Crime Prevention in Wedgwood

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Questions & Answers

From about mid July 2001 through early fall, a portion of Wedgwood experienced an escalating series of disturbances and crimes. Many of the incidents involved groups of young teens. The area most affected appears to have been Quad 3, the southeast part of Wedgwood between 35th NE and 45th NE, and NE 85th and NE 75th.

The community came together block by block and also in large forums at the Wedgwood Community Church. We impressed police, prosecutors, local politicians, and the Seattle Housing Authority with our level of concern and organization. Our organizing efforts and increased police attention, combined with the start of school, greatly reduced the frequency of incidents.

Crime prevention is, of course, an ongoing concern and we'd like to share what we've learned from our experiences in 2001. Here is some of the information, in Question & Answer format.

What's going on and who's involved?

The recent [summer 2001] incidents have included vandalism, breaking windows, shoplifting, illegal dumping, theft (including auto theft), and at least one serious assault. Ten individuals are known to police, ranging in age from 9 years to 14-16 years old. Each of them have been arrested and referred for charges. Seven to eight of them live in the neighborhood, the others further north. Police estimate that about five more young people are involved who are not yet known to police. The activity is not gang-related and no weapons have been used.

Why is Seattle Housing Authority involved?

Many of the incidents can be traced to four homes in the neighborhood. Two homes are "Section 8" (meaning the Seattle Housing Authority subsidizes the rent but is not the landlord), and one is owned by SHA (a "scattered site"). The fourth house does not have a relationship to SHA. As of the meeting on September 17, the serious criminal problems are limited to kids from a single house. The vast majority of SHA houses, including those in our area, have no problems -- ideally neighbors wouldn't know which homes are SHA owned or subsidized.

What are the police doing about this?

The police only became aware of the "wave" of incidents the last week of August. Over the course of a couple of days, Officers Mike Thomas and Jack Napolitano received about 80 calls and are collecting information. They've identified "95% of the individuals involved" and have talked with them. The heat is on with increased patrols. Officers have also been able to visit three of the four homes to talk with parents, some of whom are taking steps to prevent new incidents. Some are requesting help, and the Youth-at-Risk program may be able to provide some.

If you know who they are, why are they still at large?

Juvenile Detective Aaron Alexis outlined the high bar that's set for juveniles to receive time. There is an emphasis in our city and county on finding alternatives to lockup, sometimes called "alternative secure." Depending on your perspective, you may view this as either progressive or ineffectual. The SPD representatives were frustrated, and cited the example of finding a group of kids in a stolen car but unable to take action because there was no proof that the same group actually stole the car. This underscored the importance of eyewitnesses and physical evidence. Police added that there is no curfew in Seattle. At the September 17 meeting, we identified ways to make the system work for us.

What actions can we take as community members?

• Report incidents! (See phone numbers.) Provide as much specific information as possible and be aware of the importance of physical and testimonial evidence. For example, if you see kids breaking the law and then enter a house, give the address to the officer.



• Be prepared to identify suspects in a photo montage. Be prepared to go to court if necessary. It can be unnerving to follow through, but that's what we need to do to take back our neighborhood.



• Follow up on cases. With the case number, you can find out who the detective is and work with that person. If you get to the point where an individual suspect is named in the case, you can also get the name of the Parole Officer from Juvenile Detective Aaron Alexis. Attend court hearings for those charged (the Victims Assistance Unit at the Juvenile Prosecutor's office can give you dates). The police now have about 12 open cases related to recent incidents.



• Be active in your block watch or form a block watch on your block if you don't yet have one (see phone numbers).