We had a great turnout on Tuesday evening at the Ravenna Eckstein Community Center’s gymnasium, as more than 50 people gathered to talk about community, safety and more in Ravenna Bryant. Below is a summary of the meeting’s highlights for those who could not attend.
Guest Speakers from the Seattle Police Department
Assistant Police Chief Wilske spoke with the audience about his tenure in the department (more than 30 years,) SPD’s new emphasis on micro community policing, and touched on the work underway related to the use of excessive force findings by federal investigators. Wilske then addressed community concerns about whether SPD staffing is sufficient, saying that a third-party consultant is currently evaluating the department’s needs and will have an assessment and recommendations in the near future. He spoke highly of Mr. Greg Russell – Amazon transplant – who is using technology to create efficiencies, greater transparency and improved communications between the police and the public. By way of example, Wilske pointed to forthcoming improvements to the SeaStat website, which will soon offer hyper-local crime statistics to users in real-time.
Wilske moved on to audience questions/comments, captured below:
- Please increase ticketing and enforcement for cars neglecting to yield to pedestrians along 65th
- Check that bicycles are stopping at designated signs at Burke Gilman Trail crossings
- Drivers aren’t slowing sufficiently in school zones
- Will the city fully fund the Crime Prevent Coordinator team?
- Praise for May Day squad
- Please enforce illegal red light running taking place on Sand Point near Magnuson Park
- Can SPD help evaluate my home for theft/burglary/break-in potential?
Captain Sean O’Donnell, just three weeks into this new position as North Precinct Commander, gave brief welcoming remarks to the crowd.
Next, Lieutenant George Bray from SPD’s 911 call center led an in-depth discussion about the whens, whys, and hows of calling 911. Lt. Bray’s rule of thumb? Call 911 for any reason YOU believe deserves expedited police service. For all the specifics on how 911 calls are prioritized and handled, check out Board Chair Inga Manskopf’s recent post dedicated to this very topic.
The Seattle Police Department also has a twitter feed for each police ‘beat’ that you can follow to see what crimes have been reported. Follow our beat at @SeattlePD Union3. Please note that the Twitter feeds aren’t manned by personnel, and in the case of an emergency, never report via Twitter; always dial 911.
Business Meeting of the RBCA Board of Directors
The Annual Meeting is also a time when Board elections are held. Outgoing President Tony Provine read the names of all nominated members on the ballot. The new executive board and at-large members were voted in unanimously. Your 2015-2016 RBCA Board Members are:
- President: Inga Manskopf
- Vice-President: Jorgen Bader
- Treasurer: Sarah Swanberg
- Secretary: David Katz
- At Large:
- Barb Edquist
- Chris Fiori
- Brett Frosaker
- Virginia Gunby
- Katherine Fountain Mackinnon
- Josephine Pompey
- Tony Provine
- Sarah Rathbone
- David Ward
Congratulations to the Board! And to ensure your voice is represented to the city and elsewhere by your RBCA, please attend our monthly meetings which occur the first Tuesday of each month, 7p.m. at the Ravenna Eckstein Community Center. For more on our work plan, please see board member Chris Fiori’s fantastic draft work plan (WorkplanDraft_May 2015), and contact us with more ideas or to become involved!
The meeting adjourned shortly before 8:30p.m.
For more coverage of the annual meeting, check out Ravenna Blog’s post on the evening.