Seattle Area Crime - Page 6

CrazyAboutCities · May 23rd, 2009, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RMacherat

Community-based mental health. However, I was impressed and proud to see how fellow Seattleites came quickly to her aid.

Yeah! I felt same thing about that. Unfortunately, not many US cities would do the same thing.

Seattlelife · August 7th, 2009, 08:59 PM

Police ultimatum to drug dealers: Quit, or go to prison

By Sara Jean Green
Seattle Times staff reporter

More than a dozen Central Area drug dealers voluntarily walked into an auditorium full of police and prosecutors Thursday night and were presented with an ultimatum: Stop selling dope or prepare for prison.

Confronted with photos, video clips and binders full of evidence gathered in a yearlong operation along Seattle's 23rd Avenue corridor, from Madison to Jackson streets, the dealers were promised they wouldn't be arrested, prosecuted or sent to jail for 20 months or more if they embraced the job training, educational opportunities and chemical-dependency treatment being offered them.

Should they break the bargain by selling drugs anywhere in King County, the dealers were told they'd feel the full force of the law.

"The community here cares about you but will no longer tolerate drug dealing in their neighborhoods," said Interim Seattle Police Chief John Diaz. "This isn't a joke, and it isn't a threat."

The gathering at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center was an invitation-only event, where uniformed officers checked names at the door and a who's who of Seattle's criminal justice system sat alongside the dealers' families, friends and fellow community members. For an hour, a parade of speakers took the stage to encourage the dealers to take the first-of-its-kind deal to ever be offered in the state. The "candidates," as they are called, were told to listen without comment or question.

When the hour was up, everyone filed out except for the dealers and their "people of significance" — a parent, a friend, a spouse — who were asked to stay and ask questions of the neighborhood service providers who were there to help them change the trajectory of their lives.

"I've already bought drugs from you. These binders, these are the cases I've got on you," Capt. Paul McDonagh, commander of the Seattle Police Department's East Precinct, told the men and women seated before him. "We're not playing. You have to stop today. ... And if you don't stop, we will stop you and you will go to prison."

Police and prosecutors spoke of how tired they are of the vicious cycle of arrest, prosecution and incarceration. King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg called it "an extraordinary day," given that the gathered dealers were being offered "an opportunity no one else in the county has ever got." Vince Lombardi, an assistant U.S. attorney, warned that even those who aren't "kilo dealers" or drug-cartel members could find themselves facing federal charges and serving time in distant states if they didn't change their ways.

An addict talked of her journey to recovery and those who were there to help, while a local pastor made a spiritual appeal, imploring the dealers to change their destinies and in so doing, help heal their community. A longtime home and business owner recalled the time a body was dumped on her sidewalk and later, when a young man was shot in her front yard.

"In the mid-80s, crack cocaine came in and the whole community went to hell, excuse my language," said Jean Tinnea, who's lived at the corner of 20th and Union Streets for more than 30 years. "You are part of our community and I really hope you'll take these hands that are reaching out to you tonight and rejoin our community."

The program is based on one first implemented in High Point, North Carolina in 2004 by police and New York City professor David Kennedy, a criminologist at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Five years later, the city has virtually no remaining public drug dealing and violent crime has fallen 20 percent citywide, according to the college's Web site.

Kennedy, who visited Seattle in June, spent two days in private meetings with law-enforcement officials, city leaders and pastors and activists from Seattle's black community. His model, which is being replicated in places like Milwaukee, Nashville, Chicago and Indianapolis, is being backed by the U.S. Department of Justice, which awards federal grants to train officials on how to establish programs in their own hometowns.

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Five representatives from Seattle spent months learning the ins-and-outs of the Kennedy model — called a Drug Market Initiative — and how best to replicate it here. The team included McDonagh of the East Precinct, a deputy city attorney and a municipal court judge.

None of the dealers invited to Thursday's meeting has convictions for violent felonies or gun charges, said Seattle City Attorney Tom Carr.

"This is a unique opportunity and a one-time deal," Carr told the gathering. "We built these cases not to use them. We're willing to toss them away on one condition: That you just stop."

Go back on the deal, Carr warned, "and I can prosecute you for stealing a candy bar and put you in jail for a year — and I will."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...ealers07m.html

Seasun · October 29th, 2009, 04:20 AM

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...yndication=rss

Is this gun ban in parks just kind of dumb? I don't like guns and I can see some point in this law if the penalty for having/using an unlicensed firearm in a park is more severe with the law but in general criminals don't really care about a "gun ban". I think this all started when a gun accidentally went off (or he was just a bad shot?) at the Folklife festival a year ago(?). Would that brainiac who brought a gun to Folklife change anything he did that day with this ban?

I think Seattle has a lot better laws to spend energy on and the next mayor and city council should just dump it.

Grayproduct · October 29th, 2009, 07:19 AM

It is dumb, granted I'm generally for lesser restrictions on firearms for the exact reason you listed. This law is a lawsuit magnet.

jessejb · October 29th, 2009, 11:58 PM

Im against it, too! When I get off my Amtrak train (where I can now bring my AK-47) I want to be able to relax in the park knowing I wont get mauled by 2 year olds.

mhays · October 30th, 2009, 03:14 AM

I like the IDEA of a ban, but passing laws that won't hold up...come on. Now we have to defend it and lose, or back out and look stupid.

Ruffhauser · October 30th, 2009, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seasun

in general criminals don't really care about a "gun ban". Would that brainiac who brought a gun to Folklife change anything he did that day with this ban?

That about says it all.

mhays · October 30th, 2009, 09:19 PM

Bans can do a lot of good. Cops get a tool to take more guns away, or kick more people out. These are valid ideas. The problem is that the law might be indefensible.

Grayproduct · October 31st, 2009, 03:20 AM

Well they can take guns away from people who aren't supposed to have them anyway, so I don't see how this changes that. If you mean take guns away from people who actually legally allowed to carry them, then you're right, that's indefensible.

CrazyAboutCities · October 31st, 2009, 05:20 AM

I think they should focus on gun sellers by provide them new system that do deep background check on customers before they buy guns first before they do anything about ban on anything related to guns. There are many stories that some people bought guns that they're not supposed to get because of their mental issues or records. Some gun sellers just don't care. I think that is more important to focus on than banning guns in the park. I know that we do have some laws for that but I think that is very weak system anyway.

Ruffhauser · November 2nd, 2009, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazyAboutCities

I know that we do have some laws for that but I think that is very weak system anyway.

Some laws? There are at least 300 major state and federal gun laws.

CrazyAboutCities · November 3rd, 2009, 02:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruffhauser

Some laws? There are at least 300 major state and federal gun laws.

300 major state and federal gun laws? I didn't realize we have that many laws... I don't own a gun... It is seen like system is still not working even we have that many laws.

mhays · November 3rd, 2009, 03:39 AM

The system fails because guns can be bought wherever the law is weakest.

We need a unified set of gun laws from the federal level.

SoloSides · November 3rd, 2009, 08:07 AM

The most commited crimes in seattle I'm guessing are speeding and smoking pot

Ruffhauser · November 3rd, 2009, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoloSides

The most commited crimes in seattle I'm guessing are speeding and smoking pot

Guilty as charged.

BoulderGrad · November 4th, 2009, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruffhauser

Guilty as charged.

Ditto

***Bond James Bond*** · November 4th, 2009, 06:03 AM

OK, you're all under arrest!

meku · January 17th, 2010, 07:00 PM

Looks like there were 21 homicides in Seattle in 2009 compared to 28 in 2008. We're at 3.5 per 100.000. Not bad at all.

PS. SF homicides dropped from 99 in 2008 to only 47 in 2009 !

CrazyAboutCities · January 17th, 2010, 08:13 PM

I am surprised to hear that. I thought Seattle homicide rate might go up a bit in 2009 due to bad economy and numerous of cops got murdered. Glad to hear that rate went down.

BoulderGrad · January 17th, 2010, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazyAboutCities

I am surprised to hear that. I thought Seattle homicide rate might go up a bit in 2009 due to bad economy and numerous of cops got murdered. Glad to hear that rate went down.

Only 1 cop murdered in Seattle. The rest were from other cities in the Puget Sound region.

August 7th, 2009, 08:59 PM	#102
Seattlelife Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Location: Seattle/Brooklyn Posts: 3,382 Likes (Received): 59	Police ultimatum to drug dealers: Quit, or go to prison By Sara Jean Green Seattle Times staff reporter More than a dozen Central Area drug dealers voluntarily walked into an auditorium full of police and prosecutors Thursday night and were presented with an ultimatum: Stop selling dope or prepare for prison. Confronted with photos, video clips and binders full of evidence gathered in a yearlong operation along Seattle's 23rd Avenue corridor, from Madison to Jackson streets, the dealers were promised they wouldn't be arrested, prosecuted or sent to jail for 20 months or more if they embraced the job training, educational opportunities and chemical-dependency treatment being offered them. Should they break the bargain by selling drugs anywhere in King County, the dealers were told they'd feel the full force of the law. "The community here cares about you but will no longer tolerate drug dealing in their neighborhoods," said Interim Seattle Police Chief John Diaz. "This isn't a joke, and it isn't a threat." The gathering at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center was an invitation-only event, where uniformed officers checked names at the door and a who's who of Seattle's criminal justice system sat alongside the dealers' families, friends and fellow community members. For an hour, a parade of speakers took the stage to encourage the dealers to take the first-of-its-kind deal to ever be offered in the state. The "candidates," as they are called, were told to listen without comment or question. When the hour was up, everyone filed out except for the dealers and their "people of significance" — a parent, a friend, a spouse — who were asked to stay and ask questions of the neighborhood service providers who were there to help them change the trajectory of their lives. "I've already bought drugs from you. These binders, these are the cases I've got on you," Capt. Paul McDonagh, commander of the Seattle Police Department's East Precinct, told the men and women seated before him. "We're not playing. You have to stop today. ... And if you don't stop, we will stop you and you will go to prison." Police and prosecutors spoke of how tired they are of the vicious cycle of arrest, prosecution and incarceration. King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg called it "an extraordinary day," given that the gathered dealers were being offered "an opportunity no one else in the county has ever got." Vince Lombardi, an assistant U.S. attorney, warned that even those who aren't "kilo dealers" or drug-cartel members could find themselves facing federal charges and serving time in distant states if they didn't change their ways. An addict talked of her journey to recovery and those who were there to help, while a local pastor made a spiritual appeal, imploring the dealers to change their destinies and in so doing, help heal their community. A longtime home and business owner recalled the time a body was dumped on her sidewalk and later, when a young man was shot in her front yard. "In the mid-80s, crack cocaine came in and the whole community went to hell, excuse my language," said Jean Tinnea, who's lived at the corner of 20th and Union Streets for more than 30 years. "You are part of our community and I really hope you'll take these hands that are reaching out to you tonight and rejoin our community." The program is based on one first implemented in High Point, North Carolina in 2004 by police and New York City professor David Kennedy, a criminologist at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Five years later, the city has virtually no remaining public drug dealing and violent crime has fallen 20 percent citywide, according to the college's Web site. Kennedy, who visited Seattle in June, spent two days in private meetings with law-enforcement officials, city leaders and pastors and activists from Seattle's black community. His model, which is being replicated in places like Milwaukee, Nashville, Chicago and Indianapolis, is being backed by the U.S. Department of Justice, which awards federal grants to train officials on how to establish programs in their own hometowns. advertising Five representatives from Seattle spent months learning the ins-and-outs of the Kennedy model — called a Drug Market Initiative — and how best to replicate it here. The team included McDonagh of the East Precinct, a deputy city attorney and a municipal court judge. None of the dealers invited to Thursday's meeting has convictions for violent felonies or gun charges, said Seattle City Attorney Tom Carr. "This is a unique opportunity and a one-time deal," Carr told the gathering. "We built these cases not to use them. We're willing to toss them away on one condition: That you just stop." Go back on the deal, Carr warned, "and I can prosecute you for stealing a candy bar and put you in jail for a year — and I will." http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...ealers07m.html __________________ Supersonics Belong in Seattle Sonicsgate, a must see! Just click and watch. http://www.sonicsgate.org/

October 29th, 2009, 07:19 AM	#104
Grayproduct Registered Abuser Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: dawghaus Posts: 441 Likes (Received): 6	It is dumb, granted I'm generally for lesser restrictions on firearms for the exact reason you listed. This law is a lawsuit magnet. __________________ What we've got here is failure to communicate.

October 29th, 2009, 11:58 PM	#105
jessejb Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Seattle Posts: 2,692 Likes (Received): 104	Im against it, too! When I get off my Amtrak train (where I can now bring my AK-47) I want to be able to relax in the park knowing I wont get mauled by 2 year olds. __________________ Le Tumblr: http://inanevergreenstate.tumblr.com/

October 31st, 2009, 03:20 AM	#109
Grayproduct Registered Abuser Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: dawghaus Posts: 441 Likes (Received): 6	Well they can take guns away from people who aren't supposed to have them anyway, so I don't see how this changes that. If you mean take guns away from people who actually legally allowed to carry them, then you're right, that's indefensible. __________________ What we've got here is failure to communicate.

November 3rd, 2009, 08:07 AM	#114
SoloSides Registered Seattlite Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 46 Likes (Received): 0	The most commited crimes in seattle I'm guessing are speeding and smoking pot __________________ Seattle needs a better light[heavy] rail

October 29th, 2009, 04:20 AM	#103
Seasun Registered User Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Seattle Posts: 2,555 Likes (Received): 42	http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...yndication=rss Is this gun ban in parks just kind of dumb? I don't like guns and I can see some point in this law if the penalty for having/using an unlicensed firearm in a park is more severe with the law but in general criminals don't really care about a "gun ban". I think this all started when a gun accidentally went off (or he was just a bad shot?) at the Folklife festival a year ago(?). Would that brainiac who brought a gun to Folklife change anything he did that day with this ban? I think Seattle has a lot better laws to spend energy on and the next mayor and city council should just dump it.

October 30th, 2009, 03:14 AM	#106
mhays Journeyman Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Seattle Posts: 8,355 Likes (Received): 116	I like the IDEA of a ban, but passing laws that won't hold up...come on. Now we have to defend it and lose, or back out and look stupid.

October 30th, 2009, 09:19 PM	#108
mhays Journeyman Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Seattle Posts: 8,355 Likes (Received): 116	Bans can do a lot of good. Cops get a tool to take more guns away, or kick more people out. These are valid ideas. The problem is that the law might be indefensible.

October 31st, 2009, 05:20 AM	#110
CrazyAboutCities Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 8,328 Likes (Received): 15	I think they should focus on gun sellers by provide them new system that do deep background check on customers before they buy guns first before they do anything about ban on anything related to guns. There are many stories that some people bought guns that they're not supposed to get because of their mental issues or records. Some gun sellers just don't care. I think that is more important to focus on than banning guns in the park. I know that we do have some laws for that but I think that is very weak system anyway.

November 3rd, 2009, 03:39 AM	#113
mhays Journeyman Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Seattle Posts: 8,355 Likes (Received): 116	The system fails because guns can be bought wherever the law is weakest. We need a unified set of gun laws from the federal level.

November 4th, 2009, 06:03 AM	#117
*Bond James Bond* Licence to kill. Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Apple Maggot Quarantine Area Posts: 6,994	OK, you're all under arrest! __________________ Please DO NOT "like" any of my posts or request "friend" status. I don't care if you like me, or my posts. Thank you. - If you do either of these more than once you will be put on my ignore list.

January 17th, 2010, 07:00 PM	#118
meku Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Seattle Posts: 979 Likes (Received): 15	Looks like there were 21 homicides in Seattle in 2009 compared to 28 in 2008. We're at 3.5 per 100.000. Not bad at all. PS. SF homicides dropped from 99 in 2008 to only 47 in 2009 !

January 17th, 2010, 08:13 PM	#119
CrazyAboutCities Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 8,328 Likes (Received): 15	I am surprised to hear that. I thought Seattle homicide rate might go up a bit in 2009 due to bad economy and numerous of cops got murdered. Glad to hear that rate went down.

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