Quite often, we’ll receive calls and emails asking us about an incident that neighbors saw or heard about. “What was all the police activity about over by ……?” “Why was there a helicopter up shining a spotlight all over my neighborhood?” “What happened with that one guy who did that one thing?” (Yes, sometimes the queries are that “specific.”) We understand that you want to know what’s happening in your neighborhood. We now have a way for you to get the information that you are looking for in a timelier manner. The Seattle Police Department has launched the SPD Blotter.
The SPD Blotter went on line in September 2008. It provides a near real-time recap of significant crime events. You can review events from all over the city, or look specifically at events in the police precinct area in which you are interested. You are able to review recent events, such as significant events that happened last night or over the weekend, and there is an archive feature that allows you to review previous events detailed in the SPD Blotter.
There are a number of ways you can get the SPD Blotter:
• You can go to the SPD website and view the latest entries on our home page.
www.seattle.gov/police.
• You can access the Blotter directly by going to its specific web address,
http://spdblotter.seattle.gov/.
• You can subscribe to the Blotter so that it automatically arrives to you via email. Go to http://feeds.feedburner.com/spdblotter to sign up for this feature.
Lighting and Storm Drains
You’re probably wondering what these have to do with crime prevention and public safety.
Lighting. When areas are not well illuminated, there is often a feeling that the area is not safe. Combine that with the number of car prowls that happened in darkened areas and it becomes more important to ensure that neighborhoods are well illuminated in the evening hours. If you have a streetlight that is out or not functioning properly on your block, report that to Seattle City Light Streetlight Repair at (206) 684-7056. Each utility pole has a number. When you report the malfunctioning light, give the pole number and the address nearest the pole (for example “It’s in front of 3212 22nd S”), or the nearest cross streets (“Near 22nd Ave S & S Hanford ST”). Better street lighting contributes to a feeling of safety and it works to reduce the incidents of theft and prowling because the potential criminal is more visible.
Storm Drains.
Clogged storm drains may not be a crime issue, but they are a public safety issue. Every year, we experience heavy rains in the November/December months and every year, leaves and debris clog storm drains. Streets and homes flood because there is nowhere for the massive amounts of water to go. There are things we can do to work to prevent street flooding (which impacts traffic) and water damage to homes like we’ve experienced in previous years:
1) Clean out storm drains. While you are out tending to the leaves that have fallen from your trees, take a few moments to tend to the leaves that may block storm drains.
2) If your block has storm drains that have grass and sod that have grown over them (as on my block,) contact Seattle Public Utilities at (206) 386-1800 to have clearing and maintenance performed. You can call this number for any street drainage issues, including flooding and drainage emergencies. Please don’t call 911 for flooding.
Until next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!
Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator
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