Safety 1625 results

Jim Clark Marina: Uplifting operation puts new piling in place

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| Safety | West Seattle news

Thanks to Craig Young for sharing the photos and report from the marina that’s just south of West Seattle’s bridges:

(Friday) morning at the Jim Clark Marina, a new 24 inch diameter by 80 foot long steel piling replaced 3 wood pilings that rotted and broke last spring. This piling helps hold the boat houses in place.

Manson Construction Co. set the piling and vibrated it in place. After it was in place, Ted Planta, president of the Duwamish Waterway Association, inspected it and gave it a thumbs up.

The association operates Jim Clark Marina, which is privately owned and has almost 100 slips where the west and east Duwamish Waterways converge into one river (here’s a map).

SPEAKING OF THE DUWAMISH RIVER: As first reported here a week ago, the state of the river – plus its past and future – is the subject of this month’s Sustainable West Seattle Community Forum. It’s happening at Camp Long Lodge tomorrow night, 7 pm, and the list of prominent participants has grown since our first report – get the latest at the SWS website.

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Got an old car seat? WestSide Baby will take it today!

October 16, 2010 7:02 am

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| How to help | Safety | West Seattle news | White Center

That’s Katie Salinas from Waste Management, photographed a week ago when we got full details about the car-seat collection events in which WM is partnering with WestSide Baby. Today is the big collection event for West Seattle/White Center and vicinity; between 10 am and 2 pm, take your no-longer-need car seat/booster seat to 10027 14th SW in White Center (that’s a block from WS Baby’s current location – here’s a map). If it’s in good-enough shape to reuse, that’ll happen; if not, it’ll be recycled. More details on the WS Baby website – which says the collection event in Ballard last weekend netted 50 reusable seats and almost 200 recyclable ones. Can West Seattle/White Center top that? Just hours to go.

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Westwood neighbors spruce up their new traffic circle

October 14, 2010 12:34 am

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| Safety | West Seattle news | Westwood

At 31st and Henderson (map), neighbors who fought for a traffic circle finally got it … and now they’re putting on the final touches. The circle was obtained in hopes of making their street, on a busy route between the Southwest Library and Westwood Village, a little bit safer. And now, they’re making the circle itself a little lovelier. Teresa Christianson shared photos, explaining that after the circle construction was complete in mid-summer, neighbors decided it wouldn’t be a good idea to put in plants and risk having them wilted by August heat. That “heat” never arrived, but time passed, and this week, in the autumn sunshine, they had a planting party:

Top photo is Tess Severns; immediately above, that’s Darci Severns and Lilah Christianson; and in the next photo, Pablo Lambinicio:

Other neighbors helped out too. So, how DO you get a traffic circle? you ask. Answers can be found on this city webpage.

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West Seattle Weather Watch: Be careful out there

October 9, 2010 12:45 am

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| Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Via Twitter, @derekjlunde just shared that photo from what appeared to be a spinout toward the east end of the West Seattle Bridge. And that’s not the only mishap working at this hour – the 911 log also notes a fairly sizable callout right now for a crash on northbound 99 by Safeco Field (update: 2 people were hurt in that one-car crash, according to the scanner, including a 17-year-old girl). Since the forecast calls for off-and-on rain most of the weekend, it’s a good reminder about one thing – after a period without rain, the first major rainfall tends to lead to slicker roads as everything that’s been soaking in starts to float out. (One traffic alert this weekend – tonight and tomorrow night, overnight, Alaskan Way will be constricted south of the ferry dock as crews work to shore up the Washington Street Landing area where the West Seattle Water Taxi‘s Rachel Marie crashed two weeks ago.)

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Followup: WestSide Baby gets ready for car-seat-collection drive

October 8, 2010 6:53 am

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| How to help | Safety | West Seattle news

You might not be able to tell the problem from a quick look at that photo, but those are two of the old car seats that WestSide Baby CAN’T give to new owners – because of moldy components like straps. However, we learned during a Thursday followup on WS Baby’s car-seat-collection drive announcement (published here Wednesday night), non-reusable car seats are not destined for the landfill – a different kind of recycling is in store, according to Katie Salinas from Waste Management, which is partnering with WestSide Baby for two upcoming collection events:

Katie, by the way, is a West Seattleite. She and WS Baby’s Nancy Woodland met with media on Thursday to answer questions about the upcoming collection drive, which has two dates in two locations, covering much of the metro area: You can bring your old car seat to WestSide Baby HQ in White Center (10027 14th SW – map) at 10 am-2 pm on October 16th, and tell your North Seattle friends to drop theirs off at the CoolMom booth at the Sustainable Ballard Festival by Ballard Viking Bank (2237 NW 57th – map) this Sunday, 10 am-4 pm. Bottom line, as explained in the WestSide Baby newsletter:

Any car seat will be accepted at these events. We’ll figure out if they can be reused or must be recycled. To be reused, car seats must be less than 6 years old, never been in a car accident and never been washed with harsh chemicals.

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Got a car seat to recycle for reuse? WestSide Baby wants it!

October 6, 2010 8:00 pm

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| How to help | Safety | West Seattle news

(Car seats turned in for recycling during 2009 event, photo courtesy WestSide Baby)
WestSide Baby is getting the word out tonight about its car-seat-collection drive, about to be kicked off with the help of Waste Management – with two events, one on the north side of the city and one at WS Baby’s White Center headquarters. That car-seat-collection event is set for 10 am-2 pm on Saturday, October 16th (10027 14th SW – map); or if you just can’t wait to get the car seat off your hands, 10 am-4 pm at the Ballard branch of Viking Bank (2237 NW 57th – map). IMPORTANT: Check out the criteria for whether your car seat qualifies to be recycled for reuse – details here.

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Update: Bicycle-car collision south of The Junction

October 1, 2010 1:28 pm

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| Safety | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy Mary from Service Dog Academy, substituted at 2:12 pm for our previous photo)
After a relatively brief closure, California has just reopened south of The Junction after a car hit a bicyclist by Rite-Aid. The bicycle rider was taken to the hospital. Police were talking with the man driving the car (which isn’t shown in our photos); no details at this point about circumstances of the crash, nor the bicyclist’s condition – they were transported by medic unit, which tends to indicate the injuries were not minor.

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Captain meets captains as West Seattle Blockwatch leaders gather

September 28, 2010 11:47 pm

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| Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

The Southwest Precinct‘s new – yet not-so-new – commander made a guest appearance at tonight’s meeting of the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network. Nine months after leaving his prior West Seattle post as the precinct’s 2nd-in-command, newly promoted Captain Steve Paulsen is returning to take over for Captain Joe Kessler, who’s moving to the sprawling West Precinct (headquartered downtown but including turf far to the north and south). Tonight, Capt. Paulsen – pictured above with WSBWCN’s Deborah Greer – told the Block Watch group, “I’m your biggest cheerleader for this thing – please let me know what we can do.” Several said they would like to know sooner when crime happens on their block – they appreciate the flyers that Crime Prevention Coordinator Benjamin Kinlow has been distributing after burglaries, but those come days if not weeks later. Capt. Paulsen mentioned the city’s new crime maps (which you can explore here and here), describing them as a work in progress. Ahead – the Block Watch angle on last week’s deadly crimes, and on the newly proposed city budget:Read More

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Explorer West Middle School goes all-out for earthquake drill

September 28, 2010 9:06 pm

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| Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

If you drove or walked past Explorer West Middle School this morning and saw those tents – you might have wondered if it was a round of outdoor on-campus camping. Nope. Explorer West had an earthquake drill that went beyond the usual “duck and cover” – with students playing roles including “injured” quake victims:

Other students handled first-aid role-playing. And then, they had some real-life emergency personnel on hand:

Since Explorer West – an independent middle school (grades 6-8) is just over the city-limits line, the firefighters were from the North Highline Fire Department:

Explorer West history teacher Ben Wheeler organized the drill, and told us they learn something new every time they do it. (While we’re talking emergency preparedness, don’t forget the awesome online resources at West Seattle Be Prepared – and stand by for news of a quake drill coming up soon!)

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WSB Extra: See how Seattle Police train for dangerous situations

September 26, 2010 10:12 pm

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| Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

(Asst. Chief Jim Pugel and Sgt. Sean Whitcomb, at the scene of last Thursday’s murder-suicide)

Story and photos by Christopher Boffoli
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

When Seattle Police officers responded to the location of this past week’s deadly shootings, they arrived to what Assistant Chief Jim Pugel (above, left) would subsequently describe as “an uncertain and chaotic scene.” There had been multiple 911 calls with word of shots fired, potential gunshot victims who needed medical attention, and a shooter possibly on the loose, close to busy intersections filled with people.

Though the circumstances of the event were far more severe and quite different than what most officers experience on a routine patrol, what was similar was the method by which they all applied their training and experience, with ambiguous information, in a rapidly developing scenario with the lives of citizens and emergency personnel at stake.

(Officers Chris Meyers and Dallas Murry demonstrate the X-26 TASER)

Just a day before the quadruple murder-suicide in West Seattle, the Seattle Police Department invited media, including WSB, to a training facility in Tukwila for a primer in how officers are trained to deal with equivocal, potentially dangerous situations. Though the outreach was clearly designed to engage the media in the wake of the downtown shooting of Native American woodcarver John T. Williams, as well as a handful of recent, racially charged interactions, the behind-the-scenes look at current training methods is relevant to Thursday’s West Seattle shootings as well as the recent Thomas Qualls shooting in the Alki area.

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Update: 2 ‘National Take Back’ collection sites in West Seattle

September 23, 2010 9:39 am

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| Health | Safety | West Seattle news

In case you missed the mention in WSB coverage of this week’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting – this Saturday, local police are helping with the coast-to-coast National Take Back Initiative event, inviting people to clean out their medicine cabinets to reduce the risk that old/unused prescriptions will be abused or otherwise misused/inappropriately disposed of. Sandra points out that there are two collection points listed for West Seattle between 10 am and 2 pm on Saturday – not just the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster) but also the High Point Walgreens parking lot (6330 35th SW). There’s more information on SPD Blotter.

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Help prevent youth violence: City grants up for grabs

September 20, 2010 11:29 am

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| Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

Just got word from Southwest Youth and Family Services that they are hosting a workshop this Wednesday night for anyone interested in applying for a grant of up to $20,000 for a community project that could be part of the Youth Violence Prevention Initiative. Our part of the city is among three Seattle areas where the initiative is focused, and SWYFS is the lead agency in this area; details on the grants, the application process, and Wednesday’s workshop are here.

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Truck-vs.-tree takes out a bit of Easy Street Records’ famous neon

September 10, 2010 9:54 am

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| Safety | West Seattle news

ORIGINAL 9:54 AM REPORT: City crews are in The Junction right now, cleaning up a mess that started when a delivery truck took at least one big branch off a tree by Easy Street Records and West Seattle Optix – the branch, in turn, took out part of Easy Street’s famous neon sign (the north part; we’ll add another photo in a bit). No injuries reported – Easy Street staff tells us it was during breakfast early this morning, when they suddenly heard the loud crashing sound of the branch hitting the awning. There was some concern the branch loss may lead to the whole tree having to be taken down; city staff on the scene tells WSB that decision has to be made by someone else who will come out to evaluate it.

11:59 AM UPDATE: Added our photo of the neon – not too much was lost, as you can see. We also went back to check on the tree – no crews in sight and cars are being allowed to park by it, so we have to conclude that so far it’s not considered to be a safety hazard. Will keep checking.

2:56 PM NOTE: Via Twitter, Easy Street proprietor Matt Vaughan says the timing was unfortunate – it was just yesterday, he messaged, that Western Neon fixed the damage from last time a truck caused trouble with the sign.

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Update: SDOT fixes ‘hacked’ West Seattle traffic sign

September 5, 2010 1:35 pm

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| Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

ORIGINAL 1:35 PM REPORT: First it was posted in the WSB Forums – then a neighbor/passer-by e-mailed a photo – but we weren’t going to believe it till we saw it for ourselves. Which we have since done. Yes, we know these signs have been hacked/vandalized/tampered with elsewhere in the country, but this is the first one we’ve heard of – at least in recent years – in West Seattle. Bart Simpson‘s trademark phrase is now displayed on the illuminated signboard just west of 18th SW on eastbound Dawson – BIG safety hazard because this is the warning sign that is inbetween a couple of tricky curves in the detour zone for the 16th SW road-rebuilding work north of South Seattle Community College. As we noted in the Forum, 206-386-1218 is the 24-hour city dispatch center for road problems; we didn’t see a crew when we were there, but will check back later. We’ll also be checking with SDOT to see why the sign wasn’t hackproofed.

6:09 PM UPDATE: We had sent a request for comment to the SDOT communications team, just in case they were monitoring e-mail; though we haven’t heard directly from any of them, we did just receive this e-mail from SDOT’s Susan Byers:

I am the SDOT (project manager) for the paving project on 16th Avenue SW. The message has been changed back to the original message.

7:29 PM UPDATE: Confirmed – here are our photos of the three-part message it’s back to displaying:

And we’ve also heard back from Rick Sheridan, who leads SDOT’s communications team:

The signs’ controllers can be secured but those locks can be cut or broken. We have taken measures to prevent further access.

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35th/Alaska fire, police response: Possible “mercury spill”

September 3, 2010 2:25 pm

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| Safety | West Seattle news

Just went over to 35th/Alaska (West Seattle Rotary Viewpoint Park area) to check on reports of a heavy fire/police presence. We also heard fire dispatches on the scanner, but unlike most Fire Department-involved 911 calls, this one is not on the “live” 911 log. At the scene, they told us they’re checking out a reported “mercury spill” – no further details on its extent or source, so far. 3:22 PM UPDATE: Went back to check – the scene is cleared. We have messages out seeking information on what it turned out to be – not sure if we’ll hear back; so far this afternoon, the holiday weekend seems to have kicked in already for many of the people (unrelated stories too, private and public sectors both) we’ve tried to call.

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Drive-by dumping? West Seattle street gets trashed

August 25, 2010 1:06 am

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| Delridge | Safety | West Seattle news

That photo’s just out of the WSB inbox from JB, along with this report:

Someone just dumped a truckload of demolition and yard debris partially in the alley and also across SW Trenton near Delridge Way (map). I cleared the road enough to make it passable and then snapped some pictures. … The event occurred around 11:15 pm. I reported this to Seattle police. Looks like the truck that dumped the debris was headed south. Have there been any reports or incidents like this elsewhere in the area? Any help in identifying the culprits is appreciated.

ADDED 8:58 AM: JB had sent a second photo – so we’re adding it:

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Followup: What sparked the chase, crash that closed Roxbury

August 16, 2010 12:22 pm

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| Crime | Safety | West Seattle news | White Center

New information today about the chase and crash (WSB coverage here) that first caused quite the spectacle through Highland Park (and points southward), then closed SW Roxbury at 8th SW for more than four hours Sunday afternoon/evening. We spoke with King County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jim Laing, who shared details from the preliminary report: It started when deputies tried to pull over a vehicle at 156th and 1st S, and instead of stopping, it took off. = apparently, Sgt. Laing says, because the driver not only had a $10,000 warrant out for his arrest (related to a protection order), but also because he was under the influence of drugs (both of which, according to the report, he confessed when finally arrested). After a pursuit that led all the way into Highland Park and then back south, a deputy tried the so-called “PIT Maneuver“ to stop the car – and it worked. Along the way, though, according to Sgt. Laing, three patrol cars had front-end damage, and three citizens’ cars were hit, with minor damage – the early version of the report didn’t say where that happened (though one of them has added a comment following our original story). The only person hurt was the suspect, taken to Harborview Medical Center with minor injuries. Sgt. Laing adds a postscript: There was a second person in the car but as all this was unfolding, that person wanted out – so they hit the driver repeatedly, till he slowed down so the passenger could get out of the car.

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2 West Seattle projects to get Neighborhood Street Fund money

August 4, 2010 9:10 pm

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| Neighborhoods | Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

North Delridge and Morgan Junction leaders have just learned that their neighborhoods are winners in the latest round of decisions about who should get a share of city Neighborhood Street Fund Large Projects money. These proposals went through a lot of review, including the local district councils. The decisions just announced will allot $112,000 for crossing improvements – such as striping and signage – at three California SW intersections – at SW Frontenac and SW Othello, as well as, north of Morgan Junction, SW Findlay (see the full proposal here). And $501,000 will be allotted for curbs and rain gardens 25th SW between Brandon and Juneau (see the full proposal here). These are two of 11 projects citywide (here’s the list) that were chosen for NSF money this time around; the mayor and City Council have to sign off on it for next year’s budget, and provided that happens, SDOT says design will likely start this December.

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As-it-happened coverage: 2010 Night Out around West Seattle

August 3, 2010 6:07 pm

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| Neighborhoods | Safety | West Seattle news

(This report features photos posted as we “toured” – report #2 coming up with more!)

6:07 PM: Let the block parties begin! We’re hitting the road for Night Out 2010 around West Seattle, stopping by some of the parties that folks were kind enough to let us know about. For starters – the setup above is for at the party closest to WSB HQ in Upper Fauntleroy. If we don’t get to yours or you didn’t answer the request for invites, we’re also thrilled to have a photo of what you’re up to – here are all the ways to send it in.

6:27 PM: We’re heading from Fairmount to Hansen’s View, neighborhoods on either side of Providence Mount St. Vincent. Above, a quick shot of the group gathering in Fairmount Community Association leader Sharonn Meeks‘ backyard. Next, we’re stopping at the HQ of the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network‘s founders.

6:38 PM: At left in the photo above, with name tags etc., is the always-organized Karen Berge from the WSBCN – co-blockwatch captain for Hansen’s View, south of The Mount. Next, we head into Gatewood.

(next photo added later)

6:53 PM: Actually that one turned out to be more like Morgan Junction. Thanks to Brooks for the invite. They’re expecting a fire-engine visit sometime later – police and fire units do often make the rounds on Night Out! And that group had a couple examples (we’ll add more pix from our travels later – in a hurry and on the go, we’re defaulting to the cameraphone photos we snap first) of true fun in the street: kids scooting and tricycling without risk – great to have that one night a year! Off now a few blocks south. But first – a photo in from a big party southwest of The Junction – Dave shares this photo of neighbors Obie and Rosinia:

(added later) Dave also caught the live neighborhood concert – with a Nirvana cover:

7:09 PM: Just left a party in Gatewood – thanks to Sue for inviting us. There we found a longtime WSB sponsor – John Moore from Northwest Insurance Group (and most recently, the tipster who let us know about the smash-and-grab at The Swinery that turned out to be toward the start of the smash-and-grab “pattern”):

Next stop – Seaview.

7:27 PM: In Seaview, blockwatch captain Melody told us that Erma – with the white hair, background right – is the neighborhood’s original blockwatch captain. She also told us we’d just missed a visit by Community Police Team Officer Kevin McDaniel, who apparently is the only one making West Seattle Night Out visits tonight because of a big case elsewhere in the city that is keeping everyone busier than usual. We’re now en route to Arbor Heights – with a photo to add from Fauntleroy:

Thanks to Fauntleroy Community Association president Bruce Butterfield for sharing the pic! They’re gathering on SW Henderson, between 45th SW and Fauntleroy Way. 7:51 PM: The Arbor Heights party we just visited is the first one since 1996 in a neighborhood near Hillcrest Presbyterian Church. They had a great barbecue going:

Now we’re in Highland Park, 8600 block of 12th SW – thanks to Christie for the invite here. (We have crews in the north and east too and will incorporate their photos in a second report later.) Photo (added afterward):

8:15 PM: We’re moved to North Delridge. We’re checking out the 25th/Findlay party (photo added):

And just before arrival, got this 26th/Juneau shot from Betsy Hoffmeister:

That’s Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Benjamin Kinlow on the right.

8:26 PM: From the aforementioned 25th/Findlay party (thanks to Sabrina for permission to stop by) – the impromptu sound system they’re using for tunes – iPod, speaker and mixer:

Speaking of music, our next stop is a South Admiral party that’s one of several tonight reported to have bands. But first, the sun’s already set – Chas Redmond sent this photo from outside The Hall at Fauntleroy (not a Night Out party there, instead, the Citizens Advisory Group meeting regarding the Murray Basin Combined Sewer Overflow control project – yes, it’s not ALL about Night Out tonight):

8:49 PM: From the 3700 block of 42nd SW – where the band 4 Outta 5 just finished playing for a big crowd before we arrived after sunset:

(better photo substituted for earlier cameraphone pic)
We’re now checking out two parties in the Fairmount Springs/north-of-Morgan-Junction area – one to which we were invited, another we spotted while parking, which seems to have a police officer visiting.

8:57 PM: We’ve seen a LOT of kids tonight – including babies as little as 2 weeks old. The one we got in this photo (south of Graham, west of Fauntleroy) wasn’t quite that young – but mugged for the camera quite nicely – with Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Smith alongside:

(added) Across Graham from there, this is the alley party @zeitgeist33 tweeted about. The sign was a nice touch:

The “official” Night Out window of time is running out – though we know a couple parties were planning outdoor movies around 9:30 – meantime, we’ll definitely have another Night Out report later, with some non-cameraphone imagery, not just from our tour, but also from photojournalists Christopher Boffoli (who toured The Junction and points west) and Cliff DesPeaux (who made a couple stops in northeast WS), and from a few e-mailed/tweeted scenes we haven’t published yet. Thanks to everyone who shared word of their parties!

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Got your block party signed up yet? ‘Night Out’ deadline tomorrow

August 1, 2010 3:41 pm

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| Crime | Neighborhoods | Safety | West Seattle news

Tuesday’s the night – all over the peninsula (and the rest of the city), you’ll see “STREET CLOSED” signs marking the spot for block parties in honor of “Night Out” (formerly National Night Out Against Crime), celebrating neighborhoods taking a stand against crime. According to the Seattle Police “Night Out” webpage, the deadline to sign up your neighborhood – and therefore get the right to close off (non-arterial) streets for block parties – is 9 am tomorrow, so you’d better get busy now if you haven’t gotten around to it yet. And we’ll repeat our pitch – we traditionally spend Night Out visiting West Seattle parties for as-it-happens coverage, so if a WSB photojournalist would be welcome to stop by, please let us know where and when your party’s happening (the official Tuesday night time frame is 6-10 pm, but in past years we’ve noticed some neighborhoods don’t really get going till a bit later). Thanks! (Here’s some of our coverage from last year.)

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Alki Community Council highlights: Offleash dogs; beach parking

July 16, 2010 11:54 pm

| 13 COMMENTS

| Crime | Pets | Safety | West Seattle news

From Thursday night’s Alki Community Council meeting: At left, that’s animal-control officer Brandi Homeier from Seattle Animal Shelter, invited to discuss concerns about offleash dogs on the beach. Instead of a prepared presentation, she opted for Q&A. Homeier reminded those in attendance that dogs aren’t supposed to be on Alki Beach, whether on or off leashes. Offenders, she said, are cited immediately – no “first warning.” So what if you see a dog on the beach? she was asked. Answer: Don’t confront the owner – call the SAS. Or even 911 in an emergency if you can’t reach SAS; animal-control officers respond to all calls, she said, but emergencies take priority – such as injured animals, or reports of dogs left in hot cars. And, she explained, there are relatively few officers available citywide – 7 days a week, somebody’s on duty, but there’s a lot of territory to cover. Also at Thursday’s meeting, the ACC got a crime update from Southwest Precinct Lt. Norm James – read on for his toplines:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: ‘Night Out’ exactly one month away

July 3, 2010 11:58 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Crime | Neighborhoods | Safety | West Seattle news

(2009 WSB photo from Night Out party in Fauntleroy)
Signed up for a “Night Out” crime-preventing/neighborhood-strengthening party on your block yet? This year’s event is coming up August 3rd. And Seattle Police have changed a few things this time around, as noted here. For one – there’s a quicker way to sign up online – you can do it right here, right now. For two – they’ve set up a Seattle Night Out Facebook page (you can “like” it here). If your neighborhood does decide to have a Night Out block party, and you wouldn’t mind us stopping by for a photo, please let us know – SPD generally doesn’t share lists/maps of registered parties, so we’ve made this request to you the past two years, and have met some great folks as a result.

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SPD crime-prevention cuts? Latest sign it might really happen

June 25, 2010 9:57 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council‘s been bringing it up at every meeting for months (as noted in reports such as this one) – the federal grant that currently pays for the civilian position of Crime Prevention Coordinator runs out next year, and that could mean the job will be cut. Benjamin Kinlow is the man who holds it in the Southwest Precinct, and he’s been busier than ever lately, responding to Block Watch organizing requests, and speaking at neighborhood-council meetings (he’s on the agenda for the Alki Community Council July 15th; photo at left shows him at the Admiral Neighborhood Association). Tonight SeattleCrime.com reports on another indication that the handful of jobs like Kinlow’s – he’s even been helping another precinct whose coordinator was cut last year – may be axed: A meeting is reported to have been held this week, at which the coordinators were given a warning their jobs might end, as well as, one is quoted as saying, information on programs such as retirement benefits and COBRA. Read the SeattleCrime.com report here; here’s the CentralDistrictNews.com take on it. And here’s the flyer the West Seattle advocates have been distributing.