Seattle City Council Public Safety Chair Bruce Harrell will be our special guest at our Thursday, April 26th East Precinct Advisory Council Community Meeting. We often hear concerns about chronic criminal and nuisance activities that compromise the quality of life and safety in our community. Come and let Councilmember Harrell that you want a safe neighborhood!

EastPAC Community Meeting
Thursday, April 26th, 6:30 TO 8 PM
Seattle University’s Chardin Hall, Room 142
1020 East Jefferson- (enter on 11th and Jefferson park free in front of building)

Please see Cm. Harrell’s Public Safety Committee Work Program: http://www.seattle.gov/council/harrell/2012workprogram.htm

See everyone this Thursday!

We often hear community concerns about calling 911: the operator is abrupt or even rude, asks questions you can’t answer, and you feel intimidated or frustrated. Well, tonight’s your chance to tell the person who can definitely make a difference with the 911 Communications Center!  He can also identify the procedures necessary to quickly dispatch a patrol car to the location you are calling about!  

 Our guest is Captain Sean O’Donnell, 911 Communications Center Commander; formerly our East Precinct Operations Lieutenant.  He wants to hear your concerns and input!  Captain O’Donnell will also give you tips on how to be a good witness when reporting a crime.  

 Please note our new meeting time of 6:30, by popular demand, we are staring a bit later to give folks a chance to come after work…

 EastPAC Community  Meeting

Thursday, March 22, 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM

Chardin Hall, Room 142, Seattle University

1020 East Jefferson

(Enter Campus at 11the and East Jefferson, free parking in front of building)

Looking forward to seeing you there!

We hope to see a large turnout for the Thursday, March 22^nd EastPAC community meeting! By popular demand, we are now starting at 6:30!

The 911 Communications Center Commander, Captain Sean O’Donnell, will be our featured guest at this month. We have a special regard for Captain O’Donnell, as he recently served as our East Precinct Operations Lieutenant, attending our meetings and responding to your community concerns.  We welcome his ‘homecoming’ to the East Precinct!

 Captain O’Donnell is ready to listen to your concerns when calling 911. Here is your chance to directly impact how the 911 operators communicate with you. It is important that you continue to report crimes to 911; this is how SPD basically determines emphasis patrols.  We will also ask him to explain how to be a good witness, what to specifically describe when reporting a crime.

There will also be time for your concerns, East Precinct Command staff, as usual, will be present to hear you. 

 Our meetings are regularly held at Seattle University’s Chardin Hall, a very accessible and convenient location off of 11th and East Jefferson with free parking directly in front of the building.

Mark your calendars:

EastPAC General Meeting

Thursday, March 22, 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM

Chardin Hall, Room 142, Seattle University

1020 East Jefferson

(Enter Campus at 11the and East Jefferson, free parking in front of building)

 Looking forward to seeing you there!

 Stephanie Tschida, Chair

From the Chair: I would like to invite Capitol Hill citizens to attend the East Precinct Advisory Council meeting on December 8th. We have recently revisited and revised our mission and are taking a more pro-active (and sometimes controversial) approach in representing the concerns of ALL East Precinct citizens.  

Metro Transit is making several changes that will impact East Precinct riders, including re-routes and limited service of bus routes. Jack Lattemann, lead Transportation Planner in Metro’s Service Planning Group, will be our featured guest at the December 8^th East Precinct Advisory Council meeting. Jack will speak about these changes,  factors affecting the planning of transit service and safety and security at bus stops— a key concern among the East Precinct community.

Metro representatives were invited in response to a recent survey completed by our October meeting attendees. We asked, “Who and what would you like to see at our meetings?”“Transit Configurations and philosophies regarding public safety” was one of the suggested topics.

Other proposed topics will be featured in our future meetings, including:

• Young people talk about their issues and recommendations to feel more comfortable with policing in our community. (We have invited representatives from the UmojaFest Peace Center for our January Meeting);
• How to be a good witness and notice the details that matter;
• Traffic calming strategies (Traffic circles, curb bulbs, etc) how to get a crosswalk in your neighborhood;
• Education of drivers regarding pedestrians and bicycles;
• 911 information-education in use of 911 calls, “communicating with the police/first responder”;
• Abatement process with Nuisance Property;
• Neighborhood Emergency Teams;
• Role of Meredith Matthews YMCA in neighborhood youth programs.

If you would like to suggest a topic not listed here, please add your idea in the comments.

Please note, our Thursday, December 8 meeting date, set to accommodate the holidays, is a combined November/December meeting. 

Mark your calendar!

 EastPAC General Meeting

Thursday, December 8, 6 PM to 7:45 PM

Chardin Hall, Room 142, Seattle University

1020 East Jefferson

(Enter Campus at 11the and East Jefferson, free parking in front of building)

Hope to see you all there!

For the past year and a half, the Mayor’s Office has been promoting the “Seattle Nightlife Initiative” (SNI), a plan that focuses on extending hours for select Seattle nightclubs to serve alcohol past the current 2 AM cut-off. The City’s petition to extend alcohol service hours was developed collaboratively with the Seattle Nightlife & Music Association (SNMA – a group of Seattle nightclubs) intended to ‘Solve the 2:00 AM Push Out’. There are those who believe that the trouble that occurs when nightclubs close at 2:00 AM can be avoided by staggering closing hours. However, the negative residual issues that could occur with this proposed plan far outweigh any benefits. The extended hours plan will mainly increase liquor revenues to nightclubs – not improve public safety or create a socially responsible drinking environment—or ‘a more vibrant nightlife’. It serves the few in the private, special interest (nightclubs) category, not the many residents who would be impacted by noise, DUIs and alcohol-fueled violence.

During the summer of 2010, the Mayor’s Office sponsored several citywide community meetings to introduce the SNI proposal. The vast majority of attendees were adamantly against this plan, citing significant concerns about negative impacts to local communities. Afterwards, Precinct Advisory Councils and other neighborhood organizations wrote letters to the Mayor and City Council voicing their opposition. Regardless of this broad community opposition, the proposal went forward anyway as a petition to the Liquor Control Board to extend hours for alcohol service. (Note: Recent surveys, distributed to target groups by the City, are being referenced by the City as community approval of this plan.)

Currently, the plan is under review by the Washington State Liquor Control Board for a “Proposed Rules Change”, which would allow Seattle to “create an area within the jurisdiction to extend service hours beyond 2 AM.” –Which “area” would be designated? This has not been identified. Public comment will be accepted until December 1, 2011. The Board will be asked to approve the proposed rules by December 7th, public hearings will follow in January, and the Board could vote to adopt the rule by the end of January.

Citizens have expressed several concerns and questions about this initiative:

Ø The City and State are struggling with a significant budget shortfall. Liquor control agent staff have been reduced to four for the entire city, and local police resources are already limited. Where will funds for regulation and enforcement come from?

Ø Will police staffing to monitor and respond to late night drinking and all its problems be at the expense of other citywide public safety needs?

Ø How will the City and County afford the proposed 24-hour public transport to get patrons home safe?

Ø How will noise, throughout the night, every night, will be managed? (Note: Seattle has not, to our knowledge, issued a noise violation, despite numerous complaints by residents, the process is very cumbersome)

Ø If liquor service hours are extended until 6 AM, doesn’t that mean 24-hour alcohol sales – and no cut off?

Ø If this becomes a pilot program in Seattle, what zone will be chosen? Won’t patrons from outlying areas come to the extended hours zone, adding additional mass in the streets?

Ø Do you think young people (who will likely take advantage of extended hours) should be given the choice to have another drink or two or three at say, 4am?

Ø Why is the City supporting the Seattle Nightlife & Music Association? This special interest group of bar owners is pushing this initiative through Seattle elected officials. Hasn’t this same special interest group made significant campaign contributions and won’t it profit if the extended hours proposal is passed?

The East Precinct Advisory Council, along with the West and South Precinct Advisory Councils, and the Central Seattle Drug-Free Communities Coalition, have voted to oppose this proposed rules change. The vast majority of the North Precinct Advisory Council members are opposed to the initiative as well; however, they have not yet taken a formal vote. We want to stop this petition before it is passed in early December!

The East Precinct Advisory Council, the Central Seattle Drug-Free Communities Coalition and Citizens For A Responsible, Not Reckless Drinking Environment (RNR) ask that you object to this proposal! We are urging you to write to the Liquor Control Board expressing your opposition to the plan. The deadline for this phase of the Rules Change Pre-Proposal Petition is December 1, 2011!

For complete information on Seattle’s petition to open rule-making on extended hours of alcohol service: http://www.liq.wa.gov/rules/extended-hours-rule-making

Please email call, fax or write your objection before the December 1st deadline!

WSLCB Headquarters Rules Coordinator

PO Box 43080 Olympia, WA 98504-3080

[email protected]

360.664.1631 Tel 360.664.9689 Fax

Liquor Board:

· Sharon Foster, Chair, of Olympia, [email protected], 360.664.1711

· Ruthann Kurose, of Mercer Island, [email protected], 360.664.1715

· Chris Marr, of Spokane, [email protected], 360.664.1713

Thank you for your commitment to public safety!