On Capitol Hill, the main issues are mental illness, car prowls, and graffiti. The biggest crime issue people had to complain about on First Hill is littering and illegal dumping. Meanwhile in the Central District, people are worried about getting shot, car prowls… and, well, getting shot. This from the results of a Seattle University-run survey on behalf of the Seattle Police Department as part of its ongoing “micro community” policing plan.
Limited results from the survey and a new micro community policing site were announced Thursday:
MCPP are the result of grassroots efforts, with direct collaboration from residents, business leaders, stakeholders, and police officers on the beat. Under the MCPP, community residents work in partnership with their local precinct captain and Community Policing Team to identify problems, analyze existing quality of life and crime data, and design individualized plans to reduce and prevent crime.
CHS reported on the launch of the program last year. “The Micro Community Policing Plans were created from the bottom up, with input from cops on the beat and people living and working in Seattle neighborhoods,” Chief Kathleen O’Toole said then.
The survey results compile the main pain points for each area of the city as well as overall trends. The larger the aggregation, the more common issues like car prowling rise to the top:
The survey, of course, also makes the case for more copes — survey respondents cited a “lack of police capacity/presence” at a rate second only to car prowls amongst their “safety concerns.”
While the survey didn’t directly address issues raised by the Justice Department around use of force and trust of the Seattle Police Department in this federal assessment released early this year, SPD says the survey’s approach to assessing the public’s confidence in the department shows “strong level of trust in SPD and its officers” —
Across Seattle’s neighborhoods and the city as a whole, respondents indicated that Seattle maintains high levels of social organization, social cohesion, and informal social controls. In the face of vital national and local conversations about the nature of policing, the survey revealed a strong level of trust in SPD and its officers. Together these factors create an environment that is ripe for residents and their police department to jointly identify and solve existing concerns.
Despite the new data, the community policing plans published online haven’t changed with the survey results, by the way. Here is the roster of East Precinct zones and links to documents (PDF) outlining the policing plans:
- Capitol Hill
- Central Area/Squire Park
- Eastlake
- First Hill
- ID/Little Saigon
- Judkins Park
- Madison Park
- Madrona/Leschi
- Miller Park
- Montlake Portage Bay
- Mount Baker/North Rainier
- North Beacon Hill/North Rainier
- North Capitol Hill
The report also doesn’t provide a specific assessment of crime trends in the various zones and precincts. CHS will be looking at the most recent data soon.
You can find more information on the program on the new site at seattle.gov/seattle-police-department/mcpp
