Mayor Announces Major Improvements for Policing Seattle's Neighborhoods

Calling it the most significant improvement in more than 30 years in how Seattle polices its neighborhoods, Mayor Greg Nickels rolled out his Neighborhood Policing plan, which adds 154 new patrol officers to Seattle's ranks. Nickels outlined the initiative in his 2007 State of the City address, delivered before a crowd of 500 people.

The state of the city is "strong and growing stronger," Nickels declared in his annual address, which focused on making Seattle a leader in the effort to combat climate change. The mayor said addressing challenges such as education, housing and public safety are critical elements of creating the kind of vibrant city that will absorb growth and reduce emissions-producing sprawl.

"Neighborhood policing is a faster, stronger and smarter approach to protecting our neighborhoods," Nickels said. "Under this plan, we will expand our patrol force to the tune of 154 officers over eight years. But it's not just about adding more officers; it's about putting police officers where they're needed, when they're needed. The result is faster and stronger responses, and smarter use of our resources."

The plan fixes three problems:

• While the Seattle Police Department meets the commonly accepted response time goal for larger cities, averaging seven minutes for high-priority emergency calls, the average is just that -- an average. Response times are faster when the workload is low but exceed seven minutes during the busiest times of the week when 911 call volume is high.
• There is an imbalance between where patrol officers are deployed and workload, which means officers are not always available when and where they are needed.
• Because of the need to respond to emergency 911 calls during peak workload periods, patrol officers do not have enough time to work on proactive and specific problem-solving activities.

The plan will:

• Add 154 new patrol officers -- 49 have already been added since mid-2005 and another 105 will be added between 2008 and 2012.
• Revise work shifts for patrol officers to match the workload, making officers available at the times and on the days when they are most needed. Since 1997 police officers have worked nine-hour days with rotating schedules of four days on and two days off. The shift start and end times have been basically unchanged for more than 30 years. The city and the Seattle Police Officers Guild are currently discussing alternatives.
• Redraw patrol "beats" throughout the city. The last time beats were redrawn was in the 1970s. The new plan will allow for more balanced, flexible and effective deployment of patrol officers, and will enhance officers' sense of ownership of the neighborhoods they serve.

Calling on the "Seattle Spirit" -- a sense of what is possible and a determination to achieve it -- Nickels also talked about accomplishments and the challenges facing Seattle.