Another domestic dispute  – and again — people were shot and killed in Seattle.  One more family fight, tempers and guns involved, more deaths. Add these to the statistics we know nationwide from the latest annual data: 12,179 people murdered. 18,223 people committed suicide. 592 people killed accidentally. 326 killed by police intervention. 273 died [...]

I have had tears in my eyes all day thinking about the little hands and faces of those children slain in Connecticut and the others who witnessed it.  Every one of us has a child, a grandchild or KNOWS a child this age. Can you even imagine getting that call from the school?  It is [...]

A few weeks ago I wrote about LEAD, an innovative program for diverting low-level offenders from the criminal justice system and into needed services. Now I want to thank and congratulate the great team who last week launched another new program designed to help, rather than simply incarcerate or briefly hospitalize, people who suffer from [...]

In a time when so many are talking public safety, one of the easiest ways to make our communities safer is simply to get to know our neighbors. The first Tuesday in August, you can block off your street and have a party to do just that. Tuesday August 7 will mark the City of [...]

In February, my colleague Councilmember Nick Licata wrote an excellent blog post about an innovative program designed to divert low-level drug and prostitution offenders from arrest: LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion). LEAD is a pre-booking program, which means that individuals enter the LEAD program rather than being processed through the criminal justice system. Evidence has shown [...]

I am deeply saddened by the shootings in Seattle. All of them. The ones that occurred months ago; the ones that are still unsolved; the ones that just occurred and are practically too raw to talk about. Every shooting results in heartbreak. We have witnessed lives cut short; families and friends bereaved. The loss of [...]

I was at the Thorton Creek Alliance (TCA) meeting for provocative community meeting last night, where neighbors had a productive conversation about public safety. Terrie Johnston, a neighborhood liaison from the Seattle Police Department’s North Precinct, spoke.  The neighbors in this area are concerned – as is everyone in our city – about how to [...]

On Monday night I joined a nighttime walk-about with the Southeast Seattle Crime Prevention Council (SSCPC), a nonprofit community group committed to addressing crime and public safety issues. Roughly 25 neighbors from the Rainier Beach, Beacon Hill, Mt. Baker, and Othello neighborhoods joined security officers from Sound Transit and Seattle Police officers from the South [...]

We held the first meeting of the new Parks and Neighborhoods committee Thursday, January 19, 2012. See the meeting agenda. Our committee attendance was VERY small, due to icy conditions on the roads.  I missed our usual crowd, but I’m glad people were wise and stayed warm and safe at home. One important note for [...]

Last year’s HR 1217, a state bill designed to make it easier for Washington cities to lower speed limits on non-arterial roadways, received bipartisan support in the House and passed unanimously – unanimously! – thanks to Shoreline’s Representative Cindy Ryu’s leadership. Alas, it stalled in the Senate. This year, Rep. Ryu is again leading the [...]