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Murder ’emergency’ — Council member to talk crime at East Precinct community meeting

Former Seattle Police cop and current member of the Seattle City Council Tim Burgess will be at Thursday night’s monthly meeting of the East Precinct Advisory Council in a week when the mayor used part of his state of the city address to warn of an “emergency” in Seattle and SPD has asked for the community’s help to stem the bloodshed that has left nine people dead in gun violence in the first two months of 2012.


Here are details on the Burgess appearance:

When: Thursday, February 23, 2012 06:00 PM – 08:00 PM
Where: 6:00 to 7:45 PM Seattle University, Chardin Hall, Room 142 1020 East Jefferson (Entrance at 11th and E Jefferson)
What: City Council Member Tim Burgess, who will speak about his recently published policy essay entitled “A New Philosophy of Policing”. Recently chair of the Council’s Public Safety Committee, Tim was able to identify Best Practices in crime prevention and policing strategies. The entire essay can be found within Tim’s website- http://www.seattle.gov/council/burgess/ – in the current issues

On Tuesday, Mayor Mike McGinn said Seattle is experiencing a murder “emergency”

The mayor touted new efforts to crack down on crime-ridden nightclubs, repeated his call for the legalization of marijuana and announced the launch of “violence-prevention patrols,” Seattle Police Department units that will focus on street disorder and gun violence.

SPD took the unusual step of releasing a statement on the wave of gun violence and announcing implementation of “dedicated emphasis patrols” in every precinct of the city:

Recently there has been an increase in violent crime in many of our neighborhoods.  The Seattle Police Department views this increase as a public safety emergency. 

To date, the Seattle Police Department is investigating nine homicides, and many shootings that could have easily become homicides.  

Seattle Police detectives are investigating each and every one of these incidents, but they cannot solve these crimes alone.  Investigators need the public’s assistance with information and tips if they are to solve cases. 

Anyone with information on any of these crimes is urged to call the Seattle Police via the. Callers may remain anonymous if they wish.

In an effort to curb this recent increase in violence, the Seattle Police Department is implementing violence prevention emphasis patrols in every precinct of the city.  The dedicated emphasis patrols will work collaboratively with the communities and other stake holders to ensure that residents and visitors can live without fear.

CHS has reported extensively on crime trends in the Capitol Hill neighborhood and our portion of the East Precinct. Recent trends have continued long-term patterns of overall decreasing crime. But the nine murders — including this unsolved Harvard Ave case — has the city off on a bloody start to the new year.

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christy x-nc17
12 years ago

This is the kind of response we need – The City needs safety, first! Thank you for the quick response! Putting the residence safety first, shows how much you care about the people of Seattle! I walk these streets alone or with my daughter, everyday – We demand our safety!

Gratitude – Christyx

paul
12 years ago

6/10 for sentiment; 2/10 for punctuation.

Shot Kallah!
12 years ago

Ya come 2 Seattle Bet’Uh Come Correck. Don git robbed, don’t git disrespeckted. Bring your guns and take what you need.

Sarcasm aside, 9 murders in less than 2 months is saying a lot. Most years we have around 10 murders for the entire year. WTF is going on here? Is SPD solving a high rate of these murders? One person was killed at my school and a schoolmate was shot and killed downtown. WTF? This isn’t Detroit or Houston,. What’s going on here and what are the outcomes to these murders?

MS
MS
12 years ago

I’ve lived on Capitol Hill for nearly 7 years and last night attended my first community meeting of any sort (a sad fact that probably applies to the majority of the hill’s residents). mr. burgess clearly has his eyes on a much bigger prize- mayor, as many speculate. nonetheless, his presentation had some greatly-appreciated sincerity. that said, i’m surprised by how much he relies on out of state academia to determine the best way to address Seattle’s crime. sure, for a policy paper, quote criminologist David Kennedy, but when you are talking to community members, maybe tell us what the foot beat cops are saying, the people on the street, those who have intimate knowledge of the nuances of the area.
perhaps most interesting was the rhetorical question posed to mr. burgess- great policy paper, but where are the leaders who will put it into action?

maybe we’ll have to wait until the next election year.