Seattle Forward

Long-Term Crime Trends Nationally and in Seattle

(This post has been updated to reflect crime stats through May 2011 and to add a link at the end to a lively discussion over at Freakonomics on why crime is falling.)

Lots of media reports this week discussed a surge in auto theft in the Seattle area and statewide. The number of reported auto thefts in the Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma metro area increased 18.8% in 2010 over 2009; the statewide increase was 9.8%. This story in Tuesday's Seattle Times has the details, along with a ranking of the 10 Washington cities with the highest auto theft rate per capita.  (Seattle's not number one!)

What about crime in general? Seattle, along with the entire country, has experienced a long, downward trend in reported crime.  In fact, today's rate of crime in Seattle is the lowest it has been since the late 1960s. Of course, the big question is why?  Why has crime declined so dramatically in Seattle and across the country?

There are many theories being thrown around by people who debate these things: policy makers, academics, police officers, criminologists, criminal justice advocates, and many others.  While the debaters do not agree, one thing is clear: crime rates do not necessarily increase during tough economic times.

Lessons on the Fragility of Life

Three things over the past couple of weeks have reminded me of the fragility of life.

Two weeks ago, a friend, neighborhood activist, former youth soccer coach, husband and father took his own life at a seemingly desperate and hopeless time. Phil Irwin was a good man; he coached my daughter’s team in their early years when they were just learning team sports. He followed a coach we parents had essentially "fired" due to his biting, degrading and never-ending screaming. (Continue Phil's story and more after the jump.)

Perspective on Multi-Family Tax Exemption Program

There has been a bit of controversy recently about the City's Multi-Family Tax Exemption (MFTE) program, a fancy name for a stimulus program intended to spur construction of affordable, workforce housing in certain sections of Seattle. This stimulus effort is part of the City's larger efforts around affordable housing.  I summarized those efforts back in 2008 in this post.

So, let's get the facts about this particular program after the jump.

Beware: Wage Theft Criminal Law In Full Effect Now

Mayor Mike McGinn, Police Chief John Diaz, City Attorney Peter Holmes and I, along with representatives of Casa Latina and other community organizations, held a media event earlier today to announce that the full force of the City's police and prosecution resources would be used against unscrupulous employers who intentionally withhold wages from employees. 

Employees who believe they are victims of wage theft can report to Seattle police by calling 911, or they may call the Wage Theft Hotline at 206-816-5824.

The City Council adopted the new law last month after multiple cases of wage theft were reviewed by City staff over the past year.  Read more about wage theft here.