Via West Seattle Blog comes news that Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes is proposing that the next city budget restore the Seattle Police Department’s full-time liaison program. The program helped local communities with problems that might have been missed otherwise, such as public nuisances and neighborhood-specific issues, but the program was severely reduced due to budget cuts in recent years. Holmes hopes that the upcoming budget will fully restore the program, reinstating one liaison per precinct.

Read the news release from Holmes’ office for details:

Backed by community and business leaders and City Council members, City Attorney Pete Holmes on Wednesday advocated for a full complement of five police precinct liaisons to bolster the City’s response to emerging and increasingly complex neighborhood public safety and regulatory issues.

Holmes’ 2012 budget proposal, as submitted to the City Budget Office on July 13, would reinvent the Precinct Liaison Program by providing a full-time assistant city attorney in each police precinct. These attorneys will focus on providing critical legal services on the issues of high importance in their precincts. They will also be accountable for managing a number of regulatory provisions in a more effective and efficient manner because they will better understand the dynamics in the individual communities.

Due to budget reductions and attrition in recent years the program has been reduced by 60%. “We have tried to preserve the core functions of the Precinct Liaison Program but with only two attorneys we can no longer provide the full range of legal services that the Seattle Police Department and our community have come to expect,” said Holmes, who seeks an additional $470,000 in the budget year beginning Jan. 1, 2012 to fully fund the program. “Right now it’s more appropriate to call them circuit-riding liaisons,” he said, because the remaining two liaisons travel among the North, East, West, South and Southwest Precincts. “Clearly, the status quo is unacceptable.”

Councilmember Tim Burgess, chair of the Council’s Public Safety and Education Committee, strongly supports a revitalized program. “Reestablishing the precinct liaison attorney program reflects our desire to bring critical thinking and innovation to policing. We know that effective policing uses a wide variety of means beyond traditional police responses. These attorneys will partner with our officers to proactively tackle neighborhood safety and crime challenges,” Burgess said.

The Precinct Liaison Program was created in 1995 to give direct and proactive legal advice to police officers and to act as a legal resource for public safety problem-solving efforts in the neighborhoods. The program has since fluctuated in size as grant funding has come and gone and city budgets have tightened.

The current staffing makes it impossible to provide geographic-based legal services for either SPD or the community. Next month the remaining two liaisons will be brought into the City Attorney’s Office downtown to work on criminal cases as well as regulatory matters for the remainder of 2011.

The increased demands on precinct liaisons are varied and voluminous, Holmes said. Two of them — nightlife regulations and liquor licenses — relate specifically to the interplay between the entertainment industry and the neighborhoods, and Holmes’ plan is endorsed by industry leaders. [Read more →]

The Seattle Police Department has a new criminal trespass program, which replaces the old program to keep trespassers off the property of businesses that are open to the public .

The Conditions of Entry that must be posted under the new criminal trespass program

According to Officer Scott McGlashan, who explained the program at a community meeting in Ballard Wednesday, an interested business must sign up with SPD and post Conditions of Entry “at or near all public entrances and other areas so the public is provided with notice of those conditions,” the enforcement authorization form states.

“I’ve been getting definitely increases in complaints about trespassing and the homeless,” McGlashan says. Under this new program, police can “warn someone off the property” at any time – the enforcement authorization form allows officers to come onto the property without further consent by the business owner.

One of the big changes is that if a person is “warned off the property,” they can come back to the same establishment the next day as a paying customer. Under the old program, McGlashan says that a person who had been admonished off the property could never go back, or they’d wind up in jail. The new warnings do last for a lifetime, so if a person has been warned, they cannot loiter or trespass at that establishment without facing police action.

Businesses in Queen Anne interested in being part of the program should contact the SPD West Precinct at WPrecinctTrespassProgram@seattle.gov. If a business was part of the old program, they must sign the new authorization form.

A teenage boy lost a finger late Monday night after a homemade explosive blew up in his hand at the West Queen Anne Playfield, according to the Seattle Fire Department. The boy told SFD officials that he was hanging out in the park with other teens at approximately 11:30 p.m., when he found the explosive on the ground. From the SFD:

The boy says he picked the up device and it exploded, causing the severe injuries to the teenager. The force of the explosion knocked the teen out, and caused him to lose one of his fingers. The teen also had his hair singed and his leg burned.

Medics responded and immediately transported the teenager to Harborview Medical Center. At the time he was in stable condition, breathing, conscious and talking.

SFD crews say they found several teenagers in the Queen Anne Playfield setting off fireworks, and that residual fireworks were scattered around the park, as was a blown up trash can. The Seattle Police Department is currently investigating the case. From the SFD:

Fireworks are illegal in the city of Seattle. Every year the fire department responds to dozens of injuries and fires caused by these illegal items. These injuries and fires can be prevented.

According to KIRO TV, the teen was 18 years old, and paramedics were unable to locate the finger.

The June Queen Anne Community Council meeting last Wednesday night was highlighted by a visit from Seattle Police Department’s West Precinct Captain Joe Kessler and Sergeant Paul Gracy – both natives of the Queen Anne/Magnolia area.

The crime rates in Queen Anne remain relatively low, said Kessler.

“Overall Queen Anne is one of the safest areas around,” said Kessler.

Violent crime rates are down only a little from the same time last year, but Kessler said they weren’t that high to begin with. Car prowls and car thefts are down significantly from the same time last year. Burglaries, however, are up slightly.

“Burglaries are one of those tough ones for us,” said Kessler. “Personally, I hate burglaries. Short of a violent crime, I think one of the worst things that can happen to you as a citizen is to have a burglary.”

Burglaries tend to come in bunches and are often perpetrated by the same individuals, so that once a burglar is caught it often brings the number of burglaries down, said Kessler. The SPD has been working with the prosecutor’s office extensively to  target repeat burglars under the Repeat Burglary Initiative.

“We’re concentrating on the prolific guys that need to be in jail for a substantive period of time,” said Kessler.

Concerns over budget cuts and staffing were also discussed. The number of department staff is expected to remain stable despite budget cuts, said Kessler. SPD is firm on not cutting any of their patrol officers, and the current numbers are the highest they’ve ever been, said Kessler. However, increases in overall officers, like they’ve seen in previous years, is likely to stop.

The Crime Prevention Coordinators, who coordinate block watches and other neighborhood actions, may be phased out at the end of this year, said Kessler. It hinges on what the budget looks like for mid-year, but those positions will probably disappear, Kessler said.

“They do an incredible service, and they help the officers out tremendously,” said Kessler. “It’ll be a difficult thing for us to replace that … I don’t know how we will.”

It was encouraged by Kessler and Gracy that residents take advantage of the SPD’s online resources, in particular the SPD Crime Blotter for the West Precinct and the crime statistics on My Neighborhood Map. The King County online sex offender search was also mentioned.

Council Chair Ellen Monrad brought up the issue of the 7-Eleven the sells high-octane alcohol drinks on the hill. Gracy said officers have met with owner to discuss the problem, as well as notify the liquor control board. Stings to try to catch staff selling alcohol to minors have been performed, and they are working on an operation to address homeless buying alcohol for minors, said Gracy.

A few councilmembers discussed the problem of car speeding and drag racing along 10^th Avenue West late at night. Gracy said they would make local patrol officers aware of the situation, and it was recommended that residents petition SDOT for a mobile speed monitor.

After the talk by Kessler and Gracy, the council discussed briefly the elections coming up in September, and Councilmember Nicole Pastarnack volunteered to be chair of the elections committee.

The committee reports followed, including:

The West Precinct of the Seattle Police Department has recently reinvigorated its foot patrol team in an attempt to both curb crime, and build lasting relationships with the communities they police and the neighbors that live and work in them. Take a look at KOMO4′s story on the newly expanded SPD walking beat:

Capt. Joe Kessler, who took over the West Precinct back in October, reinstated the foot patrol unit, dedicating some 32 officers to walking beats in communities within the precinct, up from one eight-officer team in years before, according to KOMO4.

What do you think about the expansion of the foot patrol program? Do you think the Queen Anne community will benefit from having dedicating officers on regular walking beats, or do you think SPD should be putting its resources into other programs and services to better serve the neighborhood?

Last October we told you about the Seattle Police Department’s plan to eliminate three of its Crime Prevention Coordinators, because of budget cuts. Now, SPD has announced that the geographic boundaries for the four remaining CPCs have changed.

For Queen Anne, part of the West Precinct, this means a changing of the guard. Terrie Johnston, who has previously been our go-to crime prevention coordinator, is now the CPC for the North Precinct, while Fran Tello is now the CPC for our district.

The CPCs work in the precincts to educate individuals on ways to reduce their risk of becoming victims, and act as liaisons between the local community and the police.

Although these changes will undoubtedly be felt by everyone, the Seattle Police Department will continue to strengthen links with all community members and associations through open communications, mutual responsibility, and a commitment to customer service.

You can reach Crime Prevention Coordinator Fran Tello at (206) 684-4730 or francisco.tello@seattle.gov.

A case of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon occurred at 1:11 a.m. last Saturday night on the 12xx block of Westlake Ave. N., according to a Seattle Police rep0rt.

A security guard was stabbed in the leg with an exacto knife during a scuffle involving security and a group of five men who had been asked to leave the club. Two men were arrested after a search, but the stabbing suspect eluded capture.

Here’s a chronological look at some of the reported crime committed in Queen Anne over the last week from the Seattle Police Department crime map:

• A car was stolen from the 28xx block of Queen Anne Ave. N. around 9:45 a.m. Thursday, March 24.
• Around 1 p.m. Thursday, a car was broken into on the 38xx block of 13th Ave. W.
• Another car was broken into At 6:51 p.m. that Thursday at the 38xx block of 13th Avenue West.
• On the same day at 7:26 p.m. a car was stolen around the corner of Aloha Street and Queen Anne Avenue North.
• Around the same time Thursday at the 5xx block of 5th Ave. W., a secured condominium complex was broken into by a man who was suspected to be under the influence of narcotics. The man was arrested on site and no burglary victim was found at the time.
• On the 2xx block of Mercer St., a third car was broken into at 9:51 p.m.
• On Friday, March 25, a house was burglarized xx block of West Smith Street at 7:38 p.m. Electronics and jewelry with an estimated value of more than $7,500 was stolen, and the door was damaged from being pried open.
• A woman in the 12xx block of Dexter Ave. N. reported that her laptop was stolen from her apartment on Friday, March 25.
• On the same day, two cars were broken into on the 1xx block of Republican St. and the 14xx block of Second Ave.
• Late Friday night, an assault occurred on the 1xx block of W. Mercer St. at 12:02 a.m.
• On Saturday, a burglary without forced entry occurred on the 19xx block of Second Ave.
• The following day two cars were broken into in Lower Queen Anne, one on the 7xx block of First Ave., and the other close to Fifth Avenue North and Broad Street.
• Around 3:15 p.m. that Sunday, an assault occurred at 5xx block of Third Ave. W.
• Two cars were broken into on Monday, one at 26xx block of Fourth Ave. N. and another at 4xx block of McGraw St.
• On Tuesday, a car was broken into near Queen Anne Avenue North and Mercer Street.
• A burglary with forced entry occurred on the 2xx block of McGraw St. on Wednesday during the daytime.
• On Wednesday around midnight, a car was broken into on the 12xx block of Eighth Ave. W.

Yesterday we received this note from Seattle Police Department Crime Prevention officer Terrie Johnston. She reviews the police incident reports on a daily basis, and while doing so noticed an alarming trend over the last week in our area:

Today upon reviewing the reported crime for Queen Anne and Magnolia, I noticed that in the past 7 days there were three vehicles stolen from Magnolia (Volvo SW; Toyota Highlander and an Acura Integra) and 4 vehicles stolen from Queen Anne (2 Subaru Legacys; KIA Rio; and a BMW).  This is in addition to a theft of a license plate on Queen Anne, and several car prowls.  I found that number of incidents to be abnormally high.  I phoned the Auto Theft Sergeant and he said  the number of Auto Thefts in Seattle are down, and have been decreasing steadily.  In fact, we are at nearly 1/3 of the number of Auto Thefts which occurred in 2005.  However, we agreed that there are some simple things we can do to try and prevent becoming a victim of auto theft.

This sergeant reports that he uses a steering wheel locking device on every car he owns, and he uses the device, every time he parks his car.  These devices act as a good visual deterrent.  They are just one more thing the thief has to disable in an attempt to steal the vehicle. There are also a variety of locking metal devices that can disable everything from your gearshift, gas pedal, brake pedal, hood, tires, etc.

Johnston also suggests a few other tips for keeping your cars safe from prowls and thefts. “If you have a garage, use it. Park your car in there!” she writes. “Keep the garage and any other doors leading into the garage locked, and keep car doors locked inside the garage.”

According to Johnston, two-thirds of all auto thefts occur at night. Because of this, installing motion-sensitive lighting around car ports, driveways, parking areas and alleyways may help deter thieves from targeting those cars. She also recommends that residents leave their front porch lights on from dusk until dawn.

Cars are often stolen for their parts (including airbags). It can take an expert thief as little as seven seconds and one screwdriver to break into a vehicle, and less than one minute to drive away.  Please be vigilant for strangers on your block, trying door handles, looking into vehicles.  You can call 9-1-1 to report suspicious activity.

The Seattle Police Department’s West Precinct has entered into an agreement with a California-based production company giving it access to film the precinct’s officers and goings-on for a MTV reality TV cop show over the next few weeks, according to a report by SeattleCrime.com.

Police sources tell us a crew for Down In Front Productions has wired up a patrol car in the West Precinct to record audio and video for the upcoming MTV show, Cuff’d.

The show is already in its second week of shooting in Seattle, and prior to that was filming in Key West, Florida. From SeattleCrime:

In the show, officers working third watch—the night shift—at the West Precinct downtown will interview arrestees on camera, if they consent.

A spokesman for the department declined to comment on the show, as did the production company.

In a community newsletter sent out on Tuesday, Seattle Police Department crime prevention officer Terrie Johnston advised the community on how to help keep your home from being a target in an all-too-common residential burglary. From the newsletter:

The most common way used to force entry through a door with a wooden jamb is to kick it open. When a door is kicked in, the frame usually splinters and gives way, allowing the burglar to enter.  The weakest point is almost always the strike plate that holds the latch or lock bolt in place. The average door strike plate is secured only to the doorframe molding. These lightweight moldings are often tacked on to the doorframe and can be torn away with a firm kick.  Increasingly, we’ve noticed a trend of burglars increasingly using pry tools at doors to gain entry into homes.

To help fortify your home against intruders, SPD suggests reinforcing your exterior doors and deadbolt locks through a few minor upgrades that can be done at home. Read the full list of suggestions in the newsletter (.pdf).

Teenagers are reported to have been involved in two different robberies on Tuesday, March 15, according to Seattle Police Department reports.

The first robbery, which took place at 2:05 a.m. at a 24-hour store located in the 1900 block of Queen Anne Avenue North., left one victim–the store clerk–with two cuts on his head, one behind his left ear and the other over his left eye.

According to the police report, the victim said he heard someone walking toward the cash register, so he headed to the front to cash-out any customers. When he got to the front he saw the two suspects walking past the register and toward the door, each with a bottle of wine in their hands.

Positioning himself between the suspects and the door the victim yelled “hey, you can’t have those.” At this time the suspects reportedly ran toward him, one striking him on the left side of his head with one of the wine bottles, which were both left at the scene when the suspects fled.

According to the police report there may be video surveillance of the crime. One fingerprint was found and submitted to evidence. SPD officers conducted an area check at the scene, but were unable to locate the suspects. Here are the suspect descriptions taken verbatim from the police report:

Suspect #1 W/M 16 yoa, 5’00″, thin build, Asian style eyes, blond hair in a single ponytail, dark shirt, and dark jogging pants.

Suspect #2 B/M teens, 5’01″ unknown clothing, afro style hair about two inches long.

The second robbery, which took place just two and a half hours later at 4:28 a.m. at David Rodgers Park. According to the report the victim, a Queen Anne resident who lives on 2nd Ave W, went to his car, which was parked outside his family’s home, to get his cigarettes. He then reportedly walked to the park to smoke, and was sitting on the swing set smoking and looking out at the blackberry bushes when he was approached by the first suspect, who “came up behind him and in a raspy 18 year old voice demand, ‘Give me your money bitch!’”

The suspect then saw the second suspect, who came from behind him and was wearing a grey hoody. The second suspect reportedly pointed a fixed steak knife with a 6 inch blade at the suspect and demanded, “Give me your money bitch!”

The suspect, who the police report noted had recently lost his job and was staying up late at night, had been pistol whipped during a robbery in West Seattle two years earlier. Wanting to avoid getting hurt again, the victim told police he gave the suspects $160 in cash that his father had given him to get through the week. The suspects then reportedly fled in a Northwest direction down one of the park’s trails. Police searched the area but were unable to find the suspects or any evidence.

The victim told police that “he felt so anxious about the incident that he was nauseous and wanted to go lie down.” The police report did not provide any suspect descriptions.

Major crimes in the city and in the neighborhood, including robberies, are trending downward, according to 2010 numbers just released by the Seattle Police Department.

As of the end of 2010, Violent Crimes were down by 9% compared with 2009, led by a 20% decrease in robberies. Property Crimes were down by 5% across the City, with a slight increase only in vehicle thefts.

In Queen Anne the trends are pretty much the same. Here are some numbers for crime in the police precinct that most resembles the neighborhood (SPD divides Queen Anne into three beats–Q2, Q3 and D1).

Robberies: There were 36 robberies between the three beats in 2010, compared to 66 in 2009.

Burglaries: There were 352 assaults between the three beats in 2010, compared to 373 in 2009.

Car Theft: There were 227 car thefts between the three beats in 2010, compared to 203 in 2009.

Homicide: There were no homicides reported in any of the three beats in both 2010 and 2009.

Larceny: There were 1,539 larceny thefts between the three beats in 2010, compared to 2,056 in 2009.

Assault: There were 316 assaults between the three beats in 2010, compared to 373 in 2009.

To find more information about crime statistics in the neighborhood, check out SPD’s crime stats map, and general citywide crime data.

[Editor's Note: these year totals were calculated by hand based off of SPD's 2010 and 2009 crime statistics, which are divided by precinct and month.]

A woman and her friend were robbed at gunpoint in a Lower Queen Anne apartment building at approximately 9 p.m. on Friday, February 4, according to a Seattle Police Department report. From the SPD Blotter:

On February 4th, at approximately 9:00 PM, the victim and her friend were inside her apartment in the 500 Block of 1st Avenue North when they heard what they described as a “friendly knock” at the door.  The victim opened the door and saw a heavy set white female standing there.  Suddenly, a large Samoan male pushed the female out of the way, shoved a gun in the victim’s face, then he and the female forced their way into the apartment. Once inside, the suspects began rummaging through the victim’s things in search for items of value.  The suspects took several electronic items.  As the suspects were leaving the building, a witness who apparently recognized at least one of the suspects as a suspect from another robbery that had previously occurred in the building, called 911 to report it.  The witness also observed the suspects get into a car and drive away.  They were last seen heading east on Mercer Street.

SPD officers conducted an area search for the suspects’ vehicle, but were unable to locate it. The SPD Robbery Unit was notified and responded to process the scene. No one was injured in this incident.

At approximately 6:48 p.m. on Sunday, January 23 a pedestrian crossing the street mid-block in the 100 block of Denny Way was hit by a Toyota traveling eastbound on Denny Way, according to a report by the Seattle Police Department released today.

The pedestrian sustained “serious head injuries” and was transported to Harborview Medical Center by the Seattle Fire Department. From SPD:

The driver of the Toyota was evaluated at the scene for any signs of impairment, but did not exhibit any signs of any intoxication.  The driver was interviewed and released from the scene.

SPD Traffic Collision Investigation Sqaud detectives are continuing the investigation into the collision.

Michelle Thornton, 43, a lifelong Seattle resident and employee at the Upper Queen Anne Safeway, was found dead in her Belltown apartment on Thursday, January 6 by detectives from the Seattle Police Department missing persons unit. Yesterday SPD ruled the death a homicide, and is continuing the investigation to find out just what happened to her.

For years Thornton has thrown a New Year’s Eve party at her apartment, in the 100 block of Vine Street, which has a view of the fireworks at the Space Needle, according to a report by the Seattle Times. But this year friends became concerned when Thornton failed to answer her door or phone on the evening of the party, her father, Bill Thornton, told the Times.

After hearing from a number of concerned friends who had no been able to reach Michelle, Bill Thornton reported his daughter missing to police. He later learned that she had also failed to show up for work at the Upper Queen Anne Safeway on December 30.

Thornton’s last post on Facebook was at 2:55 a.m. on December 28. Friend and former neighbor Richard Bollinger told the Times that he last spoke with Michelle around midnight on December 29, adding that he called her on New Year’s Eve and left a message, and then called her back the following day, at which point her voice-mail box was full. Bill Thornton says this was the last confirmed time anyone spoke to his daughter. From the Times:

He said police went to his daughter’s apartment and did a welfare check early last week, but they could only briefly “look around” because they lacked a search warrant. Detectives later got a warrant and returned on Thursday, he said.

“She was in the closet, the back of the closet, which is why they didn’t see her” during the welfare check, Thornton said.

While Thornton said that his daughter’s personal life has been “troubled,” he also added that she had a lot of friends and was very active. Her death has been “a parent’s worst nightmare,” he told the Times.

Though the King County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet released Thornton’s name officially, or cause the of death, SPD spokeswoman Renee Witt did confirm that investigators have ruled the incident a homicide.

Michelle is survived by her father, Bill, stepmother Jeanie Thornton, stepbrother John Hynd, and half brother David Scott Taylor.

Anyone who may have information about Thornton’s death is asked to call the department’s homicide unit at 206-684-5550.

Photo taken from Michelle Thornton’s Facebook page.

Queen Anne saw numerous thefts and burglaries from Thursday evening to Monday morning, according to the Seattle Police Department.

The following is a list of incidents prompting police response over the weekend:

• A vehicle was stolen from the 30xx block of 14^th Ave. W. on Jan. 6 around 5:30 p.m.
• A forced burglary occurred in the nonresidential area of the 1xx block of Queen Anne Ave. N on Jan. 7 at 7:11 a.m.
• A forced burglary occurred in the nonresidential area of the 11xx block of Westlake Ave. N. on Jan. 7 around 5 p.m.
• A car was broken into on the 2xx block of Boston St. on Jan. 7 around 7 p.m.
• A case of aggravated assault with a weapon occurred on the 20xx block of Westlake Ave. N. on Jan. 8 at 5:04 a.m.
• A case of non-aggravated assault occurred on the 5xx block of 1^st Ave. N. on Jan. 9 at 1:45 a.m.
• A shoplifter was reported in the xx block of Denny Way on Jan. 9 at 2:14 a.m.
• A theft occurred from a building in the 5xx block of Queen Anne Ave. N. on Jan. 9 around 8:30 p.m.
• A robbery from a business with a weapon occurred in the 5xx block of Mercer St. on Jan. 10 at 4:33 a.m.

Follow crime citywide and by neighborhood on the Seattle Police Department’s interactive crime map.

On Monday the Seattle City Council unanimously passed an ordinance that will allow Seattle police officers to give out $100 citations for fighting, threatening others, or making excessive or “unreasonable noise” in public areas between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m. The legislation, which was sponsored by Councilmember Nick Licata and included in Mayor McGinn’s Seattle Nightlife Initiative, aims to promote “the co-existence of residents and nightlife establishments” in Seattle’s nightlife districts.

“This bill passed because groups on all sides of this issue were willing to make compromises. The new law should address most of the behavioral problems police encounter when crowds leave the bars. It provides them with a preventive alternative to address unruly bar patrons on the sidewalks,” Licata said in the public statement.

The new ordinance will affect business districts throughout Seattle, especially those with large concentrations of bars, such as downtown, Belltown and Lower Queen Anne. It will go into effect after a legally required State Department of Ecology Review is completed, a process that may take up to 90 days. As part of the ordinance, the Chief of Police and the City Attorney will also be required to report on the action’s success in reducing nighttime disturbances in 2011.

“Undesirable behavior by patrons after they leave nightlife establishments is an ongoing concern. We now have legislation that will hold disrespectful club goers accountable, which is another proactive approach of the City’s comprehensive nightlife initiative,” Mayor McGinn said in a statement.

Given that noisy crowds can often be heard roaming around Uptown and parts of Queen Anne after closing time, it’s safe to say this ordinance will likely directly impact bar goers—and nearby residents—in the neighborhood. What do you think, Queen Anne? Do you agree with the new ordinance, or disagree, and why?

Seattle Police Department has just launched a new public online reporting option.

The Community Online Reporting Program (CORP) allows the public to file police reports for certain incident types (Property Destruction, Car Prowls, Auto Accessories, Theft of Property (under $500), and Identity Theft) over the internet.

This service will allow the public to file a report at a time that is best for them without having to wait for an officer to respond or call them back. The public will be able to print a temporary copy of the report as soon as they submit it. The report will be reviewed by police personnel, and, once approved, the filing person will receive an email with a copy of the final report attached. The report will transfer directly into the Seattle Police Department records management system and receive the same investigation and statistical analysis as if the report had been filed by an officer.

This option is for low level property crimes only. It does not replace 911 or the non-emergency number. If the caller feels that they are in danger, or the crime just happened, or the suspect may still be there, 911 is still the best option. The Community Online Reporting Program is an option for people that want to report a low level theft, but do not necessarily need an officer to respond in person.

The web-based crime reporting service can be accessed by going to the Seattle Police Department’s homepage (http://www.seattle.gov/police) and clicking the “File a Report” Quick Link.