There’s a new police presence on 23rd Avenue near the Garfield Community Center, but it doesn’t involve any living members of the force. The city has installed cameras on utility poles and traffic signals in the area, giving East Precinct officers a whole new investigative tool – one that is already being used to help solve the most recent shooting that occurred there last week.

East Precinct Captain Paul McDonagh says that the cameras were installed as an initiative of the mayor’s office, focusing on city park properties that have a history of criminal activity. The area around the Garfield Community Center made the list after a series of high-profile shootings there last year, such as the one that killed Quincy Coleman and another that blinded Donnie Cheatham.

Although SPD does not have direct control of the cameras and does not monitor them in real-time, recordings are made and kept available for a limited time. SPD officials can then request access to those recordings for specific crimes they’re investigating, as they’ve reportedly done in the shooting incident on July 5th. Detectives in that case have requested the video from that time period and are using it as part of their ongoing investigation.

Captain McDonagh says that the recorded footage will typically only be used for major crimes such as assaults, robberies, and shootings. He hopes that they can provide small clues to help larger investigations, such as capturing the license plate of a fleeing vehicle, or the face of a suspect that is already known to police.

Legally speaking, city prosecutors tell me that any criminal act that happens in public is fair game to this type of surveillance system, as there is no expectation of privacy when someone is out on a public street. However, the law would not allow them to be fixed on a private property to capture illegal activity that might happen inside a house or fenced yard.

An SPD officer has told me that they think the cameras are already having an effect on the area, saying that gang members have noticed them and appear to have taken their activity to other places. If you’re wondering how that could be with the incident just last week, it’s possible that the assailants in that case were from a different neighborhood and not aware of the camera’s installation on that corner.

A previous installation of cameras at Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill created a minor uproar among city council members due to the fact that they didn’t specifically provide for them in the city budget. We made several calls to councilmembers and various city departments to get the specifics on how these were funded and whether they fall in that same category, but so far have not heard back. We’ll let you know if we do.

Last month the city and the Seattle Neighborhood Group teamed up to distribute 1,800 surveys to a random sample of households in the Central District, with a goal of gauging people’s perception of crime in the neighborhood. City leaders shared the preliminary results of the survey at the dual meeting of the East Precinct Crime Prevention Coalition and African American Advisory Council earlier tonight, showing that street drug use and drug dealing top the list of people’s concerns, even higher than violent crimes and burglaries.

The surveys were designed to provide a baseline of neighborhood sentiment as part of the new Drug Market Initiative that is being spearheaded by SPD Captain Paul McDonagh and deputy prosecutor Tienny Milnor. They’ve been out gathering neighborhood support for the plan that would provide constructive alternatives for low-level street dealers who are picked up, using a combination of social services and community involvement to get them off the street and on a more productive path in life.

Survey participants were asked to provide a rating for various category of crimes, designating them major, moderate, or less serious. Out of the 275 surveys that have been received so far, 62% labeled street drug use as a major problem, higher than any other category of crime. 54% identified street dealing as a major problem, second highest in the group. Violent gun crimes came in third at 53%.

Additionally, 87% of survey respondents said that they have seen evidence of drug dealing within the last year. But of those, only 49% reported the incident to police.

So far the results of the survey appear to back up city official’s plans for providing a new experimental focus on the local drug problem. But they stress that the key to making it work is stronger and sustained involvement of other people throughout the community. They’re actively seeking people who would want to help out and become a part of the community side of the equation. If you’re interested in participating, contact Sita Das at the Seattle Neighborhood Group at [email protected] or 206-323-9666.

This afternoon construction crews hoisted the old Wonder Bread sign up onto the top of the new apartment building at 18th & Jackson. It’s back on the site where it sat for 54 years on top of a 1916-era bakery.

The developers of the new project spent about $75,000 refinishing the original sign and upgrading the building’s structure to support its 6,000lb weight. Each 5×8 foot letter was sanded down, rewired, and repainted before being put back on the original steel frame.

The apartments are scheduled to open this September, and will get kicked off with a public open house and a lighting ceremony for the Wonder Bread sign.

Don’t forget to register to vote! July 18 is the deadline for registering online http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/registration.aspx

Or you can register up until Monday, August 3 in person at the King County Elections Office. http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/aboutus/directions.aspx

Central Area & Capitol Hill Election Forum: 6 – 9 PM Monday July 27th @ Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 19th & Madison.

All the hijinks from the sun-filled streets of Seattle’s East Precinct:

Today while walking in the Harborview area, I saw a Specialized bike too nice to have been abandoned by it’s owner…are you missing one?

Awwww….. summertime in the CD. The trees are green, flowers are blooming and the kids seemed to be bored.

Just a warning if you are walking by the apartment complex at 27th and Yesler. The kids here are obviously quite bored. I have seen them throwing rocks at cars (including mine), basketballs at buses, and they have thrown firecrackers at people simply walking by. They seem to think that the busstop is their clubhouse. They are usually there in the afternoons and early evenings. On my evening walk/run yesterday they tried to pick my pocket for my phone. Luckily, I have been aware of their activity so nothing stolen. Just a word to watch your stuff and self when walking by.

I found this stereo faceplate in my front yard this morning, when I left for work. It was probably discarded by someone digging through a “found” purse or bag.

It goes to a Pioneer “Premier” car stereo, DEH-P640.

If you are missing this, leave a message and I’ll try and get it back to you.

Here’s a few odds & ends from the wide world of neighborhood transportation:

Streetcar: CHS reports that the 12th Ave streetcar plan is picking up steam, with city councilmembers getting involved, SDOT including the Broadway/12th loop as an alignment possibility, and a new Facebook Group with a lot of members.

Street Art: Got some art skillz? Time is running out to get your application in for the signal box art decal program. Submissions due July 24th.

Chicanes: Back in March we mentioned the city’s plan to install four traffic “chokers” on 18th between Cherry & Union. Construction has started on them in the last couple of weeks, with two completed in the 700 block (in front of the old fire station) and 900 block. The one in the 1100 block is almost complete, with new concrete in place, leaving only the one in the 800 block in front of Immaculate Conception left to be done.

New Chicane in 700 block of 18th, in front of the CAMP firehouse

New Chicane in the 900 block of 18th

Freshly poured chicane in the 1100 block of 18th, near Union

As we have seen every year, property crimes increase in the CD during the warmer months. I was happy to see reported burglaries were down in May 2009, but that does not mean they aren’t still occurring. As a matter of fact, recently some friends of mine in Capitol Hill at 24th and Aloha had their 42″ plasma TV used as a tray on which to pile valuables and then make off down the street.

The Stranger has a good article this week on the alarming uptick in burglaries, saying that about 150 known folks are responsible for most break ins. Not even hiding valuables within your home seems to work any more.

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/burglary-boom/Content?oid

I really like the recommendation to call 911 if neighbors hear breaking glass or splintering wood when these perps force their way in. I plan to keep my eyes and ears open.