do it at with all the people and kids around but there is alot worse things happening in our town than homeless people drinking and listening to the radio at a bus stop, I mean your only at a bus stop for a few minutes it cant be that bad.

  • Franklin November 17, 2012 (2:09 am)

    Anthony,

    Speaking as a deputy, I would say that whether or not you agree with the laws, the behaviors described here are violations and will be enforced by deputies when observed. Metro and the King County Sheriff’s Office (with whom Metro contracts for police services) are committed to making the bus a safe and viable option for commuters, hence laws such as these. You don’t agree with those laws and that’s fine; I’m not trying to sway you.

    Speaking now as a citizen, and not a deputy, I would think anybody who envisions a Seattle with fewer cars on the road and more people on mass transit would whole-heartedly approve of the enforcement of these laws. People won’t ride the bus if they don’t feel safe and comfortable.

    Since I posted here not to debate (and I’m not saying anyone was trying to) but rather to reassure some folks that Metro and the King County Sheriff’s Office *are* listening, I won’t address this issue any further. If there are other questions or concerns, however, I wouldd be happy to respond to those.

    Thanks,
    Deputy Franklin

  • Vern November 17, 2012 (2:39 am)

    Franklin-Almost every morning on my way to work around 7:30 am I see the same homeless/transient guy(s) sitting, hanging out, drinking beer, listening to his clock radio that he plugs into an outlet, littering, and just making a disgusting mess all around him. He sits on the far left side. He is sometimes there during the evening as well. I’ve never seen him get on a bus ever. I haven’t seen him there if it cold outside. There are more and more transients in West Seattle and at the Junction bus stop. I’m tired and pissed off that they are making our city look like sh-t!!! The big concrete flower pot to the right side of the bus cover area is always full of beer cans and bottles of wine. I don’t have a problem with transients. I have a problem with them drinking and being drunk in public. Especially with children present. I have a problem with the littering and making my neighborhood look like crap. I sometimes will pick up the garbage although I’m not the person littering. I witnessed a transient man walk up to a few woman (one at a time)who were waiting for the bus and asked them for money. When they said no he stood there very close to them and stared at them. Again he kept asking for money and then the woman would moved away from him. More than just a few feet. He was very aggressive and a bit intimidating and especially for smaller and older woman. There was 10-12 people there. Mostly women. The bus pulled up and the bus driver noticed the guy harrassing the women and called Metro Security. Kudos to the bus driver! So yes. There are incidents that happen beyond public drunkeness.

  • Vern November 17, 2012 (2:42 am)

    FYI. I’m a woman.

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