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Interesting recent opinions about crime on this blog entry . Click here to see all the comments. And please feel free to add your own!
It sounds like we may be hearing directly from one or more of our police officers in the comments on an earlier, related blog. Be sure you see for yourself what people are saying about the letter from our police officers and fire fighters if you have not seen it already.
It would be nice to have a mayor that was part of the team to serve the citizens of Renton. We have the best, in my opinion, police and fire chiefs in the business. They are different from others in their field. They are both very forward thinking. They are for change to benefit the citizens.They think out of the box and realize that things change over time. Chief Milosevich is of the utmost integrity. He is a true leader. If he had the right leadership above him, the citizens would be served well. I feel that he would achieve a lot more with Denis Law as mayor. Denis has been supportive of the police and fire for well over 10 yrs. He has come out on ride-a-longs, and showed interest in this long before he even thought about running for city council or mayor. Denis is a man that would trust his leadership below him, and not let politics get in the way of good decisions. He does not bow to pressure and stands behind what he believes in. I believe that if Denis Law gets elected, he will have that position as long as he wants to serve. He is respected that much and will prove himself.
Police & Firefighters insight valuable
As a tax payer in Renton but an outsider to city government, I’m looking in to the comments by respected and trained Renton firefighters and police officers. I am convinced it’s time for a new mayor.
Speaking of endorsements… I’d really like to know why the firefighters endorsed Cheryl Haskins. Do they have something against King Parker? Did they really know about Cheryl’s controversial activism? How do they feel about their endorsement now? I’d like to hear from some more firefighters.
I know, I’m a nuisance.
Renton Citizen
rentonfacts.blogspot.com
Cheryl vs King
I believe the Fire union endorsed Cheryl over King due to some history when King was a council member. If my memory serves me right King advocated delaying a self insured medical claim by a FF who contracted a line of duty disease. The union ended up spending alot of money 30=50 k to defend this. The Fire Union was successful and the fire member was taken care of. I personally believe King was trying to be fiscally responsible with the City money and I am sure that in the future that if he is elected will try to be more understanding that the employees are more than just dollars and cents. Just my two cents.
Re: Cheryl vs King
Thanks, that would make sense. Any word on whether the controversy over Cheryl’s politics is getting some discussion at the union?
Police and Firefighters Endorse Denis . . . .
. . . . and so do the City of Renton employees, even if their union does not. The police and firefighters are our first responders and to a man and woman they endorse Denis. Call 911 and what happens? The best of the best show up on your doorstep. And they’re asking us to vote for Denis. How can you vote otherwise?
Re: Police and Firefighters Endorse Denis . . . .
exactly you call and they do show up immediately right now, what can change?
Re: Police and Firefighters Endorse Denis . . . .
You are right, they do show up ready to work, the real question is how fast do they show up. Increased population, traffic, increased call load and increased mandatory training increases response times. The current mayor has little concern regarding improving response times were as Denis’s main issue as of late (Many years) has been to reduce response times. How long can you hold your breath?
How is he going to do all this by staying in the budget and not taking away from other needs in the city, am I the only one that feels safe in this city in any part of this city at any time. I see no danger walking through the transit center at any time day and night i know this is a big concern for many residents but I think the reason for this is the black young population that is down there and its sad that most people look at it like that.
Crime happens in all cities Renton has a relatively low crime rate where i don’t know what can improve. More police doesn’t mean less crime it means more taxes. Crime can happen anywhere unless the plan involves the police being able to predict where a crime is going to happen.
I think there are effective ways to get more protection without more cost. Mr. Law has said he would work with the law enforcement leadership to find more effective ways. Why have a uniformed officer come to take a report that will be used only for insurance purposes? Why not have trained civilians to do this, freeing up officers to focus on crime and crime prevention?
We already lost our bike patrol last summer which was nice when walking late afternoon and early evening. We always saw them and they would stop and talk. Your so worried about the budget and yet with lipstick gate and this current lawsuit the city is alreay in trouble. Regardless of were it comes from. Unless Dan pays. I’m so tired of her humiliating this city. She really has done nothing that wasn’t already in the works. Previous leaders made it easy for her.
He has promised more police and how does that stay in the budget?
Oh and another fireman per truck
For starters, we’ll have to quite wasting money on ribbon-cutting press releases, and futile bids for major league sports teams that our citizens don’t want. 🙂
Seriously, we have enough money to properly staff our police and fire departments. We just have to make this a priority, and do it smart. Depending on the outcome of the Benson Hill Annexation, on November 6, our fire department could actually merge with fire district 40. Such a merger would produce some efficiency which could allow extra fire personnel at each station, such that both the Aid Car and the Fire Engine are always staffed. (Currently, at some stations the crew must decide to take either the fire engine OR the aid car, which leaves the other vehicle out of service). Denis has been studying all this for years, and has great plans to get our police and response times improved within existing budgets.
Finally, as a 14-year-councilman, I can tell you that we will positively see an economic boom hit our town when Denis gets elected mayor. The Highlands is ready for redevelopment, but investors are skittish because of the weirdness in the mayor’s office right now. Once we are back on track, sales tax and taxes from redeveloped property will further add to the city’s bottom line.
Do you feel unsafe in our city, if so where and why?
And that question was for you Randy, because i myself could walk at anytime thought this city anywhere and feel safe I am a five foot nine 140 pound white male and look like i couldn’t defend myself at all. Everyone talks about the transit center being a major problem. Our transit center has less crime then the majority of transit centers in the area.
Most people just look at the young black kids who need to take a bus to get to where there going because many of whom do not have a car for them selves. It is a sad prejudice i hope many people in this city can overcome. Just because there is a group of young black men doesn’t mean it is a gang.
I wanted the Sonics here!
As did I and many in my neighborhood. Lets not forget the poll that was taken. Was anyone else called on that i know i was.
Must be old school
If you are going to throw punches at least call them what they are, “FIREFIGHTERS” Last time I checked the RFD has 2 female firefighters not just FIREMEN.
Thanks
Re: Must be old school
Which post through a punch at firefighters? and when the “firefighters” came to my work to talk to the kids about fires and safety one being a female they introduced them selves as firemen. so are our firemen sexist or are they just wrong is that what you are stating. And i guess we have to call our police crime fighters and not policemen. What do we call woMEN if they don’t like to be referred to as females.
I would like to see a serious effort by the Renton PD to catch the mailbox thieves in town. Our mailboxes in Kennydale are hit repeatedly, and frequently – how hard is it to put a camera on one of them to get the ID of the car and/or people involved? Put the flag up, and they’ll be by… With that, we can get some useful leads to go after them.
The camera rig for that is a lot cheaper than asking every Renton resident to go out and buy a locking mailbox (have you priced them out lately?!). We shouldn’t just be sitting around being victims.
Other than that, our PD are great !
Randy – can you help us out on this one? (we’ll take up a collection if they need the money for a camera – cheaper than all the new mailboxes…). Thanks
Punch a hole in the opener of your bow put a lock on it, cost under $20 bucks
Not that simple. Doesn’t meet Federal Reg’s on mailbox opening sizes (www.usps.gov), rough edges not safe for carrier, not all stuff will fit in any longer, and not all mail carriers will fold stuff to get it in.
I repeat, why should Renton residents remain passive victims, when the offenders are so easy (and cheap) to catch?
Well I did it to mine havn’t had any problems
It depends
I don’t believe the statistics that are floated around about crime rates dropping. If you dig deeper and press those that are putting out the stats, you’ll find that many things occur when they crunch the numbers. They throw out the highs and lows. They don’t count cases that don’t go to the prosecutor’s office. Plea bargains cause the crime rate to look lower than it is.
I know these things because my home and a neighbor’s home were recently burgled right in the Mayor’s neighborhood. It devastated my children and my wife and has caused me to question my own good faith in people. As a result, we went out and did our own investigation and found some of our stuff in a local pawn shop. See, the police are way overwhelmed. Talk to them, they’ll tell you. They don’t have the resouces to follow up on such “petty crimes” as this. Consequently, our case has turned cold, even though we have a name, face, signature, fingerprint and other evidence against this kid. My feeling is that small fish get bigger and we can’t let them go unpunished.
When I go to the transient station (transit station for the purest out there), I feel OK, but I’m 185 lbs and can take care of myself. Now, just today, I saw a guy in the porta-pottie sitting there with the door open with clothes on the ground in front of him on the ground. When I walk there, I often get attitude from the young high school black kids that are just hanging out. To me, it’s out and out loitering and loitering should be discouraged. Personally, taking a bulldozer to the place would maybe help as it may constrict the conduit of homeless coming here from Seattle. I would never let my kids walk through there alone and my wife is scared of the place. Someone convince me that it’s a fantastic place. Come on, change my mind. Please. I love the Piazza, but the buses should go.
Now, I know that I’m sounding like a pig, but this is what so many people are thinking. We have graffiti that’s out of control. I hear gun shots in the middle of the night. We have some new bars in town that set us back 20 years. All we need is an adult theater and we’re good to go. Maybe ex-mayor Kathy can put a $10,000 business plan together for one.
Re: It depends
Easy to change your mind on the transit center. It has high of one major crime a year tops and all petty crime down there is very low related to other parts of the city. We have one of the safest transit centers in the state. When the cinema at the piazza was going the movies would end around 11:00 and there were no problems during or after the movies. I was usually one of the last to leave the transit center was empty.
Just because a group of black teens have to take a bus because they do not have a car is that wrong? And so what if there are some that hang out are they threatening? So if the buses go do you think this will discourage them kids from “hanging” out at the Piazza?
Are people really scared of kids?
Or are people just unaware of there racism?
Crime Rate
I know someone that was on the Mayor’s “Citizen Panel” to select our new police chief. A very good candidate (and please do not get me wrong–Kevin was absolutely the correct choice for Chief), stated that if s/he were selected then the crime rate would go up immediately and substantially. S/he reasoned that when you actually start cleaning up an area, you have to make arrests. And more arrests makes it look like more crime because more criminal acts are identified and noted.
So the Mayor claims our crime rate is “down” but we’re not feeling safer? We ask for increased enforcement in our neighborhoods and the transit center but we don’t get it. But the crime rate is “down.”
Hhhmm.
Re: Crime Rate
Very well said and spot on.
Re: Crime Rate
We have gotten it…. or am I just crazy?
Re: Crime Rate
Dan, is that you? I think it is . . . . so to answer your question: Yes.
Re: Crime Rate
And what is your name I put mine
Randy do you feel safe in Renton? If not where and why? Please answer and not delete
Several places:
* Transit center – I have had the misfortune of needing to transfer at the Transit Center several times. The phrase “watch your back” comes to mind. I’d much rather wait 30 minutes at South Renton P&R than 5 at the Transit Center.
* Some portions of the Highlands. I recently moved away from the heart of the Highlands, and while I would not hesitate walking to the store in the evening, I didn’t necessarily feel comfortable. The part that’s especially scary is the portion on the west side of Sunset, from the gas station next to the Thai place on north to Goodwill. I witnessed numerous fights at the bus stop near my old house.
* City Hall. Though hopefully that will change next Tuesday.
Oh, and the above comment was from the perspective of a Renton resident, not our esteemed Councilmember.
In a way I think the feeling of “being safe” depends on the individual. It mostly depends on how sheltered people have been — someone moving to Renton from a small town in the midwest would obviously have a different perspective than someone moving from Tacoma. So much of public safety comes down to perception — as a previous poster pointed out, crime rate truly corresponds to actual arrests, and not necessarily to crimes that go unpunished.
One last thought… if the security guards at Renton Transit Center are the same ones used at Bellevue Transit Center, they money would be better spent elsewhere. The ones up in Bellevue don’t look like they could secure a paper sack, let alone a transit hub.
I agree with the above comment…that a feeling of safety depends on the individual. I don’t feel likely to be robbed or attacked at most hours in most parts of town, but I am not as likely a target because of my size, age, and gender. I don’t think I have completed my job until everyone feels safe on our streets.
And there have been cars prowled right in front of my house. And burglaries on my street. So we have not resolved the crime problem. We have great police officers, but we need to give them the resources and support they need to get the job done.
How do we give resources for crimes that happen right out side of your home? Random crimes like that are not predictable, am I right? or am I and idiot?
Crime Rate
Dan, is that you? I think it is . . . and if so, to answer your final question: Yes.
Re: Crime Rate
No my name is not Dan its Jeff Richards. And so you are saying random crime is predictable? In my neighborhood we have no crime and then a house was broken into and then nothing has happened since so how is that predictable?
Re: Crime Rate
Jeff, I thought you were someone else, so I hope I meant no disrespect to you. You raise very valid points. However, I, along with many in Renton, wish they too could live in a neighborhood that has “no crime” like your neighborhood.
However, that’s not the case for a lot of Renton and certain areas do have crime and have continually asked the Mayor and her staff to do something about it (Don & Lisa Motel; Transit Center; Highlands, etc). We continually hear crime is “down” but we haven’t seen an actual reduction in the crack houses, loitering, drug dealing, prostitution, etc. etc.
The police are incredibly responsive to our complaints, but at some point the Mayor must be the leader in crime prevention, as opposed to crime reaction.
Re: Crime Rate
Jeff–I had an editing problem in the first line of my last post. Sorry. To be clear: I thought you were someone else and I mean no disrespect to you and I value your opinions.
Re: Crime Rate
You have to realize that this is in every city I am voting Law but I do think our mayor has done everything in her power short of big brother to do what she can to lower crime.
And I am sad for you that if its this Dan you disrespect his view but anyone else you do respect. Please state your name I was bold enough to.
Because right now i just think you are Randy
Re: Crime Rate
I wish I were Randy, but I’m just a longtime resident that’s going to stay under the radar until after the election.
I propose that we to agree to disagree about the Mayor’s effort on crime. I think she has intentionally manipulated crime statistics to bolster her re-election bid. I also think that she, along with her legal counsel, fear enforcing the laws that are currently on the books. Aggressive prosecution of our current laws would be a big help in our older neighborhoods (and I don’t mean “big brother” tactics–just enforcing the existing laws).
Don’t be sad for me about my disrespect for Dan (Clawson)–he had my respect and support and he lost it through his actions.
Re: Crime Rate
And I lost respect for you, you come on here acting tough and questioning people when you are scared hiding behind your computer. This is a dumpster divers site I am one of them because I like to see people views. So if you want to gain any credibility then post your name. Or you are just a note in a trash bin. Scared and hiding.
Re: Crime Rate
Hmmm. Let’s try this:
Certainly
Having
Already
Responded
Leaves
Everyone
Sated
Done
Outside
Your
Location
Exposes:
who you are!!
It doesn’t matter how much security we have down there. Not much happens down there most of the calls the police get end up being people worried about young 13-20 year old people who have to use the bus, and when they see a group of kids that means there is trouble I think it is ignorant.
Hi-
Such interesting comments…the issue of fighting crime seems to be a big one.
I don’t have all the answers, and I could spend all night writing an essay about many of the things I have learned, but I can tell you that as a city we do not have to accept the rate of rapes, assaults, robberies, burglaries, car thefts, car prowls, and other crimes we have seen. This is not just true in Renton, but in many US cities. We need to continue working on the science of crime prevention, deterrence, resolution, rehabilitation, and our ability to break the cycle for offenders.
I think the ideas such as cameras to catch mail box thieves sounds like an excellent example of new technology we should try to utilize in out efforts to fight crime.
When I went to New York City with my wife a few years ago, we found ourselves taking Sub Ways at 2:00 AM, feeling perfectly safe and probably more comfortable than if we were in downtown Renton at 2:00 AM. This is because New York City has had a tremendous emphasis on crime prevention, they have zero tolerance for threatening behavior, and they have been very ingenious about using security cameras, lighting, general cleanliness, and other methods for preventing areas from devolving into crime hot spots.
And other counties are incredible. In Tokyo, twelve year old children can ride city trains or walk through alleys on their two-hour midnight commutes home after a late-night school or sports activity, and there is virtually zero threat to them. They simply do not feel in danger. Much of Europe is very safe also.
In the US we have a long ways to go, but City’s like New York, and all of these other countries have many ideas and innovations we can copy. A suburban city like Renton ought to feel very safe for all our citizens if we set our minds on expecting ever-improving standards for safetey. Our new police chief is very interested, and our officers have many of their own ideas, but we need a receptive leader that is ready to put the ideas to work.
As an idea, I wouldn’t mind using bait-cars to catch car prowlers and car thieves. And then I would focus on rehabilitating young perpetrators, and intervening to put their lives back on track. I would also increase the number of narcotics officers. The two officers we have in a city of 59,000 is probably not enough for the amount of drug traffic and drug manufacturing that we have discovered lately. The drugs tend to fuel a lot of the car prowls and burglaries, and sometimes the worse crimes, so this would be a good place to add emphasis.
Denis Law knows much more about this than I do, from studying the issue over many, many years as a journalist and through close working relationships with the police officers and police leadership.
I am curious though how much does each of these cameras cost, and how will the city predict where they will be hit? Mine was once and that was it, how is it predictable unless we have one in all male boxes in the city.
And Renton does have cameras in high priority areas like the transit center so where else would you want these cameras. I personally work in the heart of the highlands in the area that we are looking to improve and I still am trying to find all these acts of public violence everyone talks about.
I don’t mean to scare people in the highlands, but a highlands activist was raped in her own home by a stranger last year. We’ve even had highland home-invasion murders in the past, some of which have gone unsolved. There is much work we can still do to fight crime.
I am curious though how much does each of these cameras cost, and how will the city predict where they will be hit? Mine was once and that was it, how is it predictable unless we have one in all male boxes in the city.
Our mailboxes in Kennydale are hit frequently – it would be easy to put in a camera, throw up the flag, and it won’t take long for the thieves to show up.
You said that Dennis said the money wouldn’t be taken from other budgets and stay within the budget set for the police and fire to improve on there jobs, well are you dishonest or uninformed, because he has said that the money will be taken out of the parks and recreation devision to increase the police and fire budget.
And the man that has been the head of public safety since he was elected to city council was Dennis Law, and he is saying that crime rates are going up so can we put the blame on him