Monday, June 15th Crown Hill Neighbors and Crown Hill Business Association jointly sponsored a Crime and Safety meeting for Crown Hill and adjacent areas. We had 37 members of the public attend the meeting in the Journey Church basement with 3 representatives of Seattle’s city government. D. Haag and N. Hansen from the Seattle Police Department and Rob Mattson from the Department of Neighborhoods fielded questions from the room, and each gave short presentations.

Some of the hot spots highlighted as needing attention included:

• The alley behind the Labor Ready building and Fire Station 35 off of 15th. There have been a number of instances of unsavory characters making residents feel generally unsafe, and contributing to unsanitary conditions in the alley. Some solutions were discussed which included trimming vegetation, installing additional lighting, and neighbors and businesses meeting to tackle the issues.
• Baker Park on Crown Hill (8347 14th Ave. NW). A number of residents mentioned there were issues with drug dealing and low lighting levels in the park were a contributing factor. Police Department spokespersons indicated the solutions involved calling in complaints as they were occurring. Another neighbor from 97th near 9th indicated he had success with dealing at a drug house near him with the narcotics unit which eventually established the pressure forcing the drug dealers to leave. Issues of lighting and sight lines to the street were discussed as potential ameliorative factors.
• Car thefts in the area north of Holman continue to be a problem (especially at the QFC on Holman and to a lesser extent in the residential areas). Neil Hansen indicated the use of steering wheel immobilizers (like “The Club”) are an effective deterrent to outright theft of vehicles.
• Car prowls/break-ins are occurring but that is a city wide problem and is not necessarily any different here than other areas of the city. Keep valuables out of sight in vehicles, doors locked, alarms set. Some vehicle break-ins are through use of force (breaking a window) while other use a “master key” or “key-bumping” to gain entry. Catherine Weatbrook sent a tip to our friends at MyBallard.com on a rash of thefts of GPS units … approximately 15 incidents between the 13th of June and the 18th.
• Business owners are concerned about their premises after they leave for the day. Rob Mattson, and the Police Department representatives indicated paying attention to lighting inside and outside can help here. Recently a passerby reported a break-in in progress on the 8300 block of 15th. Police were able to apprehend the suspect. Residents are encouraged to report criminal activity in the business district as they witness it. And this is definitely in everybody’s best interest in maintaining a vibrant business district where merchants can stay in business.

Overall, an excellent turnout for both neighbors and businesses. Thanks to Rob Mattson, Neil Hansen, and D. Haag for fielding questions.