The Council-generated 12-point Safer Streets Initiative (SSI) is moving along with passage this week by the King County Council's budget committee of funding recommendations for two special pilot projects we have proposed to address particularly urgent needs. County Councilmember Bob Ferguson has been especially helpful with his support and guidance in navigating the County process. (Seattle's resolution to the County Council supporting these projects is here.)
One project will create a joint police-mental health professional crisis intervention response team to respond to certain incidents where the combined power and expertise of the team is needed (SSI Step #1). Modeled on similar units in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Vancouver, B. C., this special unit would be created in partnership with King County and would be primarily available to respond in Seattle's West Precinct (downtown core) where approximately 125 to 130 incidents occur each week involving individuals with mental health issues. This project would use $500,000 in county mental health and drug dependency funds over two years.
The second project (SSI Step #2) would create safe housing and full, 24-7 specialized care services for children involved in street prostitution who want to escape that experience. The need for this type of housing and care services became clear when a city-funded study of child prostitution in Seattle/King County revealed that as many as 300-500 children may be involved. This project would use $960,000 in county funding. Read The Seattle Times' editorial this morning.
Mayor Nickels has announced that his 2009-2010 budget proposal will return police officers to some middle schools in the city's south end (SSI Step #8), a move strongly supported by the school district.
The Mayor's budget is also expected to maintain the city's commitment to hire additional police officers through 2012 (SSI Step #5).
The SSI also calls for more "assertive" policing, especially focused on open-air drug markets, social disorder, and other quality-of-life street crime (SSI Step #6). There is no doubt an expression of Council intent is needed on this issue, especially when many question whether or not the Council will provide the political and policy support police officers doing their jobs on the street will be watching for.
Assertive policing is based on the premise that cops matter, that crime can be prevented and social disorder decreased when officers are present and engaged in proactive problem solving. Assertive policing has been successfully used in other U.S. cities.
If you doubt this approach to policing, read this article in The Seattle Times on how emphasis patrols (presence) and proactive policing has cleaned up the notorious Pike-Pine corridor downtown or this article on special police and prosecutor focus on high impact juvenile offenders.
Read more about SSI here.