Seattle Police held its “Picnic at the Precinct” on College Way this Saturday, an annual event when residents can meet the officers who patrol the North Seattle region. And perhaps best of all, kids get an inside-look at police work.

The mounted patrol is always a crowd favorite.

And so are the police robots, which are used to sniff out suspicious devices.

This lucky guy is getting a tour of a SWAT vehicle.

The event has been running since 2004, sponsored by the Seattle Police Foundation and local businesses. “Picnic at the Precinct events provide an opportunity for the business and residential communities in the precinct geographical boundaries to come together and enjoy a day to meet and interact with their local officers in a fun environment,” explains Detective Jeff Kappel.

Terrie Johnston became the crime prevention coordinator for the Seattle Police Department’s North Precinct about one month ago, but she already knows when her last day will be: Dec. 31. That’s because city budget cuts are forcing the elimination of the program, which provides safety walk-throughs of homes and businesses, coordination of Block Watch captains, and a more personal touch for neighborhoods to contact SPD.

“The bad news is that we have been cut and cut and cut, and we (crime prevention coordinators) are going away on Dec. 31,” she told the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce last Friday.

SPD’s Crime Prevention Coordinator program was created in 1973 and has received international attention. Johnston said Seattle’s CPC program was the best in the nation.

“People from other countries used to come and find out how we did it,” she said. “I’m just sad about it. I have over 1,800 block watch captains that I contact.”

Johnston has been with SPD for 30 years and has worked at every precinct except West Seattle.

All crime prevention coordinators have taken training called Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) and will work for free with businesses and homes to assess security issues. (For example, CPTED training helps identify bushes and trees that obscure sight lines in parks or around front and back doors where criminals can hide, as well as how lighting can affect safety.)

Johnston tells business owners and homeowners to frequently check windows, doors, locks, cameras and security systems.

“A lot of it is just human error,” she says of burglaries. “They run to the bank and forget to set the alarm, or they could have sworn they locked that back door.”

As a CPC, Johnston wants to make it clear that people should call 911 even if it’s not a life or death emergency. She said that if you see someone suspicious in your neighbor’s back yard, call 911 and report it. She cited a recent example of a neighbor calling 911 to report two suspicious people at her neighbor’s house, leading to the arrest of two prolific burglars.

“That would not have happened had the woman not been suspicious and called 911,” Johnston said.

She says residential burglary is one of the highest priority calls because it could be a crime in progress. “That is a big, big and very scary crime,” she said.

All 911 calls are prioritized, so Johnston said you shouldn’t worry that your call will take away resources from a more serious crime that may be happening. Officers may be sent to check out a suspicious person, but if they then get a call for an assault in progress, they will respond to that call first.

And don’t assume someone else has already called 911 when something major has happened. Having more 911 calls helps SPD know how serious it is, and you may have details others don’t.

The way you report a crime is important, she said. Be brief and to the point. For example, you might say “there are two suspicious men creeping out of my neighbor’s secluded back yard.”

If you have a complaint about police response to a 911 call, Johnston encourages you to call her and she can look up the details. For example she’ll be able to tell you that officers were on their way but then got called to something more serious, or they did stop the suspicious person a few blocks away but verified their story or credentials.

Johnston said she’s pleased about how the North End neighborhoods watch out for each other. She said the annual national Night Out against crime program on the first Tuesday of August (Aug. 2 this year) has far more participants in the north end of the city than anywhere else. She counted up the block parties that registered last year and said 787 blocks in the North Precinct had registered, compared to a combined 400 in the city’s other four precincts.

Johnston encouraged everyone to attend the North Precinct annual picnic, at 10049 College Way N., from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, July 9. Hundreds of people attend the picnic to meet police officers (and their department horses and dogs), watch a bomb robot demonstration, tour the precinct and listen to music.

North Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Terrie Johnston can be reached at 206-684-7711 or terrie.johnston@seattle.gov.

Last October we told you about the Seattle Police Department’s plan to eliminate three of its Crime Prevention Coordinators, because of budget cuts. Now, SPD has announced that the geographic boundaries for the four remaining CPCs has changed.

Terrie Johnston is the CPC for the North Precinct, which includes Phinney and Greenwood.

The CPCs work in the precincts to educate individuals on ways to reduce their risk of becoming victims, and act as liaisons between the local community and the police.

Although these changes will undoubtedly be felt by everyone, the Seattle Police Department will continue to strengthen links with all community members and associations through open communications, mutual responsibility, and a commitment to customer service.

You can reach Crime Prevention Coordinator Terrie Johnston at 206-684-7711 or by email.

The Seattle Police Department’s North Precinct asked us to pass along all the emergency contact information that PhinneyRidge  and Greenwood residents might need.

• SPD’s North Precinct is located at 10049 College Way N.; 206-684-0850.
• The North Precinct’s Community Police Team’s main number is 206-684-4599. Sgt.
• Dianne Newsom can be reached at 206-684-0794 or dianne.newsom@seattle.gov.
• North Precinct’s detective, Sgt. Jeff Durden, is at 206-386-9113 or jeffrey.durden@seattle.gov.
• Officer Travis Testerman is our community police officer; he covers the area from North 50th Street to North 90 Street, from I-5 to Third Avenue Northwest. He can be reached at 206-233-3984 or travis.testerman@seattle.gov.
• Officer Scott McGlashan covers the area from North 110th Street to the Ship Canal, from Third Avenue Northwest to the Sound. He can be reached at 206-233-3733 or scott.mcglashan@seattle.gov.
• The City Attorney Liaison is at 206-684-7765.

And here’s a list of Public Safety Numbers:

• Police, fire and medical emergencies: 911
• Incidents not needing an officer to be dispatched: 206-625-5011
• North Precinct Watch Commanders, for thank yous or concerns: 206-684-0856
• Community Police Team, for chronic, ongoing problems not resolved by 911: 206-684-0794
• Suspected drug activity: 206-684-0748
• Parking Enforcement: 206-625-5011 or https://web1.seattle.gov/police/AbandonedVehicles/Present/AbandonedVehicle.aspx
• Website for crime updates and alerts: www.seattle.gov/police/precincts/North/default.htm
• Crime Statistics: http://www.seattle.gov/police/records/online/htm; http://web5.seattle.gov/mnm/policereports.aspx; http://web5.seattle.gov/mnm/incidentresponse.aspx
• Sex Offenders: http://www.sheriffalerts.com/cap
• Graffiti and illegal dumping: Seattle Public Utilities – 206-684-7587
• Streetlights burned out, intermittent or flickering: 206-684-7056
• Overgrowth, cars in yards, litter: 206-615-0808

Some of you have noticed a lot of police activity in the 100 block of N. 80th Street today.  Seattle Police tell us that officers were called to a home in that area after the owners reported their son was out of control and yelling in the basement.  We’re told that no weapons are involved in the disturbance.

Seattle Police Department has just launched a new public online reporting option.

The Community Online Reporting Program (CORP) allows the public to file police reports for certain incident types (Property Destruction, Car Prowls, Auto Accessories, Theft of Property (under $500), and Identity Theft) over the internet.

This service will allow the public to file a report at a time that is best for them without having to wait for an officer to respond or call them back. The public will be able to print a temporary copy of the report as soon as they submit it. The report will be reviewed by police personnel, and, once approved, the filing person will receive an email with a copy of the final report attached. The report will transfer directly into the Seattle Police Department records management system and receive the same investigation and statistical analysis as if the report had been filed by an officer.

This option is for low level property crimes only. It does not replace 911 or the non-emergency number. If the caller feels that they are in danger, or the crime just happened, or the suspect may still be there, 911 is still the best option. The Community Online Reporting Program is an option for people that want to report a low level theft, but do not necessarily need an officer to respond in person.

The web-based crime reporting service can be accessed by going to the Seattle Police Department’s homepage (http://www.seattle.gov/police) and clicking the “File a Report” Quick Link.

A large number of police descended on a house on 3rd Avenue Northwest near NW 92nd Street this morning for a disturbance call.

I saw one person in handcuffs sitting on the curb, but neighbors said they saw three or four people in handcuffs earlier.

Det. Mark Jamieson from the Seattle Police Department says the call came in just before 11 a.m. Neighbors told police they heard yelling, glass breaking and some sort of explosion inside. Det. Jamieson didn’t know whether any of those detained would be booked.

The northbound lane of Third Avenue Northwest was blocked off from NW 90th Street to NW 92nd Street, while the southbound lane remained open.

Thanks to Baldwin for the tip!

The Seattle Police Department just launched on online map of police reports, available for anyone to see.

The Police Reports Map will show mapped crime icons based on initial police reports taken by officers when responding to incidents around the city. After the information enters the Department’s Records Management System it populates this map.

Links directly to the related police reports from the map icons will also become available. As with the existing Police Reports application announced earlier, care is taken to redact victim and other sensitive information from what is available online.

The crime reporting map is a short-term view of crime: it provides a good sense of what is reported to be going on in a certain neighborhood or the city at large at any time. It is also good for seeing patterns of types of crimes happening (such as an unusual amount of reported bike thefts in your area).

The Police Reports Map will not link to a redacted narrative of a police report on every crime. However, every icon on the map will have a related General Offense (GO) number. You may use that number to request a copy of any unavailable report.

3:01 p.m.: Everyone stand down. They’ve determined it’s an inert WW II-era practice mortar. Here is Matt Elam with it just after the bomb squad told him it was his to keep.

(Thanks, Kirstin Vracko, for the photo!)

2:25 p.m. The bomb squad is planning to take the military mortar away in their bomb squad vehicle any minute now.

2:05p.m. Sgt. Teresa Duffy of the Seattle Police Department confirms that it is a military mortar. It’s unclear whether it’s active, however. They are now contacting military representatives to decide how to handle it. Cleopatra Avenue between NW 70th and 73rd streets will remain blocked for now.

Matt Elam, co-owner of Eagle Eye Painting, was on a job when he noticed the bomb-shaped device leaning against his client’s house.

The client said she found it under her porch while cleaning out the crawlspace. He remarked that it was “pretty cool,” so she offered to let him take it. Thinking it was a weight for a gill net, Elam figured it would make a good piece of yard art, so he took it home and put it on his back porch several days ago.

“After I did more research and discovered it wasn’t a gill net weight, I decided to call,” Elam said. Police arrived minutes later.

“My wife’s concerned about them taking it away,” he said. “She’s grown to like it.”

Elam figured it weighs about 25 pounds. It also has a loop on it.

1:30 p.m. Seattle Police called in the bomb squad to examine an unidentified item on the porch of a house on Cleopatra Place NW, just north of NW 70th Street. The bomb squad is now on scene and preparing to X-ray the item.

Dale is as close to the scene as the police will allow, and he says the item looks just like a small version of a World War II-type bomb, complete with fins.

According to police on the scene, the home owner got the item from someone else who found it buried under a porch. The item is described as being about 6-10 inches in diameter and about 24 inches long.

Police are not evacuating neighbors, but an officer did suggest to one neighbor that it would be a good idea for his family to leave.  

Mayor McGinn is searching for a new chief of police and has asked the public to help develop the selection criteria. Former Chief Gil Kerlikowske left the Seattle Police Department upon his appointment as the nation’s drug czar by President Obama last year. The Seattle Police Chief Search Committee, a 26-member citizen panel, has been tasked with the job of narrowing the pool of potentials down to three finalists to recommend to the mayor in May, in the hopes of making a final selection by June.

The search committee is posing the following questions to community members:

• What qualities are you looking for in a new Police Chief?
• What is the most important public safety issue in Seattle?
• What does the Seattle Police Department do well?
• What changes would you like to see?

To encourage community input the city has set up three ways for those interested to respond – by attending one of three upcoming public forums, visiting the new website or dialing into a dedicated phone line set up for the search.

The first meeting will he held tomorrow, Wednesday, February 10 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Northgate Community Center, located at 10510 5th Ave NE. The first two hours of the meeting has been allotted for public comment, with the final hour reserved for the search committee “to begin developing competitive selection process and assessment criteria.”

The next two meetings have been set for 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 17 (at Franklin High School, located at 3013 Mount Baker S.) and Friday, February 26 (at New Holly Gathering Center, located 7054 32nd Ave. S.) Language interpreters will be available at the third and final meeting in the following languages: Tagalog, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Laotian, Amharic, Oromiffa, Khmer (Cambodian), Somali, and Tigrinya.

Download the meetings flyer here (.pdf). Can’t make it to a meeting? Answer the committee’s four questions online or over the phone by calling 206-684-CITY (206-684-2489).

Cindy Potter, head of the volunteer neighborhood watch group Greenwood Aurora Involved Neighbors (GAIN), has been named to Mayor-Elect Mike McGinn’s Police Chief Search Committee. You can find a full list of search committee members here.

The search committee will hold its first meeting on Jan. 13, and should have a recommendation to McGinn by May. Former Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske resigned as Seattle Police Chief last year to become President Obama’s Director of National Drug Control Policy.

Here’s another one from our friends at SeattleCrime.com: Seattle Police got a report that the suspect in the slaying of four Lakewood police officers was spotted today at near the north end of Green Lake74th and Corliss.

We can’t vouch for the veracity of this, but it is a reminder to keep an eye open for Maurice Clemmons. Doubtless there will be many more reports of sightings across the region until he’s caught.

Thanks, Neighbor, for spotting the post.

Update: At about 12:30 p.m., police formed a perimeter around Cowen Park in nearby Ravenna, according to SeattleCrime.com. And whether the Green Lake area sighting was for real or not, we felt it was in the public interest to mention it. That said, there’s a report of him being spotted in Auburn and other far-flung locations too.