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.”
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 10th 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:
Given the number of talks regarding traffic calming, Transportation Chair Glenn Avery said he would see about getting representatives from SDOT to talk to the group at next month’s meeting.
John Coney discussed the Interbay Neighborhood Association, who are mobilized to combat the possibility that a tent city would move to Interbay on a Seattle City Light site. Monrad said the office of Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell said they will not put a tent city there.
Jim Cunningham, member of the city’s Community Center Advisory Team, said there will be public hearings on June 15 and 16, one at the Bitter Lake Community Center and one at the Jefferson Community Center, to present Seattle Parks’ latest ideas addressing the future of community centers in Seattle.
Communications Chair Michael Lapin spoke briefly about the opening of this year’s Queen Anne Farmers Market. There is not expected to be a significant amount of competition with the new farmers market in Interbay’s Whole Food’s parking lot, said Lapin. Internal challenges persist with the administration of the Queen Anne Farmers Market, and a solution to the controversy between the different stakeholders is still being sought for next year’s market.
The Queen Anne Helpline‘s annual Queen Anne Fun Run will take place Saturday, July 9, and the organization is looking for people to register, volunteer and donate.
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?
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.
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.
The people who work directly with our neighborhood in preventing crime could soon be out of a job. The six civilian crime prevention coordinators for the Seattle Police Department, including West Precinct and Queen Anne coordinator Terrie Johnston, have been told they’ll lose their jobs next spring when grant money runs out.
The crime prevention coordinators work directly with residents doing everything from setting up block watches to going door to door to warn about recent crimes. They’ve been part of the police budget up until last October, when the positions then became paid for with federal grant money. That ends on March 31 of next year.
“We are the link between the community and the police department,” Terrie Johnston (pictured right) told us. “Patrol officers are often promoted or transfer out. We’re the ones in people’s living rooms and churches.”
Johnston and her fellow coordinators have logged hundreds of community meetings over the past year. She worries that officers and precinct bosses won’t be able to give residents one on one attention if the crime prevention coordinators are let go.
“When we’re gone, who will take the time?”
Councilmember Tim Burgess, who chairs the Public Safety and Education committee, tells us his office is closely tracking the issue as it heads toward the mayor and council. If you’d like to voice your opinions, here’s a link to the mayor and City Council.
During the evening of October 28th, the West Precinct Anti-Crime Team attempted to serve four felony warrants for assaulting a police officer (the original incident occurred in September of 2008). They located two male suspects in the 300 block of W. Blaine St and placed them under arrest. They then located a third female suspect in the 2500 block of 5th Avenue W and arrested her, as well. The fourth suspect, also female, is still at large. This information is provided to us by the new online Seattle Police blotter.
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Last October we told you about the 
“We are the link between the community and the police department,” Terrie Johnston (pictured right) told us. “Patrol officers are often promoted or transfer out. We’re the ones in people’s living rooms and churches.”