Ideas for Seattle

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Police Chief Search Forum

The Seattle Police Chief Search Commttee is seeking your input on the following questions:

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 change would you like to see?

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You get four votes, one for each of the questions.

  1. 28 votes

    Blacks make up only 8% of Seattle but commit over half the murders there every year - DO SOMETHING

    http://tinyurl.com/no5knk

    From the article "List of 2008 homicides in Seattle" from the Seattle PI

    selected from the list of the 28 Seattle homicides in 2008....

    Allen Joplin, Jan. 4 -- black killed by black

    De'Che Morrison, Jan. 10 -- black killed by black

    Maurice "... more

  2. 22 votes

    Focus on crimes against persons, violent crimes, property crimes. Deprioritize victimless crimes.

    Our police are spread too thin. They are asked to do difficult work with limited resources. As a practical matter, given these limited resources, they must prioritize, deciding which laws to enforce and which crimes to investigate, and how much time and money is devoted to each. Our police chi... more

  3. 14 votes

    Harm Reduction and Community Policing

    I would like to see a police chief who understands harm-reduction methods in working with people dealing with homelessness, mental illness and/or addiction issues. I think a police chief who supports alternatives to incarceration will safe our city money and be more effective in dealing with these issues.

  4. 5 votes
  5. 5 votes

    Support & beef up community policing & recruitment

    Community policing works by enlisting the community as partners in building the relationships we need to feel and to be safe. The new chief must support it, beef it up with more time and resources, and with continuing to recruit more officers to the force so that every neighborhood and precinct ... more

  6. 4 votes

    Domestic Violence and Child Abuse

    Domestic violence and child abuse are serious, common and underreported issue. It is behind closed doors and not as splashy as bank robberies and the like, but it is a nasty social ill that breeds more violence and is costly in terms of money and social well-being for our community.

  7. 4 votes

    We need more outreach to communities

    There is a limited police budget. Close community partnerships need to established to help communication augmenting the number of eyes looking for crimes, stolen goods, suspicious activities, etc. Passing information back to the community as to problem areas, issues of concern, activities to rep... more

  8. 4 votes

    A chief who understands the importance of a personable, friendly force

    Most of the time, Seattle's police force is aloof, emotionally removed and unfriendly. I've heard that morale on the force is low. If true, it shows. We need more officers and we need programs that get officers out of their cars, connecting with the citizenry on a personal level. I can't reme... more

  9. 4 votes

    Budget leadership for police department

    We need a Chief who has created a budget for a police department the size of Seattle’s or larger. Who has had to cut their budget during tough economic times yet were able to sustain patrol. A chief who can make the police department more efficient, thru cost savings and innovation. A Chief who... more

  10. 3 votes
  11. 3 votes

    CIT, CSO and Donut Dialogue programs

    The police officers I have personally dealt with as a social services worker for the most part have been kind and compassionate. I love the CIT program. I have worked in mental health for a long time and when we need help with a client's behavioral emergency the differnce is very evident. Keep s... more

  12. 3 votes

    70% of crime in Seattle is Drug Related per Assistant Chief Linda Pierce. Linda Pierce for chief.

    We need an honest, truthful person, Linda Pierce is that person. We have to close the open air drug markets. We have to end the demand for drugs with a inventive, honest believabe marketing campaign. A campaign that spells out the reasons why people turn to drugs, the cost in quality of life, ... more

  13. 3 votes

    SPD Does Well

    Tracking down and arresting criminals. Using street intelligence to prevent crime.

  14. 2 votes

    Get Officers out of their cars and walking a beat in urban areas

    In urban dense areas such as Belltown officers need to be out of their cars and walking the streets. It creates a presence which is a deterrent to crime and also fosters relationships and communication with members of the community- there is not much interaction taking place while sitting inside ... more

  15. 2 votes

    A Chief that's not afraid to talk about race

    We need a chief who is not afraid to talk about race in many terms, whether its assessing incidents of racial profiling occurring within the city, or simply describing a suspect. I can't believe when I get alerts that describe a suspect by their clothing and gender, but provide no other descripto... more

  16. 2 votes

    Fair to all officers

    I would hope the new Chief is fair to all of his/her officers whether detectives or on patrol. I've seen chiefs in other cities become so politically motivated that they are completely out of touch with their force and make decisions based on political motives instead of what they are hearing fro... more

  17. 2 votes
  18. 2 votes

    We need someone who is committed to and capable of solving Seattle's crime problems.

    We really need a police chief who is truly committed to and capable of solving Seattle's crime problems. This means protecting Seattle's citizens, not just its businesses. It also means implementing solutions for increasingly crime-ridden areas like Rainier Valley and Belltown. (Foot patrols!)... more

  19. 2 votes

    Strategies for police patrol

    In the Retail Business world, workers are scheduled when the highest demand of customers need to be serviced. Some of these strategies should used in the police department.

  20. 1 votes
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