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.

“During my 20 years in the restaurant and nightlife industry, I’ve witnessed firsthand the value that the City Attorney’s precinct liaisons deliver to both local businesses and the neighborhoods they are situated in,” said Pete Hanning, president of the Seattle Nightlife & Music Association and owner of the Red Door in Fremont. “The liaisons also play a critical role in facilitating proactive communications and ensuring a safe and vibrant nightlife economy.”

With more than 2,000 liquor licenses up for renewal each year in the City and dozens of new license applications, a large part of the liaison attorneys’ time will be spent identifying and monitoring establishments that have public safety concerns and representing the City before the Washington State Liquor Control Board when the city files an objection to a license. A precinct-based attorney will be able to identify potential problems earlier and attempt to work with the licensee to correct the problems before an objection is filed.

The precinct liaisons will also play a crucial role in the City’s comprehensive strategy to promote a vibrant nightlife and ensure public safety. Another component of that strategy is the proposal to allow for extended service hours, which was recently promoted by Mayor Mike McGinn and endorsed unanimously by the City Council. The liaison attorneys will be essential in monitoring compliance with rules and regulations and assisting SPD and other departments in responding proactively to possible problems before they occur.

Possibly the most topical issue for the City Attorney’s Office is the transition in the medical marijuana landscape brought about by recent changes in state and local laws. A new regulatory process gives the City’s Code Compliance Team (CCT) the responsibility for managing complaints and concerns. The precinct liaisons will work with SPD and the community to ensure that medical marijuana activities comply with state and local laws.

The City created this interdepartmental team initially to monitor code compliance of business and properties that could negatively impact public safety. The team is already responsible for nightlife, liquor licensing, street vending and nuisance issues. The precinct liaisons have traditionally played a large role on the team by providing legal advice to departments and helping to coordinate interventions and responses.

Holmes’ plan, laid out Wednesday to the Council’s Public Safety and Education Committee, is also endorsed by Oscar Velasco-Schmitz, who provides medical marijuana to patients through the Dockside Co-op in Fremont. “The City Attorney’s Office provides an integral legal insight not only into the civic affairs of Seattle’s citizens, but also into the relationship of our citizenry with our Seattle Police Department,” he said. The precinct liaison program “provides a crucial element of support in each of our city’s precinct communities and builds a strong relationship between SPD, City Attorney’s Office and the public. The city as a whole benefits greatly from these open lines of communication, resulting ultimately in an open, more well-informed, and safer Seattle.”

Other major responsibilities of the precinct liaisons will be:

• Providing real-time proactive legal advice for each precinct, which will result in better decisions by officers and ultimately reduced liability for the city and better community relations. Experience has show that officers are more willing to ask for legal advice when there is an established relationship with the liaison attorney who is also very familiar with the issues in the precinct and the concerns of officers.
• Helping neighborhoods rid themselves of chronic nuisance properties. Two years ago the City adopted an ordinance giving the police chief the authority to declare properties to be a chronic nuisance and, if corrective action is not taken, to initiate abatement proceedings. To this end, the City Attorney advises the chief, drafts documents and correction agreements and represents the City in court. Each precinct captain is responsible for monitoring and identifying potential nuisance properties and the liaison attorneys play a critical role in this process.

“The City Attorney’s Office, and Ed McKenna’s dedicated work — with the North Precinct SPD, with motel owners, with the community — made a crucial difference, both in putting necessary legislation in place and in keeping the issue on the front burner until real results were achieved,” Linda Clifton of Upper Fremont said of the coordinated efforts that shut down several trouble-plagued Aurora Avenue motels in 2010.

“Now, with proposals to add significant Catholic Community Services and DESC housing on the Aurora corridor, we will need this kind of support both to assure safety for everyone living here, in the neighborhoods, in those large facilities, and on Metro, and to reassure the neighborhoods that they have protection as things change,” Clifton added.

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.

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 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:

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?

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 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.

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.

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.

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).