Last week the Seattle Police Department published its annual report on stops and detentions, with numbers for 2018. It begins by noting that Terry stops are up substantially over 2017 numbers — but then it provides another 25 pages of text, tables and charts that offer little help in understanding why. In fact, SPD itself admits in the report that they don’t know what the increase means: SPD conducted 18.5% more Terry stops in 2018 than in 2017. However, statistical trend analysis shows that this increase appears to be an anomaly. Our analysis next year will indicate whether a pattern …
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How much will it cost to fix Seattle’s unreinforced masonry buildings?
According to SDCI, the City of Seattle contains 1,145 buildings with unreinforced masonry that could collapse in a major seismic event. While records are incomplete, the city estimates that about 11% of those have already retrofitted the building to address the issue. Another 68 of them are owned by various government entities. That leaves 944 buildings in private hands with unreinforced masonry: in total about 20,200,000 square feet, containing 10,400 residential housing units with 22,050 residents. Thirty seven of those buildings contain 1,559 designated affordable housing units. Every few years the city attempts to move forward legislation to mandate that …
Continue readingWhat’s up with the city’s new “emphasis patrols”?
Last week, Mayor Jenny Durkan announced that during the month of May the city would conduct “emphasis patrols” in seven neighborhoods across the city “to improve public safety and address community maintenance needs.” This left many people — including most of the City Council members — confused about what this program was about. Council member Lorena Gonzalez sent Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best a letter, asking over a page of detailed questions. After some back and forth, it was agreed that representatives from SPD and other participating city departments would present at Gonzalez’s committee hearing this morning to shed …
Continue readingUpdate to vacant building monitoring program advances
This morning, the Planning, Land Use and Zoning Committee took up a bill that makes some adjustments to the city’s vacant building monitoring program.
Continue readingSeattle’s gun-safety law goes into effect tomorrow; more legal challenges sure to follow
This afternoon the Mayor’s Office sent out a press release announcing that tomorrow the city’s gun-safety legislation goes into effect. But even though it won its first round in court, the city’s legal battles over this ordinance have just begun.
Continue readingCity braces for more snow… or worse.
This afternoon, Mayor Durkan and several of her department heads held a press briefing on preparations for two more winter storm systems: one that arrived late this afternoon, and the second to arrive midday tomorrow. Tomorrow’s is the one they are all worried about.
Continue readingCity to vacate old, low-level warrants
This morning at a press conference in City Hall, Mayor Durkan, Chief of Police Best, City Attorney Holmes and City Councilmember Gonzalez announced that they would be submitting a motion to Seattle Municipal Court to vacate 208 outstanding low-level misdemeanor arrest warrants.
Continue readingNotes from today’s Council meetings
There was a lot happening today. New department directors, new protections for domestic workers, support for dairy workers, discussion of the proposed Waterfront LID, and what SPD is doing about recent “shots fired” incidents in the Central District.
Continue readingSPD issues rules for gun storage ordinance
Today the Seattle Police Department issued its proposed interpretive rules for enforcement of the city’s recently passed ordinance requiring that firearms not in use be stored in a locked container.
Continue readingCommunity Service Officer program on hold, possibly on the chopping block
In 2016, the City Council added money into the 2017-2018 city budget to revive the highly regarded Community Service Officer program, with a target roll-out in the second half of this year. But Mayor Durkan has delayed that plan, and suggested that her budget priorities may lie elsewhere.
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