By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Every chair was filled, and open wall space was lined with people standing, by the time SPD’s Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Satterwhite convened last night’s quarterly community meeting in the precinct meeting room.

The major topic was encampments – particularly the one on SW Trenton between Westwood Village and Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex; gunfire was a topic of concern too. But before the attendees got to ask questions, they listened to District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka for more than half an hour. Here’s our video of his speech, with a few minutes of Q&A toward the end (he had to leave the meeting early for a conflicting commitment described as “tribal”):

He summarized what he and his council colleagues have been doing in the nine months since he took office, focusing on public-safety-related matters (he is vice chair of the council’s Public Safety Committee). First accomplishment Saka mentioned was the Seattle Police Officers Guild contract agreement. Lack of a contract had been considered one hindrance to police hiring; Saka said he helped address another via action he said would “streamline and simplify” the process. And he contended that the council’s approval of a plan to pay for space at the regional SCORE misdemeanor jail would also help with police retention, as he called it “demoralizing” for officers if they make an arrest but have to let the suspect go if there’s nowhere to book them. Saka also touched on expansion of police use of automated license-plate reading technology, and the ordinance allowing the city to demolish certain dangerous vacant buildings.

He touted the city’s $12 million commitment for student mental health and safety, without mentioning the controversy over a reduction from what had been $20 million; he mused that factors in current problems included “too many guns” as well as the length of time students spent going to school online during the pandemic. He also noted the council’s recent consideration of “stay out of …” areas (none in West Seattle) as a way of dealing with drug use and prostitution.

Then he moved on to encampments, saying his office had responded to dozens of emails regarding them, and saying that, regarding 26th/Trenton, they’re “working closely with the mayor’s office to resolve (it) and connect the people there with services … any day now.” He said he had been in contact with deputy mayor Tiffany Washington, whose portfolio includes the city’s homelessness response. His district director Leyla Gheisar, also at the meeting, jumped in a few minutes later to elaborate that they had been working on the Trenton encampment issue since mid-August, and that they had originally been told it could be cleared in “late fall,” but they “put pressure on” and got the timeline moved up.

Other attendees who had questions or comments for the councilmember included a Khmer community spokesperson who said they’re having encampment trouble near property they own at 11th and Roxbury and have reported it many times with no action yet, and a person asking for traffic calming on the SW Morgan hill between 35th and 42nd.

After Councilmember Saka left, Southwest Precinct Sgt. Steven Bale presented a few updates before he and Satterwhite answered questions. That’s where our video of the rest of the meeting begins:

In crime stats, Sgt. Bale said the overall rate is down 12 percent from this time last year, though some categories are up, particularly burglary. Regarding precinct focus, he said the Alki Beach “emphasis patrols” have ended for the season – except for some nights – and now the precinct’s “emphasis resources” are focused on local high schools as well as the Trenton encampment area. (He mentioned recent arrests, as covered here.) Satterwhite reiterated that the Unified Care Team plans to clear the encampment within the next few weeks, and will monitor it after that, but stressed that community reports will be indispensable. A South Delridge resident says they must find a way to keep the RVs from moving “block to block,” suggesting that “no overnight parking” signage can help (as was done on Harbor Avenue SW).

More questions: What about all the vehicles with missing or obscured license plates? Sgt. Bale said police can stop cars with no plates. And if you see plateless cars parked, Satterwhite added, contact Parking Enforcement. (206-386-9012.)

Several other attendees subsequently mentioned a variety of concerns about street crime and disorder, and observed that it seems “more brazen lately.” Surely the city can do something, said one person, considering that, they went on to exclaim, “Our neighbor got a letter to cut branches!” Asked another person plaintively, “What do we do?” Satterwhite emphasized repeatedly that if it’s suspected criminal activity and it’s happening right now, call 911.

Another attendee said she had tried to report racing that she could hear – at “ear-splitting” levels – but not see, and had trouble doing that without a specific address. Sgt. Bale acknowledged that “we do have to have a credible address to respond” but suggested coming up with a guesstimate address to offer. A few minutes later, someone else brought up calling in but not getting a police response. Satterwhite advised that when you call 911, say you want contact with the responding officer, and that way you’ll hear from them directly.

A Highland Park resident asked if there was any plan for more police presence to deal with increased gun violence in that area. Short answer, from Sgt. Bale, no – not in terms of “emphasis patrols,” anyway. Satterwhite reminded everyone to call 911 if they think they hear gunfire. Bale explained that the more calls they get, the better chance they have of triangulating where the possible gunfire happened. Someone else wondered if the ShotSpotter technology was still on the way. Short answer, no, the plan to get it was dropped.

Why can’t the city put up cameras to fight crime, as is being done in California? asked a frustrated attendee, saying she and her neighbors are “sick and tired of” such tools not being used to try to deal with ongoing trouble.

The issue of police hiring came back around. What’s being done to beef it up? The SPD reps said the department is working on it, but it’s a long process from hiring to hitting the street. Satterwhite noted that hiring bonuses are offered, and hefty incentives for “lateral transfers” – police officers from other jurisdictions coming to work here – too. “What’s the age cutoff?” someone asked. “There is none!” was the reply, and it almost seemed as if they were ready to circulate applications around the room. (A 62-year-old recruit made headlines last year.)

Shortly thereafter, the meeting ended, just short of the announced hour-and-a-half duration. Satterwhite has said she plans to get these meetings back on a quarterly schedule (years ago, they were monthly). In the meantime, if you have a concern or question for her, you can email jennifer.satterwhite@seattle.gov or call her at 206-256-6820.

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By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Seattle’s third public-safety department, CARE (Community-Assisted Response and Engagement), currently encompassing the 911 Center and a startup team of crisis responders, got the spotlight at Wednesday night’s meeting of the Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council.

About 20 people were there and heard from CARE’s acting chief (pending City Council confirmation), Amy Smith. The meeting was coordinated and facilitated by Mark Solomon, the South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator who’s been filling in at the Southwest Precinct too, until Jennifer Satterwhite, this precinct’s longtime CPC, returns from maternity leave. Attendees included Seattle Police Deputy Chief Eric Barden and recently appointed citywide Councilmember Tanya Woo.

CARE DEPARTMENT: Chief Smith was the meeting’s spotlight guest, there to introduce herself and talk about the department (which we featured here after talking with her at CARE HQ downtown a month ago):

If you weren’t there or don’t have time to watch, here’s our summary:

Smith explained how the 911 center got separated from SPD, and how the unit of the crisis responders under her wing was founded. She noted that a key metric for her is whether more police officers are cleared to go to higher-priority calls because her team can handle the crisis calls, and she said some were surprised to hear that. This isn’t something that Seattle invented, though – while she has a team of six for starters, the city of Albuquerque has more than 130. (Mayor Bruce Harrell has voiced support for growing the CARE response team to 24 in the not-too-distant future, Smith noted.)

The CARE Department overall is meant to grow into a department equal to police and fire – but she also stressed, it’s not intended to replace police or require fewer police – “we need many, many more police,” she said. She showed the “department ethos” and said her doctoral work focused on that. (Yes, she’s not only Chief Amy Smith, but also Dr. Amy Smith.) Trying to understand the reason for “all these 911 calls” – say, recurring calls from a specific facility or building – can help.

According to one of her slides, the “One Seattle Public Safety Team” is SPD, SFD, CARE, the Unified Care Team, and Office of Emergency Management. About her 911 Center, Chief Smith believes it’ll “hit a million calls this year.” It’s the largest center of its kind in the state. It’s also Seattle’s Public Safety Data Hub and Control Center for Emergency Responses. The calltakers and dispatchers are “highly skilled” in a demanding job – she calls them truly the “first first responders.” And she reiterated what police are always saying – just call 911. Don’t worry about whether your topic is an emergency or not. They’ll reroute you if they have to.

(Photo courtesy CARE Department)

As for the CARE Team crisis responders, launching with a $2.4 million budget and hoping for more soon, they work in three teams of two responders. They currently use repurposed police and fire vehicles (photo above), and they’re transitioning out of the temporary Municipal Tower offices we showed when we visited Smith and her department downtown a month ago.

In Q&A/comments, a retired police officer mentioned what it was like to deal with crisis cases back in his day, and observed “this is great.” Another attendee, Chris Mackay from the West Seattle Junction Association, asked how soon the CARE Team might be deployed to West Seattle; hopefully after it’s expanded, Smith said. She said it’s important to talk about the gaps in available response, so there’s awareness about what’s needed. She also stressed that “crisis” doesn’t only mean mental illness or drug use – there are a lot of “housing situations” that also are crises, such as an anecdote she often shares about her team helping a woman who was evicted after a death in the family and couldn’t think clearly about how to seek help.

Another comment/question came from a representative of the private-security firm with which the Junction Association contracts. “A lot of companies like ours” deal with people in crisis – “is that something we can call 911 about” to get a CARE Team-type of response? In general, yes, said Smith, depending on availability – resources might not be available around the clock. But is there a place for people to be taken? Not currently, said Smith. But it’s something she often talks about, trying to agitate for a solution. “The best part of my job is feeling how much people actually care.”

How many more people are needed? In her view, for crisis response – at least 240 people. For sworn police officers – at least 400 more.

Who determinues whether it’s safe to send her team? Smith said “there are a series of questions that are asked … it’s called Dual Dispatch (because) they are starting a little bit cautious” – so far, they’ve been to more than 300 calls, “and police have never been called back.” In some cases, they show up at the start and leave, but the CARE responders have not yet had to call for help.

Regarding 911 calls, she said the dispatching currently is a little more aggressive regarding domestic disputes than she believes it needs to be – say, someone calls in that a man and woman are arguing, and the dispatchers leap to the assumption they’re partners “and he might kill her,” when data doesn’t show that to always be the case. In general, “I have to be careful not to send out two officers if it’s not warranted.”

She was joined at the front of the room by one of the CARE responders, who said she’s been doing crisis work for seven years and is trained in how not to escalate a situation. Smith also talked about extensive training in situational awareness.

Is 988 up and running? Smith said she takes issue with the rollout around the country – but “it’s good if you can be kept on the phone and get through a dark night.” But there are not enough services to connect people to.

Addressing one issue that came up regarding SPD, Deputy Chief Barden said it’s not true that officers don’t want to work with CARE – they often call in to see if anyone from the team is available, and they recognize CARE as “a great asset.” He said SPD is currently 20 officers under minimum staffing levels on average per shift citywide – so this is ‘filling a huge void and we’re thankful – I keep telling Amy all the time, she can’t scale fast enough.” Councilmember Woo spoke up at that point to say she supports scaling up the CARE Team too.

ALSO OF NOTE: Solomon asked, before adjourning, whether the time and frequency of this meeting works for people – 6 pm? monthly? – yes, was the general response. He also invited community members to let him know if there’s a particular topic about which you want to hear – “I don’t believe in meetings for the sake of meetings.” No crime stats/trend info was presented – that does tend to happen at individual neighborhood meetings these days, though not all neighborhoods have councils/coalitions/groups, so it doesn’t happen uniformly around the peninsula. (Next week you’ll find SPD at the Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting, 7 pm Tuesday, March 12)

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Crime updates and parking enforcement were the primary topics at last night’s Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council meeting, facilitated in person and online by chair Melody Sarkies and the precinct’s Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner.

(WSB photo, 15th SW homicide scene, Monday)

POLICE UPDATE: Lt. Dorothy Kim, the precinct’s second-in-command, offered the same overview we’ve heard at other recent community meetings – most categories of crime are down, except for auto theft, which remains way up. One other category that’s up, homicides – West Seattle has had four unsolved shooting deaths in the past six months. Lt. Kim said she had checked with homicide detectives about the most recent two. In the case of 20-year-old Ka’Don Brown, found dead a month ago on the Chief Sealth International High School campus, investigators are “waiting on search warrants” and also still hoping to hear from people with tips, information, or security video that might help (206-233-5000 is the tipline).

In this week’s shooting death of 41-year-old Chad Anderson, found dead on 15th SW between Barton and Cambridge, Lt. Kim said the murder was “probably associated with a house we’ve had issues with in the past,” though she didn’t know whether that house was near where the victim was found (there was some question that morning about whether the shooting had happened there or elsewhere).

There also was a question about the unauthorized encampment at Myers/Olson. No new information since the meeting we covered at Arrowhead Gardens on Monday, just a reiteration that “working with (multiple jurisdictions’ bureaucracies) is slow.”

PARKING ENFORCEMENT: Clayton Harrington, who’s been with city for barely a month, is Parking Enforcement Manager. RV remediation “is a big issue for us,” They have rules and laws to follow. Also there was SDOT’s engineering and design manager Matt Beaulieu – “we’re doubling down on Vision Zero” to improve safety. He said various strategies are being emphasized – “no turn on red” is a big one, Home Zones, trying to focus on where the majority of our collisions occur. Safety work is not its own silo, Beaulieu said. What are you going to do to solve the safety problem? asked Sarkies. “If it was easy, we would have already done it,” Beaulieu acknowledged.

Fauntleroy residents were there to ask about concerns regarding the Residential Parking Zone going to “virtual permits,” no more tags hanging in cars, so no simple way to know if someone’s in violation, and they don’t want to call a police officer to come scan a car to see if they’re permitted or not. Over time, people from Vashon and Kitsap may go back to parking on the streets overnight, if they find it’s not being enforced. Another Fauntleroy resident said houses were long unmarketable in that area because the streets were overparked. The RPZ solved that, but now, “It’s being violated every day,” he said.

Another attendee brought up the RV-parking situation and wondered what PEOs can really do. Harrington said he was at the meeting to hear about challenges and concerns like that. Harrington said he couldn’t commit to bringing on personnel in the middle of the night to check for RPZ offenders, though. “Right now we barely have resources to deal with the stuff we need to deal with in the middle of the day.”

And there’s an important point, said Lt. Kim – SPD doesn’t have the technical capability to read whether plates are signed up with the RPZ system; their plate numbers can detect if a car is stolen or not, and that’s it. Harrington said he wasn’t previously familiar with that issue so he doesn’t know yet what’s being done about it. It could run afoul of the city’s surveillance policies – as city attorney liaison Joe Everett noted, another review process might be needed to expand the readers to check something else, such as whether a vehicle is permitted to park in a certain zone. This might require City Council changing the laws. Lt. Kim suggested one problem regarding junk RVs might be that Lincoln Towing‘s yard is out of room to store more.

Next question again from Fauntleroy – the plan for getting speed bumps seems to have changed, with residents having to pay part of the cost, she said. And, she said, SDOT told her the process of getting a speed bump could take four years. “It seemed like a lost cause,” she said. She said another block had paid to get an unauthorized speed bump installed at their own cost and maybe her block would just do the same, “since SDOT never came and took it out.” Beaulieu said that the formerly well-supported Neighborhood Traffic Control Program went away around pandemic time and was largely replaced by the Home Zone program that installed many dozens of traffic control bumps and other things while the West Seattle Bridge was closed. What they’re asking people to do now is to go through Neighborhood Matching Fund – and that’s where the neighborhood covering part of the cost comes in. “We recognize that’s not an ideal process,” Beaulieu acknowledged. But right now “that’s the best tool we have.” The attendee said, “But the more the city puts speed humps on arterials, the more people gravitate toward residential streets.” She mentioned rogue traffic-calming attempts like putting garbage cans in the street to try to slow people down.

An online attendee asked about no-parking signs that have been discussed for Harbor Avenue – “no parking 11 pm to 5 am,” for example, even if it’s not regularly enforced. The Harbor Avenue rep at the in-person session said there are also proposals out to change zoning so that RV parking wouldn’t be legally allowable on the water side of the street. He said that all the residents’ proposals have been turned over to the mayor’s office.

NIGHT OUT: Registration opened this week. Danner said the registration process is a bit different this year – you can opt into a “public-facing map” of street parties if you want to. SPD will also proactively send out important info to registrants, such as how to properly close their street, how to tell whether their street is an arterial, etc. Night Out is Tuesday, August 1st, this year.

NEXT MEETING: Tentatively set for Thursday, June 8, 6 pm, with Jim Fuda of CrimeStoppers as a spotlight guest.

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That memorial for 20-year-old murder victim Ka’Don Brown is set up near the spot where he was found dead of gunshot wounds last Saturday morning in the southwest corner of the Chief Sealth International High School campus. Toward the start of the Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council meeting this past Thursday night, the precinct’s Operations Lt. Dorothy Kim said she had no update yet from homicide detectives on how the investigation into West Seattle’s first murder of the year was going. She did have some stats: Confirmed gunfire incidents in the precinct area (West Seattle/South Park) are down from this time last year – 23 so far in 2023, including this murder, and two injuries. By this time last year, she said, there had been 30. Shots-fired incidents are also down citywide – 207 to date in 2022, 165 this year.

Other crime trends: Major categories are down except for auto thefts, which Lt. Kim noted is a “citywide problem,” in part because of the social-media-fueled Hyundai and Kia theft wave. Aside from some of those thefts, which are more of a joyride/dare situation, “most vehicles are stolen to commit another crime,” she explained. “Chop shops are not super-common here.)

Obviously the recently cleared encampment area near the 1st Avenue South Bridge is an exception to that, she acknowledged. She said that area is the subject of a directive for any attempt at re-occupying to be addressed/cleared quickly.

Also at the SWPCPC meeting, held both in person and online:

CRIME PREVENTION ADVICE: The precinct’s longtime crime-prevention coordinator Jennifer Danner offered some advice for the upcoming warm-weather months. Car prowls, for one, tend to increase, so don’t leave anything in your car, she urged: “Unfortunately our cars aren’t a safe place to store things any more” – even just a sweatshirt or grocery bag, as prowlers might think it’s covering/hiding something, and they’ll break in just to check. Summer is also prime time for “non-force” burglaries, she noted, so remember that leaving doors/windows open leaves you vulnerable.

She also mentioned upcoming precinct events, including the steering-wheel-lock giveaways for Hyundai and Kia owners (one was held Saturday, and another is coming up Thursday, 2-4 pm) and next Saturday’s Drug Take-Back Day (10 am-2 pm). “We take ALL medications, no questions asked – we don’t even look at it, you can just put it in the bag and walk away.”

Her final words: “Remember, we’re data-driven, and we want the stats to be accurate, so (if something happens), REPORT IT. If it’s happening now or just happened, 911 is the best route.

NEEDLE DISPOSAL: Michael Eggers from the Clean City Division of Seattle Public Utilities offered a primer on this city service. His division deals with illegal dumping, graffiti, and more, including “sharps.” If you find a needle/syringe on public property, report it via Find It Fix It, and it should get picked up within 24 hours. (Other debris could take up to a week.) Walking attendees through how the reporting system works, he recommended providing your email address if you’re interested in updates, though you can report completely anonymously, he said. The city also maintains 23 sharps-disposal boxes; the nly one in West Seattle is at the restroom building in Roxhill Park. Citywide, those boxes were used for disposal of 456,000 sharps last year, Eggers said. (Read more about the sharps-disposal program here.)

But since the city won’t pick up needles/syringes on private property, what should you do if you find one? He gave a quick demonstration – wear gloves, use a utensil (such as tongs) to pick up the item – keeping it as far from your body as possible – grab the syringe by the barrel (midsection), have a hard-plastic container ready to drop it in, pointed side down, and then afterward, use bleach to disinfect the utensil/tool you used.

COMMUNITY CONCERNS: One attendee wanted to know how to get advice on dealing with neighborhood concerns; Danner said she’s the person to contact and can for example set up a Block Watch meeting … Danner also offered to help with the RPZ enforcement concerns that Fauntleroy Community Association president Mike Dey brought, following up on the most-recent FCA board meeting – they’re concerned about the discontinuance of visible permit tags, and enforcement challenges without them. Lt. Kim noted that the new system that Parking Enforcement Officers are supposed to use differs from what police officers are equipped with. Danner offered to organize a multidepartmental meeting with SPD and SDOT to discuss the problem.

COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICERS: Two CSOs were in attendance at the SWPCPC meeting. They’re not assigned to or from precincts, though – they are currently deployed from downtown.

NEXT MEETING: Watch for word of a May meeting.

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This meeting is open to everyone! We hope you can join us.

Date: Thursday, April 13th 2023
Time: 6pm- 7pm
Location: SW Precinct Community Meeting Room (2300 SW Webster St) or virtually

Tentative Agenda:

6pm – 6:05pm Introductions

6:05pm – 6:15pm Precinct and Crime Update from Lt. Kim

6:15pm – 6:30pm Crime Prevention & Reporting from Crime Prevention Coordinator Jen Danner

6:30pm – 6:45pm Needle Disposal by Seattle’s Clean City Division from Michael Eggers

6:45pm – 6:55pm Q&A

6:55pm – 7pm Closing Comments and Next Meeting Date

We’ll have the video connection info in our calendar listing before the meeting.

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By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Encampment and police updates comprised most of last night’s Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council meeting, plus community Q&A.

The group, chaired by Melody Sarkies, meets monthly as an open opportunity to talk with and hear from police and featured guests. Last night, Tom Van Bronkhorst, a city official who has long been involved with homelessness response, was the guest.

As we reported late last night, he announced toward the end of the meeting that the Harbor Avenue RV encampment is set for another sweep in late February. But he was there mostly to discuss the far-bigger encampment at 2nd/Michigan, near the 1st Avenue South Bridge, following up on the revelation at the last SWPCPC meeting that a sweep had been planned and then called off. Officially, he’s on the Seattle Parks payroll, but he participates in the Unified Care Team meetings at which priorities and planned cleanups are discussed.

Van Bronkhorst said he’s been to the encampment several times and that it’s a large site – an acre and a half – including property owned by multiple jurisdictions, the state (WSDOT), city (SDOT), and Port of Seattle. “We’ve been aware of this location for quite a while,” he noted, reminding the group that sweeps were largely halted during the height of the pandemic, going back to 2020.

He said some action has been taken – 25 tons of debris removal dating back to last July, including vehicles. The most-recent removal, he said, was in mid-January, totaling 400 pounds. Currently, outreach teams are working at the site on behalf of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. But Van Bronkhorst reiterated multiple times that he doesn’t know when exactly it will be “resolved … things are very fluid right now.” Among other reasons, they don’t know how long it will take to conduct outreach, but whenever that’s finally over, he said, debris removal will follow on a large scale – “might take several days or longer” – and then the site would have to be “secured.” Exactly how that will be done, he said, hasn’t been finalized yet, but part of the site is a street-end park that could be returned to that use. He indicated that if people return to a swept site, tent campers can be immediately told to leave, without a new outreach/notification process (vehicles would get 72 hours).

In response to an attendee’s question, Van Bronkhorst acknowledged that outreach moves slowly because people don’t initially accept offers of shelter; he said the initial acceptance rate tends toward 20 percent, but then the sweep day arrives – with trucks and other heavy equipment – and people change their mind.

Why did the previously planned removal not happen? Van Bronkhorst’s take was that the multiple agencies involved had a plan but then took another look at the size and magnitude of the situation and realized “we’re gonna need a bigger boat” as well as more time to coordinate. He also suggested that December had not been a good time to plan a large-scale sweep because of “schedules.”

Is the state really cooperating with the cleanup plan? Van Bronkhorst said that WSDOT “has been much more engaged” with this type of matter in the past year, and Gov. Inslee has expressed more of an interest in clearing encampments on state-owned right-of-way. “They have different priorities …but have named this a pretty high priority .,. I think they’re moving toward resolution pretty steadily.”

From there, the Q/A moved to attendees’ questions and concerns about other situations, such as the perennial question about the best way to report encampments; Van Bronkhorst offered the perennial answer – Find It Fix It, or call the city’s Customer Service Bureau. Currently, he noted, the city is dealing with more than 700 “active encampment sites” citywide. A report, he said, would eventually lead to a site inspection and an evaluation for factors that would prioritize it – such as, is it near a school, is it blocking traffic. Then it would go onto a list.

If an encampment is in a park, Parks is empowered to remove it “quickly,” both Van Bronkhorst and Operations Lt. Dorothy Kim said. That came up in the context of a Lincoln Park concern – a nearby resident who’s long been harassed by someone believed to be camping in the area. Lt. Kim said police have been looking for him and have been unable to find him so far. Someone wondered if that was the same person who was reported to be threatening people with a knife at the park earlier in the day; no one seemed to be certain. Also regarding the issue of camping in parks, Lt. Kim said the latest tent in view at Rotary Viewpoint Park (35th/Alaska) should be cleared quickly (although an attendee said it had been reported a week ago). A site near the precinct was mentioned; at least part of it, Lt. Kim thought, was on private property.

POLICE UPDATES: After that discussion and the Harbor Avenue announcement, it was Lt. Kim’s turn (as Operations Lieutenant, she is second in command at the precinct). She said the biggest news was the citywide change in officer scheduling, It had been mentioned at recent community meetings, and took effect this week, as announced here. Lt. Kim offered a few more details than had been featured in the citywide announcement: First watch is now 4 am-2 pm, second watch is 11 am-9 pm, third watch is 7 pm-5 am. The overlap at first/second watch will especially “work well for us,” she said. She also said this means there will be one day each week that every single patrol officer will be on duty, and that should mean they have extra officers to assign to “emphasis patrols” in trouble spots. They’re hopeful, she said, that the new schedule also will make working for SPD more appealing both for those in the department now and those who might come to work for them.

On two other staffing matters, Lt. Kim said the non-emergency line – 206-625-5011 – is being answered again. As for the precinct lobby, the front desk was being staffed for a while, she said, but the new schedule change has put every officer back on the street; she said they hope to reopen the lobby, at least on weekdays, with an officer who’ll soon be returning on “limited duty.” Danner said that before you come to the precinct, try calling its direct number – 206-733-9800 – to check. (But don’t call that number to report an emergency – that’s always 911.)

In crime trends, she said auto thefts are still up, locally and citywide. She and Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner both mentioned the ongoing social-media-fueled trend of Kia and Hyundai thefts, and Danner said a crime-prevention “bulletin” about this will be out soon, specifying which models are susceptible and what to do about it. She also said she’s obtained another grant to offer “clubs” for free and will be announcing that soon.

Danner also said she’s been working with West Seattle Junction businesses in the wake of recent crimes there including burglaries and robberies.

What about the recent gunfire incidents? In South Park – which is also covered by the Southwest Precinct – many recent incidents were linked to one specific house, Lt. Kim said, but in West Seattle, they haven’t found any particular linkage between events. If you find casings, do report it to police – Lt. Kim noted that sometimes they’ll get 911 calls about possible gunfire, they’ll go look around but it’s hard to spot evidence in the dark, then the next day someone finds casings, and they can cross-reference that to a report from that area. The evidence all goes into a system to check for whether it’s related to other incidents.

TIME CHANGE: Starting in March, the SWPCPC meetings will start an hour earlier, at 6 pm. So the next meeting – held at the precinct but with a video link too if you would rather attend that way – will be at 6 pm March 9th.

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Though the stolen-car-magnet encampment by the 1st Avenue South Bridge was the central topic of tonight’s Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council meeting, another encampment is the subject of our first headline from the meeting: City rep Tom Van Bronkhorst told the group that the Harbor Avenue RV encampment is scheduled to be swept again “at the end of this month.” RVs that don’t voluntarily move will be towed, he said. That’s unless there’s evidence someone is living there, added Operations Lt. Dorothy Kim, although she said outreach workers believe that several of the Harbor RVs are NOT being used as homes and may even have the same owner. Leading up to the sweep, Van Bronkhorst said, SDOT is going to the area for “debris removal” weekly. Lt. Kim noted that people with houses and businesses in the area need to be aware that when the sweep happens, the area will be posted as “no parking” for a few weeks. So how will they keep the RVs from returning again this time? Lt. Kim said police, including Parking Enforcement Officers, plan to be “diligent” about enforcement. What about more-permanent action like an RPZ, as has been suggested? That’s all still being discussed.

As for the 1st Avenue South encampment and other topics addressed tonight – we’ll have a separate full report on that, including video of the meeting, Friday morning.

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PACKAGE GRABBER: Around 8 am today, this package thief struck in Highland Park:

Mike, who sent the video and report, says this happened near 12th SW and SW Kenyon.

MEETING REMINDER: You’re invited to hear from and talk with police at the Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council meeting this Thursday, in person or online. The featured guest will be from the city’s Unified Care Team, which deals with encampments. The meeting’s at 7 pm Thursday (February 16) at the precinct (2300 SW Webster); online and phone attendance info is in our calendar listing.

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Key points from his presentation:

The agency is headquartered in downtown Seattle but serves people countywide, working with more than 30 law-enforcement agencies. Yet to cover all that, they have just 41 people – 6 to 8 crisis responders on duty at any given time, 2 always available by phone to take calls about potential referrals. And right now, they’re short-staffed. Attracting and retaining people is difficult because It’s a challenging job – they are involved in the heat of the crisis and don’t get to see what happens after that. Couch explained, “We’re triaging all day, every day’ – the work is nonstop. But he was clear that they are not “first responders.” They investigate in person and decide if someone needs to be involuntarily detained, for up to 120 hours, after which a hospital can file to keep them for another 14 days or put them on an agreed order.

Keeping people for longer is not a default goal, Couch stressed. “Our job is not only to detain people but also to find less-restrictive options.” Their duty is to protect the patient and community – and to “de-institutionalize” people, compared to the old days of institutionalizing people indefinitely, which is now considered “not appropriate.” People need “a clear path to reintegrate back into the community …. learn to live a productive life.” It’s considered “not appropriate” to institutionalize someone forever.
They may also be called in to evaluate people in jail before they’re released.

Couch explained the decisionmaking progress about whether to “detain” someone – it’s not just law-enforcement referrals, but also the general public, In 2018, the law changed – among other things, references to “designated mental health providers” became references to “responders.” You have the legal right to have a behavioral condition and not be detained for it – but once it becomes a danger to others, or yourself, that’s where this comes in. Complicating matters, though, Couch continued, they run into a capacity problem – there might not be a bed if someone needs it. “We can’t detain unless there’s a bed.” They have to fill out a “no-bed” report if there’s no place for someone to go.

He also offered advice: If you’re reporting someone, tell them everything you can about the person and their behavior rather than trying to make an evaluation/determination – “don’t try to dictate it, just (tell us everything) and we’ll (figure it out) … We don’t detain everyone.” Federal rules limit how many beds a facility can have, he noted in response to a question – you can’t just decide to expand a facility by adding beds. Another question: What can be done about an area with many people likely in danger/crisis, such as an encampment? They deal only with specific individual people who are referred, Couch said.

Contact information for Crisis and Commitment Services is on their webpage.

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(Reader photo sent by Conrad)

SW MARGINAL PLACE SWEPT: Thanks to those who sent tips that the SW Marginal Place RV encampment [map] has been swept again. The cul-de-sac by the bridge was swept in August, but RVs and associated vehicles eventually showed up again. At tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, Southwest Precinct operations Lt. Dorothy Kim confirmed that the encampment was swept today. The street also has been at least temporarily blocked off as closed – it’s always been a route betweem the bridge-side path and West Marginal Way, but now that the low bridge is closed to riders (among others), the street is a major link in the bike route.

2ND/MICHIGAN: Also at the WSCPC meeting, Lt. Kim was asked about the notorious encampment next to the 1st Avenue South Bridge – best known for stolen cars (she said tonight that police have recovered more than 100 there). At the November WSCPC meeting (WSB coverage here), she had said dates were set for a cleanup of that site. Tonight, when the topic came up, she said police were frustrated because the cleanup plan “fell through.” Both she and City Attorney’s Office precinct liaison Joe Everett talked about the situation. (Added: Here’s our video)

Everett said that dates had been worked out at a meeting with city and state reps – it’s state-owned land – in early December. All are well aware that it’s a “huge drain on SPD resources” as well as a major problem for nearby businesses. But as the dates got closer, something caused it to be called off – possibly concerns from the mayor’s office, possibly logistics, possibly because of a “request from WSDOT to share resources,” whatever the case, it didn’t happen, and “two bureaucracies trying to work together” didn’t make things any easier – “there’s a lot of coordination that needs to happen.” But they’re now “trying to put it together again.” We’ll be following up on this tomorrow.

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For the first time in more than two and a half years, tonight the Southwest Precinct meeting room was filled with community members there to hear from and talk with local police.

This was technically the return of the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council, but for several years the council was really just whoever showed up for the meetings, plus longtime chair Richard Miller. Tonight the precinct’s Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner announced Melody Sarkies as the WSCPC’s new chair. And with that, the meeting was off and running. We recorded it on video – first, here are the introductions, and the first speaker, the precinct’s Operations Lt. Dorothy Kim:

If you don’t have time to watch the video, here’s our summary of what Lt. Kim said:

PRECINCT UPDATES: Current focuses include the Harbor Ave. and 2nd/Michigan (near the 1st Avenue South Bridge) encampments. She said some “firm dates” are set for cleanup of the latter – which had to be worked out with state agencies since it’s state land (this was pointed out to us last time we asked the city homelessness-response spokesperson about plans for that area). She said it’s more a “criminal enterprise” site than an encampment. “We all know what’s going on there … but with staffing issues,” they haven’t been able to do much. So rather than put a longterm investigation into motion, they’re just going to “clean it up.” She also explained how encampment reports are handled in the Find It Fix It system – they’re assigned a point value, and certain sites, such as those in parks and near schools, get higher point values. Then a city team. goes out to offer services; after that the city interdepartmental team, which meets weekly, will talk about what resources are needed for the cleanup. … Lt. Kim also noted that the summertime Alki “emphasis patrol” is over so now they’ve moved those resources to Westwood Village and are putting officers there at times determined by data or the past two years. She said WWV’s new management is “responsive to law enforcement.” Regarding staffing, Lt. Kim said “it’s challenging” – 10 new officer recruits are in the pipeline and she says the Southwest Precinct probably won’t get any of them. Currently they’re continuing to “augment” – volunteers working double shifts to bring staffing to minimum levels – but she notes that’s voluntary – “at some point that’s not sustainable.” She reiterated that there’s no Traffic Unit in SPD any more, a bare-bones motorcycle unit that generally deals with “big events.”

CITY ATTORNEY: Ann Davison (above) was the second speaker. That’s where the rest of our meeting video begins, followed by our summary:

She says she’s been to the precinct previously to speak to SPD roll calls. “We are closing in on my first year of being in office,” she noted. She said she “walked into a 5,000-case backlog” of cases waiting for months on charging decisions. That sent the wrong message to both victims and suspects, she said.

She said they “handled those separately” (dropping thousands of them), then implemented a policy to make decisions more quickly, “close-in-time” – a goal of five days before deciding how to handle a case. “It is a holistic view we have to take” – both why the criminal commits the crime, and how the victim is affected. She said they’ve achieved that target time frame. “It is one aspect of the public-safety system.” That system, she explained, is often mystifying to people, but “what we’re trying to do is educate everybody.” The CAO handles misdemeanor crime. She said she explains it as a relay race – SPD is the first leg, then hands it off to CAO – the second leg. “We can’t do anything unless we get that referral.” The third leg is “our recommendation” to the courts – prosecution, alternative programs, for example. Their focuses include, what can they do with the resources they have? “What can we do to be creative?” So, she said, they decided to look at “who are we seeing most frequently?” – the High-Utilizer Initiative. “What do they need” so they don’t cycle through over and over again – at least 12 referrals in past five years, one in past eight months. The challenges include COVID restrictions at the jail, so they’ve had to work on that. She said they’ve incorporated more data in ways it hasn’t been used before – “a deep dive of the data that was there.” Previously, the criminal division was acting more or less in the dark, she said. She also noted that when the City Council asked them to report on demographics of defendants, she insisted on also reporting demographics of victims, “for the whole picture.”

Referring to what Lt. Kim had mentioned, she said she’d been out to 2nd/Michigan, talking to business owners. The CAO’s precinct liaison Joe Everett (who, as shown in our video, was also at the meeting) has been coordinating ways to work on that – “it is unacceptable not to have that taken care of.”

QUESTIONS/ANSWERS: They asked people to sign up if they wanted to ask a question (some also were asked by those attending via videoconference). First Q: Is the city bureaucracy taking any steps to more equally enforce the Seattle Municipal Code? asked someone who described himself as “in the middle of the whole RV issue.” Davison said she “doesn’t have a lot of patience” but says she’ll “focus on where I can create influence on that.”

Second Q: Catalytic-converter theft – is any progress being made? Lt. Kim said “that’s a hard one, it can happen so quickly,” but there is likely nothing much being done about it because of staffing issues. The precinct for example used to have its own Anti-Crime Team that could be assigned to something like that. “Right now most of our emphasis patrols are … gun violence reduction patrols.” Jennifer Danner said she and her colleagues on the Crime Prevention team of SPD is looking at hosting an engraving event. The questioner said that wouldn’t deter thieves.

Third Q: Followup on the high-utilizer initiative – by “referrals,” Davison clarified, that meant information about criminal charges. The question-asker said his neighborhood reported a “one-man crime wave” in a situation that took hours to get police response. He was ultimately arrested for DUI, the questioner said. Danner said if there is a particular ongoing neighborhood situation, you can contact her to see if they can work with the community to “get to the bottom of it.” Lt. Kim talked about recent teamwork after the arrest of a prolific shoplifter.

Fourth Q: A six-time burglary victim said she hadn’t reported an incident because “the police department doesn’t do anything.” She noted building materials out in the street on Harbor Avenue tonight posing a safety hazard. Lt. Kim said they should call 911 about that obstruction – a person said they did and “got the runaround.” Lt. Kim noted that 911 has become a separate entity, no longer part of the Police Department, and is still working things out, compounded by staffing issues. The attendee who called said, “It was so frustrating.” Danner and Kim said they’ll look into what happened, because it’s a matter of safety. Back on the matter of something that hadn’t been reported, Davison stressed what’s been said time and time again – PLEASE report it, because everyone from SPD to the CAO needs that data. It’s how they distribute staffing, among other things.

Fifth Q: The Harbor RVs went away, came back, went away, now they’re back again. “It’s the same group, same operation, what’s the plan?” Lt. Kim said that group is “pretty hardcore” and knows how to work the 72-hour system. She said a city group met and is talking about putting Harbor Ave on a “top 10 list” where it would get repeatedly addressed. They bring it up at the citywide group meeting (MDAR) every week, she added. Another attendee noted that the RVs got tagged by Parking Enforcement again today, two weeks after the most recent such action. Lt. Kim said they’re waiting for guidance – asked whose guidance,

Sixth Q: Any word on when the non-emergency line will be answered again? No, so Lt. Kim said they’re just recommending people call 911.

Seventh Q: Is it true that misdemeanor assault won’t be prosecuted? No, that’s not true, said Davison, while stressing again that felony assaults (and other felonies) are the purview of the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Lt Kim noted that detectives generally only follow up on felonies – misdemeanors go directly to the CAO. Somebody asked for a clarification about what a misdemeanor is. Replied Davison, a lower classification of crime – theft for example is $750 limit but the county is not pursuing anything below $2000 (we’ll be doublechecking that with KCPAO). Ultimately, Everett noted, it’s up to the State Legislature to define crime classifications and potential penalties.

Eighth question: Are people really not getting arrested because they won’t get booked into jail? Not necessarily, said Davison, but jail policies do factor into who’s booked and who isn’t. Who do we talk to about that? asked the attendee. King County Executive Dow Constantine, was the reply. Everett also pointed out that just because someone’s not arrested immediately does not mean they won’t be charged – the case may still be referred to prosecutors. (That goes for both misdemeanors and felonies.)

One person did ask about recent homicide cases, and Lt. Kim said she didn’t have any additional information.,

Before the meeting wrapped, there was a question about the new 988 emergency line for behavioral-health crises. No one knew much about that either, but there was a mention of a potential levy next year for behavioral-health resources.

NEXT MEETING: Thursday, January 12, 7 pm.

ADDED FRIDAY: As promised, we followed up with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to see if it’s true they don’t file felonies for thefts below $2,000. Here’s how spokesperson Casey McNerthney responded:

“In 2021, we shared with law enforcement that our filing threshold for some property crimes would increase to $2,000 (previous filings standards were $1,000, and the law outlines $750).

The dollar amount for felony crimes hadn’t been changed since 2008 and didn’t adjust for inflation. (When those were written Amazon had just announced it was moving to South Lake Union, and the median home price has tripled since then.)

But maybe the most important point: Even with that change, we can and do deviate from the filing standards – particularly when there are extenuating circumstances described by law enforcement.”

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