The Seattle Fire Department reports that last week’s fire that destroyed four businesses and damaged several others was arson, and had been set inside the Green Bean Coffee House.
According to Helen Fitzpatrick, spokeswoman for Seattle Fire, “The fire was set in a coffee shop by an unknown suspect. Damage is estimated at $2 million, and that includes damage to the building and the contents of four businesses.”
This was the scene around 4:30 a.m. last Friday. The fire was reported just after 4 a.m.
Fire investigators began their investigation on Tuesday and wrapped up late this afternoon. The fire department announced the cause just after 5 p.m. today.
Seattle Police will now take the lead on this since it’s a criminal investigation.
There had been speculation that the devastating fire could be arson, after a series of arsons in Greenwood and Phinney a few months before. This brings the total number of arsons in our neighborhood to five.
I just got off the phone with Scott Nolte, the producing artistic director of Taproot Theatre, which was heavily damaged and which also owns the entire Eleanor Roosevelt Building that was destroyed.
“It is just so horribly disheartening to the four businesses that lost everything,” Nolte said. “The Green Bean was a nonprofit and the staff there poured their heart into it. And then we’ve got families that owned the other businesses… and lost everything. And our theater has basically been dismanted. It’s just astounding, it’s just numbing that someone for whatever reason would torch a little coffee shop.”
He said the theater is already dealing with trying to find an alternate site for its traditional Christmas show. And they’re working with a contractor in the hopes of getting the theater ready for the 2010 season by the third week of January, which seems pretty hopeful. Nolte said subscriptions for next season are ahead of last year.
“I don’t feel angry as much as it just makes me feel tired… everybody has to just start over,” Nolte said. “It’s just so sad.”
Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce President Steve Giliberto was stunned when I told him the news.
“I’m outraged,” Giliberto said. “Hearing that this was arson, I’m white knuckled angry.”
With four restaurants in the building, Giliberto initially figured it was some kind of accidental fire due to grease or something else.
“I honestly did not believe that it was arson. My first instincts were I couldn’t see that piece of property being targeted,” Giliberto said. “I did not look at the Green Bean and three Asian restaurants as being politically or socially on the wrong side of somebody. Maybe it was naïve.”
Giliberto said the neighborhood has a lot to face in the next few weeks or months as police try to arrest the person or persons responsible for all the arsons. “We have to grow up a little bit. And I mean that in a sincere way. Unfortunately, our view of our neighborhood as a quiet, mellow, cool place to be, has changed,” he said. ”Not that those things have changed, but they’ve been challenged. We’re being looked at as prime pickin’s.”
73 responses so far ↓
1 Rob Fellows // Oct 29, 2009 at 6:10 pm
*oof*
Absolutely the worst news yet.
2 Drew Pickard // Oct 29, 2009 at 6:31 pm
This brings the tally to 5, correct?
So when is this person gonna be arrested?
3 Neighbor // Oct 29, 2009 at 6:50 pm
@1: Agreed.
BTW: Does anyone know whatever happened to the arsonist from a few years back who burned down the condo building that now houses Fresh Flours? There was a stray news item about police catching someone in B.C. shortly after that string of madness, but no follow-ups.
4 Jamps // Oct 29, 2009 at 7:08 pm
I am stunned by this news!! I cannot believe someone would intentionally do something like this!!
5 Danimal // Oct 29, 2009 at 8:08 pm
wow… I am not sure what to think??? why dont we have a neighborhood block watch?? something needs to be done here…
6 Phinneyman // Oct 29, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Any connection to the October 25 fire in the alley behind the 4200 block of 12th Avenue NE? See
SPD Blotter at
http://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2009/10/25/dumpster-fire-in-north-seattle-2/
7 Andy Fitzgerald // Oct 29, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Wow. I guess we all knew it was possible, but it’s a stun all the same.
While I second all the comments so far, I think Danimal’s is spot on. So what now? There are some good resources out there already (this blog, the Greenwood Neighborhood Lookout blog at http://greenwoodneighbor.blogspot.com/ and GAIN at http://www.gainseattle.com/index.html ), but clearly more needs to be done.
Nora over at my Ballard.com commented that “If this is the same arsonist Greenwood has had trouble with he/she has really upped their game.” Sounds like it’s about time we did the same. I’m sure there are a number of folks who would be willing to pitch in (myself included) in whatever way they can. Thoughts?
8 R // Oct 29, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Here is an attempt to summarize the region’s 2009 fires…
– 1) June 19, 2009 - 8733 _ Greenwood Ave. N. - Former site of the OK Corral BBQ.
– 2) August 12, 2009 - 7708 _ Greenwood Ave. N.
– 3) August 13, 2009 - 1111 N. 98th Street.
– 4) August 13, 2009 - 108 NW 84th Street.
– 5) October 23, 2009 - 210 N 85th Street - Green Bean (Spreading to PhoTicTac-SzechuanBistro-CCTeriyaki)
This list can be improved with listing the non-arson fires and adding more references.
REF:
(http://www.phinneywood.com/2009/08/19/arson-update/)
(http://www.phinneywood.com/2009/08/13/house-fire-at-1st-and-nw-84th-st/)
(http://www.phinneywood.com/2009/08/14/investigators-four-greenwood-fires-are-arson/)
(http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/archives/176544.asp)
9 tw78 // Oct 29, 2009 at 9:12 pm
so very sad and pointless.
10 Daniel // Oct 29, 2009 at 9:41 pm
I was worried this would turn out as an arson too. Seriously, of all places, why would you target the Green Bean? They are a non-profit doing good work, providing a great space for the community, really nice people all around, and they had good coffee and food! I hope they are able to rebuild soon, it always felt good to give them some business. Please bring back the Green Bean ASAP!
11 Whopper // Oct 29, 2009 at 9:52 pm
“why would you target the Green Bean? They are a non-profit doing good work”
So other businesses would be ok to burn if they don’t do ‘good work’? Wow, I guess the pho guy is sh*t out of luck.
12 amh98103 // Oct 29, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Perhaps we need to meet with the fire department and police to ask what we can do as members of this community to help prevent this from happening to anyone else and to catch the person or persons responsible. I am just sick about this. So many people’s lives have been uprooted by this senseless and hurtful act. The bad guys shouldn’t be allowed to win and ruin our wonderful neighborhood.
13 car // Oct 29, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Wasn’t it reported that not all of the neighborhood fires were arson? This is such a mess, who knows what the real stories are. I feel safer at night in NYC than our neighborhood. Maybe we should all get out more in the evenings, instead of leaving the streets to the carprowlers, fighters, and now arsonists!?
14 R // Oct 29, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Here is an attempt to summarize the region’s 2009 fires…
– 1) June 19, 2009 - 8733 _ Greenwood Ave. N. - Former site of the OK Corral BBQ - Arson.
– 2) August 12, 2009 - 7708 _ Greenwood Ave. N - Residence - Arson.
– 3) August 13, 2009 - 1111 N. 98th Street - Offices - Arson.
– 4) August 13, 2009 - 108 NW 84th Street - Residence - Arson.
– 5) October 23, 2009 - 210 N 85th Street - Green Bean (Spreading to PhoTicTac-SzechuanBistro-CCTeriyaki) - Arson.
Also…
– ) August 12, 2009 - 358 NW 85th Street - Residence - Accident.
– ) September 28, 2009 - 8539 _ Greenwood Ave. N - Gary’sGames - Accident.
This list may be incomplete and/or out of date.
This references list is certainly incomplete:
REF:
(http://www.phinneywood.com/2009/08/13/house-fire-at-1st-and-nw-84th-st/)
(http://www.phinneywood.com/2009/08/14/investigators-four-greenwood-fires-are-arson/)
(http://www.phinneywood.com/2009/08/19/arson-update/)
(http://www.phinneywood.com/2009/10/29/greenwood-fire-was-arson/)
(http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/archives/176544.asp)
15 AG // Oct 30, 2009 at 1:06 am
What car said (and yes, I speak as a former New Yorker; the more “eyes on the street” the safer the street is). And Whopper, please take a deep breath; I understood Daniel to be speaking only of Green Bean’s particular community involvement. No one in their right mind would claim any of these businesses was “ok to burn.” (What the heck does that even mean, for that matter? Do we really have to sit down and parse which of other peoples’ belongings we may burn? Dang, dude.)
And now, because someone needs to say it — (takes off her peace-n-luv-n-play nice hat) — I hope we in the community catch this SOB ten minutes before the cops arrive to haul him/her off. This particular child of small-business owners wants to be sure the perpetrator feels at least a healthy subset of the pain s/he’s put these families through; Giliberto’s outrage is a good start, but I’d like justice to be at least as visible to us as the four storefronts I walk by every day.
16 spring // Oct 30, 2009 at 5:53 am
What started the fire last night on 102nd at 2:30 or so? The fire trucks woke me up and I checked 911 live because it sounded close.
17 ballardistic // Oct 30, 2009 at 6:06 am
AG, well said.
18 petsfriend // Oct 30, 2009 at 7:16 am
What a sad person the arsonist must be. How twisted do you have to be to get pleasure out of other people’s pain? I hope they catch the person and prosecute. But that probably won’t change whatever is making him/her so twisted.
19 R // Oct 30, 2009 at 7:46 am
Assuming that this was arson, as estimated, there are multiple possibilities as to why it was started specifically @ Green Bean.
1) The person had something against GreenBean. (This is what people are saying seems unlikely relative to other possible targets.)
2) The person had access to Green Bean interior (assuming that the fire started in the interior).
3) The person thought that the Green Bean would burn well.
4) The person was curious how the fire would spread from the Green Bean.
5) The person wanted the neighbors on both sides of Green Bean to burn. (perhaps has hate of “asians”)
6) The person’s real target was a neighbor of Green Bean but wanted to mislead investigators.
7) The person’s real target is elsewhere in Greenwood and is trying to look random to mislead investigators.
Etc.
I don’t know if the fire department plans to release information beyond “An arson that began @ Green Bean”.
(http://fireline.seattle.gov/2009/10/23/three-alarm-fire-in-greenwood/)
(http://fireline.seattle.gov/2009/10/29/greenwood-fire-ruled-arson/)
I certainly hope that the person is not reading this and enjoying the attention.
20 Jeremy // Oct 30, 2009 at 8:06 am
This is sooo depressing. What a pointless act which caused so much pain. It hurts to think someone out there would do something like this, I was hoping it’d be an accident.
21 Susan Mullen // Oct 30, 2009 at 8:13 am
I was thinking this morning that a neighborhood patrol would be good, but I personally don’t know anyone who could get up and patrol at 2, 3, or 4 AM, which seem to be the worst times. I would be a mess at work the next day if I did that. I’ve gone on several patrols with GAIN, but they were all the “early” ones, starting at about 7:30 PM and lasting an hour or less.
I don’t want any more arson in my neighborhood. I don’t care who the target is.
I wonder if there is any way we can get bicycle police patrolling Greenwood, at least for the next several months?
22 Ghoul // Oct 30, 2009 at 8:15 am
time to ban lighters and matches in public places…
23 kitty // Oct 30, 2009 at 8:20 am
Has anyone been able to get in touch with the other affected owners about their plans/needs? There has been a lot of coverage of Taproot and Green Bean and it would be great to know about the other 3 businesses too.
24 Tiktok // Oct 30, 2009 at 8:39 am
“why would you target the Green Bean? They are a non-profit doing good work”
In the last few weeks I’d seen a sign outside Green Bean “No Barista On Duty–Help Yourself to Free Drip Coffee” (or wording to that effect), which suggests that an arsonist could have had unfettered access to plan his attack.
25 SeenItToo // Oct 30, 2009 at 8:43 am
Someone in the story was quoted as saying “…Unfortunately, our view of our neighborhood as a quiet, mellow, cool place to be, has changed,” he said. ”
Boy is that ever the truth. I have lived in this neighborhood for 20 years and I never saw the level of crime and drug activity that I have seen lately. I sure don’t know what accounts for it, but Greenwood is definitely not the place it used to be. The junkies and criminals are really changing the character of this neighborhood.
26 GWMom // Oct 30, 2009 at 8:58 am
“I sure don’t know what accounts for it, but Greenwood is definitely not the place it used to be. The junkies and criminals are really changing the character of this neighborhood.”
What has happened is our neighborhood has become passive and afraid to “profile” people. You want your old neighborhood back then if you see ANY suspicious activity or people call 911. Install motion sensor lights in your driveway, cut back bushes that people can hide behind, put your trash cans in a secure place so people don’t set them on fire, know who lives on your street.
Junkies and criminals are in this neighborhood because us as neighbors are not doing enough!
27 Tiktok // Oct 30, 2009 at 9:12 am
I can’t understand why crime has gone up in the neighborhood in the last few years. It’s not as if the police aren’t well-paid and have a budget to support a robust–oh, wait….
28 LeaderDesslok // Oct 30, 2009 at 9:17 am
This is really sad!
There needs to be undercover police FOOT patrols in the 85th and Greenwood area between 2:30 and 4:30 am. That’s the geographical target and it’s also the time when most crime happens, in general. Why not do this for a few weeks and then randomly on an ongoing basis?
We need to catch the person(s) responsible for this before they start calling our neighborhood Firewood. Or, more importantly, before someone dies.
With the high number of apartment buildings in Greenwood. Catching those responsible should be TOP priority for SPD.
29 Greg // Oct 30, 2009 at 9:19 am
Kitty — Pho Tic Tac has another restaurant they had recently opened at Aurora and 145th. I had lunch there the other day and the owner was there and she was glad to see a customer from 85th street. Unfortunately I don’t know how you can get in touch with the other 2 businesses that were burned down. I think Gorditos has connections to all of them, but right now Marlena, the owner is out of town.
30 Pedro // Oct 30, 2009 at 9:33 am
For the sake of the neighborhood, the city, and society in general, I hope that this person is brought to swift justice.
31 D. in Ballard // Oct 30, 2009 at 10:06 am
Totally agree about foot patrols. Remember that single dad who was beat up outside of Yen Wor Garden?
32 Susan Helf // Oct 30, 2009 at 10:21 am
I’ve also lived in this neighborhood for 20 years. I’m distressed by the increase in crime. The Aurora Ave. sleazebags have been rolling up the hill for years and turning tricks or selling drugs on our streets in the broad daylight. Many of my neighbors have been burgled. Car prowls are up. There are more syringes and used condoms appearing on our lawns and gardens.
And now we’ve had FIVE arsons this year!
Middle-of-the-night citizen patrols are not realistic. We need professionals to protect our
neighborhood.
There are not enough police officers patrolling the North Precinct, which is a 32-square-mile section of Seattle. It extends from the Ship Canal to the city limits. Only one member of the current City Council, Nick Licata, lives in the North End.
Unlike every other big American city, Seattle elects city council members at large, instead of by neighborhood. That means the Council is primarily responsive to downtown developers.
After the election, we need to have another big community meeting to which we invite the new mayor, the City Council and members of the police department and DEMAND more police offers be hired, and that more of them be assigned to this precinct.
33 Ghoul // Oct 30, 2009 at 10:23 am
@ #27
http://www.cityofseattle.net/police/jobs/benefits/salary.htm
34 Princess Platypus // Oct 30, 2009 at 10:25 am
Greg - Thanks for mentioning that. I drove past the Pho Tic Tac at 145th and Aurora the other day and I was wondering if they were connected.
I hope that means the family that owns it has a bit of a cushion from the devastation on 85th.
35 Ghoul // Oct 30, 2009 at 10:29 am
for comparison (national average) .
http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layouthtmls/swzl_compresult_national_LG12000003.html
36 Tiktok // Oct 30, 2009 at 11:13 am
The $60k starting salary is a significant raise (effective 2010) from the $45k salary the SPD has been saddled with for the last few years. Fact is, it hasn’t been enough to entice people with the skills and abilities that the SPD wants these days, hence recent nationwide recruiting drives for SPD all the way to New York City.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003560301_recruiting07m.html
“The city proudly announced that it had hired 60 officers in 2007—well below its annual goal of 80 new hires. On average, the city loses around 50 cops every year to transfers and retirement. In the first quarter of 2008, the city hoped to hire 33 officers—through recruiting and transfers—while holding losses to 15. But in the first two months of 2008, SPD only had 21 recruits in training and lost 14 officers.”
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=541750
37 Catherine // Oct 30, 2009 at 11:16 am
In addition to us all being alert/aware/proactive, does anybody have any experience hiring security firms? How much would it be to hire someone 4 hours/night to patrol by car?
38 MikePhoto // Oct 30, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Could the surveillance cameras on the corners of the building on the corner (Antika) have caught anything? I don’t know what the coverage is (or even if they are really active), but if there there system is operating and taping they may have some info the police may want.
39 Ghoul // Oct 30, 2009 at 12:35 pm
1.your first comment was how they don’t have enough money.
2.the SPD is one of the top in the US for pay. how is that not enough for you? the contract boosts Seattle ahead of Renton and Bellevue, two of the highest-paid police departments in the state.
3.both those articles were written BEFORE they got their raise approved.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004420844_union17m.html
40 Matt Luthy // Oct 30, 2009 at 12:49 pm
As a fellow small business owner & attorney in the neighborhood and former customer of CC Teriyaki , I would be more than willing to donate some legal services to any of the families that lost their livelyhoods in this conflagration. Please call me at (206) 533-8342 if I can be of any assistance.
41 Ghoul // Oct 30, 2009 at 12:58 pm
oh and Tiktok, i do agree with you that we need more police officers. but i think they are, or will be, paid enough.
imho, i think its the line of work and lack of community support that makes a person hesitate joining the force.
42 Ghoul // Oct 30, 2009 at 1:00 pm
i just reread my #39, i did not mean to come off that combative, sorry if i did.
43 Tiktok // Oct 30, 2009 at 5:27 pm
If you have a given job, say that of “police officer”, and you have a pool of people who are qualified to do such job, and you consistently miss your hiring figures for several years, then you are not offering enough money to entice the prospective workforce to put up with the hassle of being a “police officer”.
The articles were written before they got their raise, but what I’m reading is that the raise only takes effect in 2010, so whatever police staffing issues we’re seeing now are a result of the too-low salary for the last few years. And even raising the salary doesn’t account for the prevalence of one-cop/car staffing issues.
We need to spend more money on the police, in all areas, to achieve the policing levels we want.
44 petsfriend // Oct 30, 2009 at 5:33 pm
The police are too busy handing out speeding tickets for 8 over the posted speed at 11:30 on Aurora when no one is around. They don’t seem to ever be in the right place at the right time. I’d much rather have a few speeders on Aurora when no one is around and less drug crime in Greenwood, than the other way around.
45 Tiktok // Oct 30, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Speeding tickets are cash-positive activities for the SPD, investigating property crimes and drug dealing is cash-negative.
46 ghoul // Oct 30, 2009 at 7:59 pm
they missed their hire target because they WERE not being paid enough. now they will be. what do you want them to do?
47 Tiktok // Oct 30, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Put two guys to a car, stop wasting time on pot busts and clean up the city? Just off the top of my head.
Plus, it’s still not apparent that $60k will do it. It might, but we haven’t seen the recruiting numbers yet.
48 Rob Fellows // Oct 30, 2009 at 9:37 pm
We should get some folks from the Police Department to come talk to us. I don’t think arson is the same problem as some of the other crime issues discussed here - it can be a single individual, maybe not who you think it will be, and very hard to watch for. It’s certainly not related to how much our police officers are paid. To me, it seems like a problem that requires reporting a ton of information to the police, doing intensive detective work and practicing prevention. But I’d like to hear from the professionals!
49 Summer // Oct 31, 2009 at 12:10 am
Regarding people’s questions about whether or not the other businesses that burned have been contacted- both the Greenwood Service Center and the Greenwood/Phinney Chamber of Commerce are working to determine the needs of all the businesses affected and to identify ways for local neighbors, businesses and the city to come alongside them. I also know that Beth Pflug at the Service Center (to the left of Romios) has a sign-up sheet she’s started as people stop in and express interest in helping.
50 ghoul // Oct 31, 2009 at 9:16 am
again…
how do they need more money with a raise already approved?
51 Tiktok // Oct 31, 2009 at 1:58 pm
They need to pay cops more, and hire more cops. That’s two different budgetary adjustments, Ghoul.
What I’m wanting is significantly more police on the streets, period. As it is, prior to the salary increase (the effects of which have yet to be felt by the community), the SPD was having trouble offsetting the people leaving the force due to retirement, etc., let alone increasing the overall ratio of police to citizens.
52 Ghoul // Oct 31, 2009 at 3:21 pm
omg
logic check…
you first stated that they dont make enough money.
then you posted outdated articles that say they dont make enough money and their numers are too low.
then you state again that they need to make more money.
all the time knowing that they have been approved for a freakin’ 29% raise.
which, logically, will lead to more hires…
AGAIN…
how can you keep saying they need more money?
it looks like they acknowledged the problem and came up with the right solution.
the solution you wanted in your #27 post.
what more do you want?
53 Tiktok // Oct 31, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Here’s what I mean by “they [the SPD] need more money”:
“According to the Department of Justice, the national average is about one officer for every 271 residents. Some cities have more than that—New York City has one officer for every 218 residents—while others have fewer. Atlanta, Georgia, with a population similar to Seattle’s, has one officer for every 279 residents. Denver, Colorado, has one officer for every 354 residents. Seattle has just one officer for every 500 residents.
To bring Seattle’s officer-resident ratio down to a manageable ratio of 1 to 250, the city would need to double what it currently spends annually on patrol officers, to over $220 million.”
So here’s my question for Ghoul: where are your up-to-date stats on the number of open sworn officer positions in Seattle as of now, the number of new recuits this year, and the number of officers who have left the force this year due to retirement, resignation, death and/or illness?
54 Ghoul // Oct 31, 2009 at 4:31 pm
that is the same outdated article, written before they raise was even on the table…
55 Ghoul // Oct 31, 2009 at 4:31 pm
the*
56 Ghoul // Oct 31, 2009 at 4:41 pm
and even if you wanted to use that article,
“To bring Seattle’s officer-resident ratio down to a manageable ratio of 1 to 250, the city would need to double what it currently spends annually on patrol officers, to over $220 million.”
as a argument… they DID bring it to 221 million with the raise.
so AGAIN.
what do else do you want them to do?
57 Tiktok // Oct 31, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Ghoul:
I want them to double the number of police officers on the street.
The first step to doing that has apparently been done: raise the salary. The second step has apparently not: hire a ton more police.
What is the current officer/citizen ratio in Seattle now that the raise has been enacted?
58 Ghoul // Oct 31, 2009 at 5:12 pm
i cant find numbers that current,i have tried,the only link i can find is from 07′
however like you said, the raise is still not in effect. when it finally is we will have more recruits/
59 Harry Tracy // Oct 31, 2009 at 9:36 pm
I think Goul and TikTok should have their own off-line conversation.
I agree with Ms. Susan Helf.
60 allisonw // Nov 1, 2009 at 1:57 am
The ‘hood is once again loud with sirens. I hope this is not 36.
61 allisonw // Nov 1, 2009 at 1:57 am
Sorry, #6.
62 Tiktok // Nov 1, 2009 at 9:51 am
@61: Another fire last night
1/1/2009 1:45:48 AM
F090103003
AIR9 B4 B6 DEP1 E21 E22 E31 E35 L4 L8 M31 SAFT2 STAF10
2125 N 90TH ST
Fire in Single Family Res
63 R // Nov 1, 2009 at 1:37 pm
In other words…
1 November 2009 @ 1:45:48 AM.
2125 N 90th Street.
Fire in Single Family Residence
Incident # F090103003.
Units: AIR9 B4 B6 DEP1 E21 E22 E31 E35 L4 L8 M31 SAFT2 STAF10.
64 Susan Helf // Nov 1, 2009 at 4:33 pm
TikTok is absolutely correct that, while individual salaries may have risen, the number of sworn officers patrolling the community is outrageous low.
If the salaries were high enough, the Seattle Police Department would be attracting more recruits. Evidently, the Department can’t even replace retiring officers, much less increase the size of the force.
Also, being a cop is extremely dangerous. Did you hear about the police officer that was murdered last night in the CD? He and an intern were on motor patrol when a gunman in an adjoining car opened fire on them. This was an unprovoked drive-by shooting of police officers. Would you take on a job like that for $60,000 a year? No wonder the Seattle Police Department has a hard time hiring new officers!
I agree with TikTok that we need twice as many officers to serve Seattle residents. Historically, the North Precinct has been unserved compared to the south half of the city.
I also question the wisdom of the cops setting up speed traps every quarter-mile on Aurora Ave. With an arsonist at large and burglaries becoming endemic, catching speeders and busting pot users should be the lowest priority.
In October of 2005, the community group, GAIN (Greenwood Aurora Involved Neighbors)
had a big community meeting about the increase of crime in Greenwood. Four hundred residents attended, as well as representatives from the Mayor’s Office, the City Council and the North Precinct of the Seattle Police Department. The only City Council members who showed up were the two who lived in the North End; Nick Licata and former Councilman Peter Steinbrueck.
For more than an hour, residents got up to the microphone and talked about their homes being burgled, their cars being broken into, witnessing dealers selling drugs and prostitutes turning tricks on our street corners; sometimes even on residents’ porches! They described finding used condoms and syringes in their gardens.
The Police Department representatives told us they had a limited number of officers to patrol the 32-mile square area that makes up the North Precinct - from the Ship Canal to N. 145th St. Licata and Steinbrueck agreed that we needed more police patrols, but said the city lacked the funds.
Residents were instructed to call the police whenever we witnessed drug deals or other criminal behavior. My neighbors and I call the police often, but the cops seldom come out in time to arrest anybody. The police tell victims of burglaries to call immediately. However, an officer will only be dispatched to take a report if the burglary results in a loss of $10,000 or more.
I would like GAIN to hold another community safety meeting like the one we attended in 2005. If you think this is a good idea, please email GAIN at:
gaingroup@gmail.com
GAIN has had some success in lowering the incidence of narcotics trafficking and prostitution in our neighborhood. See the GAIN home page for more info. http://www.gainseattle.com/Aboutus/Aboutus.html
Other neighborhood safety groups:
GAIN the Highland - from 140th- 145th and Greenwood: http://www.gainthehighland.org/
GAIN North Greenwood From 95th north to 105th. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gainnorth/
Phinney - Greenwood Neighborhood Group discussion list on Yahoo
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phinney-Greenwood_Neighborhood_Watch/?yguid=226387202
If we want safer neighborhoods, we have to organize, make noise and keep bugging the police department and the City of Seattle.
If Greenwood resident Mike McGinn is elected as mayor, and we get more progressives on the City Council, perhaps the North End will get more attention in 2010. At least we got rid of Nickels. One of his first official acts after he was elected was to fire the head of the Department
of Neighborhoods.
65 Stephen // Nov 1, 2009 at 11:13 pm
We must all remember that arson is generally an anonymous crime that does not target any group specifically, but rather is the act of a person gets satisfaction from the grandness of what they created. They look for opportunity, not revenge or hatred. It must be very difficult for our public servants to anticipate and prevent given the act is random. I for one would be all for a curfew as arsons tend to all occur in the wee hours. If you’re on the street at 4am, show your id and declare what you’re up to.
66 R // Nov 2, 2009 at 9:29 am
FYI.
2 November 2009 @ 3:14:14 AM.
700 N 103rd Street.
Fire in Single Family Residence.
Incident # F090103331.
Units: A2 AIR9 B4 B6 DEP1 E21 E24 E31 E35 L5 L8 M16 SAFT2 STAF10.
is currently listed @…
(http://www2.seattle.gov/fire/realTime911/getRecsForDatePub.asp?action=Today&incDate=&rad1=des)
And per SeattlePI…
“Seattle fire crews were called out early Monday morning to a fire in a two-story home in the Greenwood neighborhood. All the residents of the house at 700 N. 103rd Street got out safely. The fire was reported at 3:13 a.m., and firefighters had it knocked down by 3:30 a.m.”
67 Ghoul // Nov 2, 2009 at 8:51 pm
@ #64
“If the salaries were high enough, the Seattle Police Department would be attracting more recruits.”
::::slaps forehead::::
they pay raise has NOT gone into effect yet. when it does the numbers will go up. that was the point of the raise. why cant you people understand that when you address a problem that big it does not change overnight.
you cant keep saying they dont make enough money to draw more officers. THEY WILL BE MAKING MORE THAN ALMOST ANY OTHER POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THE UNITED STATES.
68 Ghoul // Nov 2, 2009 at 9:06 pm
the only reason why i responded to tiktocks first post,was because he/she was saying they (the police) don’t make enough money. they will be, what more do you want the city to do? the raise has been approved, what you wanted to happen…. ie make more money… you got your wish… what more do you want them to do? hire more officers? you have to WAIT. it wont be fixed overnight. you should know that.
and btw,
i think the reason numbers are low is due to the fact that they (UNTIL THEY GET THE RAISE COMING DOWN THE PIPE) are not making enough money and like you said yourself….
This was an unprovoked drive-by shooting of police officers. Would you take on a job like that for $60,000 a year? No wonder the Seattle Police Department has a hard time hiring new officers!
but they are only making 40k, right now… BUT AGAIN…. because i know you cant seem to figure this out…. when they are making 62k-100k the recruit numbers will rise
69 Ghoul // Nov 2, 2009 at 9:12 pm
oh here is an article,
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2009-02-04/news/safe-jobs-available-at-seattle-police-department/
“SPD spokesperson Sean Whitcomb says. “We’re like schoolteachers and nurses.”
While the police department has had problems filling positions in the past, recruiting is now “a lot easier,” Whitcomb says. He attributes that not only to the lousy economy, but to the “damn good” contract scored by the Seattle Police Guild last summer, making the department the best paid in the state.
Salaries start at $60,000 and rise to $79,000 after four and a half years. Even for former Microsofties, that’s got to be looking pretty good right now.”
70 Ghoul // Nov 2, 2009 at 9:23 pm
and this should say it all….
http://www.seattle.gov/police/crime/08staffing.htm
Staffing Update for Year End 2008
By the end of 2008, SPD had 1,329 sworn police officers, the highest number in the Department’s history. This number includes both officers already deployed and also those in some phase of training. Aggressive recruiting efforts are resulting in a steady stream of new officers being assigned to the precincts, once they complete their training. The recruiting goal for 2008 was set at 92, but the Department exceeded that number with 111 hires.
TRAINING TIME
It takes almost a full year from hire date to train an officer and put him or her on the street. Since 78 of the 1,329 officers currently employed are still in some phase of training, the Department has not yet realized their full benefit. The good news is that a steady stream of officers is regularly completing the field training program and being assigned to precincts. By the start of summer 2009, an additional 45-50 officers are expected be deployed. During 2009, hiring under the Neighborhood Policing Plan will add 80 more officers to the department. These will be deployed to precincts as they complete training in the fall of 2009 and beyond.
/and i’m done
71 Ghoul // Nov 2, 2009 at 9:24 pm
These will be deployed to precincts as they complete training in the fall of 2009 These will be deployed to precincts as they complete training in the fall of 2009 These will be deployed to precincts as they complete training in the fall of 2009 These will be deployed to precincts as they complete training in the fall of 2009 These will be deployed to precincts as they complete training in the fall of 2009 These will be deployed to precincts as they complete training in the fall of 2009 These will be deployed to precincts as they complete training in the fall of 2009 These will be deployed to precincts as they complete training in the fall of 2009 These will be deployed to precincts as they complete training in the fall of 2009 These will be deployed to precincts as they complete training in the fall of 2009 These will be deployed to precincts as they complete training in the fall of 2009
72 Ghoul // Nov 2, 2009 at 9:40 pm
and aside from the fact that your sited GAIN meeting was from 2005, your argument that people don’t want to join because they can get killed was proven false. the officer that was killed was, LIKE YOU SAID, a trainee…
anyhow, i’m going to get out of here before one of you give me a brain aneurysm.
cheers.
73 Vince // Nov 3, 2009 at 10:11 pm
This is the work of a serial arsonist. Most arsonists are white males, ages from 20-40. They could be someone who feels anger towards the neighborhood, or a sense of inferiority which is why he tries to feel power by destroying things.
I hope the neighborhood residents ask the FBI to get involved. The suspect is quite likely to be a resident there.
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