Seattle Police Department

Problem SolvingNine Case Studies

andLessons Learned

Jon GerondaleResearch and Grants UnitSeattle Police Department

January 2000

Funding for this project was made available through iheAdvancing Community Policing Grant from the

United States Department of JusticeOffice of Community Oriented Policing Services

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Table of Contents

Case StudyNumber

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Lox Stock Billards and Sports Bar

Fifth Avenue Glass Gallery

East Precinct Auto Thefts

9000 Block of Delridge Avenue SW

Trespass & Burglary Complaints at4700 University Way NE

Bollard Fraternal Hall and Lodges

Market Grocery and Deli

Mirror Tavern

Ross Playfield Neighborhood

Appendix Projects / Lessons Learned

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Case Study No. 1)

Lox StockBilliards andSports Bar

Located in the University District at 4552University Way NE, the Lox Stock Billiards andSports Bar is a popular bar that attracts alarge number of young college students onWednesday and Saturday nights. Wednesdayfeatures a special ladies' night promotion, whileon Saturday a local radio station, KUBE 93.3 FM,broadcasts live from the bar and hosts a danceparty on-site. All other nights of the week, thebar is relatively quiet and rarely generatescomplaints requiring a police response.

On these two promotional nights, officerswere frequently called by local residents and baremployees to handle a variety of problemsranging from noise and traffic complaints, toassaults, DUI's, shots fired, and large crowdscongregating in the street. In the typical response,officers faced extremely hostile, intoxicatedcrowds of young college-aged males thatoftentimes numbered in the hundreds. The barhad a capacity of 299 people.

Due to the significant officer safety issuesinvolved, as well as the potential for a seriousdisturbance similar to the riots that occurredrecently at Washington State University, SergeantO'Neill, the patrol sergeant working the area,decided to proactively address the problemsoccurring at the bar. Initially, Sergeant O'Neillcollected all DUI and incident reports generatedby the bar and notified the Washington StateLiquor Control Board of the numerous problems.Next, Sergeant O'Neill organized a meeting toincrease communication between officers andbar management, and to collectively developsolutions to the problems stemming from the bar.Up to this point, there was minimal dialoguebetween These two parties.

At the meeting involving the district officers,agents from the liquor control board, bar ownerand night manager, the problems occurring atthe bar were identified and discussed, as well aspossible consequences if the problems con-tinued; namely, the loss of the bar's liquor license.Before this meeting, bar management wasreluctant to take responsibility for the actions of

its customers. As such, very few steps were takento alleviate or reduce potential problems.

. From this meeting, the night manageragreed to hire private security to work these twonights and educate employees on ways toprevent "over-serving" of alcohol. SergeantO'Neill agreed to wcrk with management andhave his squad increase their presence, callpermitting, at closing time when the majority ofthe problems occurred as customers left theestablishment.

Prior to the meeting, the bar hired only oneperson to handle security. Many times, thisperson's dress was indistinguishable from othersin the bar, thereby limiting his effectiveness as anauthority figure and confusing officers called tothe scene to handle a disturbance. Aiso, securitydid not take responsibility for activities occurringoutside, the bar once the bar closed and reliedexclusively upon the police to handle thesesituations, usually calling 911 after a disturbancehad escalated to a point where it involved anumber of individuals.

After the meeting, professional security washired that consisted of four to six people on-site.These security personnel wore identifiableuniforms, took an active role in limiting the over-serving of alcohol, and helped ensure that orderwas maintained as people left when the barclosed.

The meeting dramatically improved therelationship between the police and barmanagement. Previously, officers rarelyconducted premise checks of the bar becausethey were greeted'with suspicion and hostilityfrom employees and management in additionto the customers themselves. Now, officers areactively encouraged by bar management toconduct these routine checks and work closelywith security personnel to identify and trespassproblem individuals from the premise.

Although occasional problems areinevitable at the bar, open communicationbetween officers and bar management hasgreatly reduced the potential for largedisturbances and generated a positive result forboth parties. The bar owner is able to continuesponsoring these two promotional nights thatgenerate a significant profit without receivingsanctions from the liquor control board that couldhave resulted if changes were not made.Officers, on the other hand, are not called nearlyas frequently to this location and have thesupport of both management and security indeveloping proactive solutions to address theproblems, thus alleviating a significant officersafety issue. •

(Case Study N0T2)

Fifth AvenueGlass Gallery

During the summer months, when temper-atures increased, employees of the Fifth AvenueGloss Gallery opened the large 15- xl O-foot slidingback delivery door and windows in an attemptto cool the gallery down as they worked blowingglass. During these same summer months,residents of the Charlesgate Apartments, locateddirectly behind the Fifth Avenue Glass Gallery,would arrive home from work and open theirwindows in an effort to increase the circulationin their apartments and displace the heat thataccumulated during the day. The only separationbetween the glass gallery and the 60-unitapartment building was a narrow 15-foot aliey.

As a result, at least two or three times a weekduring the summer, residents of the CharlesgateApartments called 911 complaining about thenoise originating from the Fifth Avenue GlassGallery. At all other times of the year, complaintswere not made since the back delivery door andwindows of the gallery, as well as the apartmentwindows, remained closed due to the coolerweather.

In the typical response, officers arrived atthe scene, contacted the complainant, andasked the employees in the gallery to reducethe noise. While employees were alwayscourteous to the officers and complied withrequests to close the delivery door and windowsand to turn down their stereo, the problempersisted.

Officer Hayes, the community police teamofficer assigned to the area, decided to takeadditional measures to address the problem, Inspeaking with the owner of the business andsurveying the property, Officer Hayes discovereda number of factors contributing to the noisecomplaints. First, the business functioned as aworking glass blowing studio utilized by a numberof different, independent glass artists.Consequently, while officers repeatedlyresponded to the scene and requested thatindividuals in the studio close the sliding deliverydoor and windows, different artists constantlyrotated through the studio and were rarely awarethat officers had been called to the businesspreviously for noise disturbances.

Second, artists typically worked weekdaysin the studio until 9:00 p.m., sometimes even later.Therefore, when Charlesgate residents returnedhome from work in the evening, the artists werestill in the gallery working on their projects.

Third, Officer Hayes recognized that theplacement of the stereo employees played whileworking contributed significantly to the problem.Specifically, the stereo was situated next to theback delivery door. As such, no barriers existedto prevent the noise from carrying across the alleyover to the apartments.

From this meeting, the owner agreed to takeproactive steps to reduce the complaints. Heinstituted a policy, which he explained to eachartist who utilized the studio, that limited the hoursthe back delivery door and windows could beopened during the summer. Since the complaintsoccurred in the evening hours when residents ofthe Charlesgate Apartments returned home formwork, the owner mandated that the delivery doorand windows close at 5:00 p.m. Additionally, herelocated the stereo to the other side of thebusiness in an effort to reduce the noise thatcarried across the alley.

Through taking these steps, noise complaintswere eliminated and everyone benefited. Patrolofficers were no longer called to the scene tohandle these repeat complaints, CharlesgateApartment residents were no longer disturbedby the galley. And the owner of the gallery wasmade aware of the problem and allowed theopportunity to address the issue before itescalated any further. •

(Case Study No. 3)

East PrecinctAuto Thefts

During a three-month period from Augustto October 1997, the East Precinct experiencedan approximate 150 percent increase in thenumber of auto thefts. Many citizens wereextremely concerned with the recent numberof thefts occurring in their neighborhoods andbegan demanding at various communitymeetings that additional patrol resources bedevoted to alleviating the problem.

In an effort to address the increased thefts.Officer Cobane and Officer Williams were

assigned to analyze the problem and developpotential solutions. In the initial analysis of theproblem. Officers Cobane and Williams workedwith the crime analysis unit to generate crimestatistics and arrest reports from the previous yearto determine if any patterns existed among theseauto thefts.

While spatial analysis of the crime data didindicate that a number of the thefts occurred inthe Central District, a review of the arrest reportsuncovered a fairly significant fact concerningjuvenile offenders. Specifically, while only onerepeat adult offender existed over the previous12 months, there were a number of repeatjuvenile offenders for auto theft in the EastPrecinct, with one juvenile having been arrestedeight times over the past year. These officers alsocollected all incoming reports concerning stolenand recovered vehicles in the East Precinct andcompiled a list of repeat juvenile offenders.

Officers Cobane and Wiiiiams then solicitedthe help of patrol officers and the precinct anti-crime team to proactively patrol the CentralDistrict for stolen vehicles in an attempt toapprehend these, repeat offenders, Ininterviewing a number of the repeat juvenileoffenders apprehended. Officers Cobane andWilliams discovered two important factorscontributing to the increased thefts. First officersidentified a new gang in the Central District, theCDS (Central District Savages), whose membersadmitted responsibility for not only a significantportion of the auto thefts, but also for a numberof strong-armed robberies and assaults in thearea. Second, these juveniles received minimalsentences for their auto thefts; the individualarrested eight times for auto theft spent a totalof three days in juvenile detention.

Therefore, Officers Cobane and Williamsdecided they would utilize a two-prongedstrategy to address these issues. First, they workedclosely with the gang unit and patrol to identifythose individuals involved in the CDS. Onceidentified, they contacted the parents of theseindividuals and informed them of their child'sgang affiliation and provided resource andprogram information that was available to themfor help. Second, Officers Cobane and Williamsworked with the King County JuvenileProsecutor's Office to explore the possibility ofimposing stricter sentences on these repeatoffenders for auto theft.

While many of the parents were extremelyunreceptive and uncooperative with police, theProsecutor's Office was willing to work with offi-cers. Specifically, the prosecutor informed offi-

cers that, to receive "exceptional sentences,"statements needed to be taken from repeatoffenders in which the juvenile admitted their CDSgang involvement. Additionally, the prosecutorrequested that officers attend sentencinghearings to provide insight as to the juvenile'sgang involvement, prior criminal history, probationviolations, family history and school records.

Through the project, the precinctestablished a new:protocol when handlingjuveniles arrested for auto theft. Specifically, anyofficer that arrested a juvenile for auto theft whoadmitted CDS gang involvement, took astatement from the juvenile and forwarded thecomplete report and statement to the KingCounty Juvenile Prosecutor's Office.Subsequently, prosecutors informed officers of thesentencing hearing so they could attend andprovide additional information to the judgeconcerning the individual.

Through these collaborative efforts involvingcommunity police team officers, patrol officers,anti-crime team officers, gang unit and the KingCounty Juvenile Prosecutor's Office, two repeatCDS juvenile offenders received exceptionalsentences for auto theft; one juvenile-received ayear in a juvenile correction facility while the otherreceived six months. After these exceptionalsentences were imposed, the number of autothefts in the East Precinct declined approximately80 percent and CDS activity in the citysignificantly decreased. •

[Case Study No. 4)

9000 Blockof DelridgeAvenue SW

Over the previous few months, the socialcharacter of the 9000 block of Delridge AvenueSW rapidly deteriorated as a drastic increasein open-air street narcotics dealing intimidatedresidents on the block and perpetuated fear inthe community. Numerous strong-armed rob-beries, assaults, prostitution complaints, and tworecent shootings—coupled with the aggressive,overt narcotics trafficking—initiated a feedbackcycle further ingraining these illegitimate ac-tivities into the neighborhood.

The Highland Park Action Committee, along-standing community group comprised oflocal business owners and residents, voiced theirconcerns over the many problems facing thearea and became increasingly concerned aboutthe safety and character of their community. TheSouth Precinct acknowledged these issues andinitiated a project to strategically address theproblems facing the block.

Through meeting with the Highland ParkAction Committee and local residents, anddiscussing the various problems with patrol unitswho worked in the area, Officer Askew identifiedtwo important, inter-related factors contributingto the problems. First, the vast majority ofindividuals engaging in the illegal activity did notlive in the immediate neighborhood, but camefrom outside the city. Second, the 7/11 storelocated on the block acted as the catalyst formuch of the crime in the area.

In an attempt to alleviate the problemsoccurring in the neighborhood, a three-prongedapproach was adopted: law enforcement effortswere increased, changes were instituted ai the7/11 store to diminish its attractiveness as amarketplace to commit crimes, and communityparticipation was emphasized to improve theperception of the neighborhood.

Initially, patrol and the precinct anti-crimeteam coordinated the increased lawenforcement efforts in the area. The mobileprecinct parked on the block to increase policevisibility in the neighborhood, supervisorsauthorized additional emphasis units to enhancepatrol in the area, and plainclothes stingoperations conducted on the blockapprehended numerous individuals for sellingand purchasing illegal narcotics.

In regard to the 7/11 store, four primaryenvironmental factors made it an attractivelocation to conduct illegal activity: three payphones located outside the store along DelridgeAvenue SW assisted narcotics traffickers indistributing their illegal drugs; unsecureddumpsters situated on the side of the storeprovided concealment for prostitution andnarcotic activity; a large, open parking lot in frontof the store became an area where peoplecongregated and consumed alcohol purchasedfrom the 7/11 store; and abandoned vehicles inthe parking lot contributed to the general senseof disorder in the area.

Officer Askew contacted the owner of the7/1 ] store, discussed the problems occurring onthe store premise, talked about how theseproblems negatively impacted the community,

and suggested changes to reduce many of theseproblems. From these discussions, specificchanges were made: a fence installed on theunsecured side of the store eliminated access tothe area; a trespass contract signed with theprecinct gave officers a legal justification totrespass individuals contacted on the 7/11 storepremise who did not have a legitimate or lawfulpurpose to be on the property; "No Trespassing"signs posted in the parking area prohibitedpeople from congregating in the lot; and storeemployees were trained on ways to deal withproblem customers, to call 911 wheneverobserving illegal activity, and to discourageindividuals from congregating outside in the storeparking lot.

Officer Askew then contacted US WestCommunications, the business responsible for thepay phones outside the 7/11 store, and theDepartment of Construction and Land Use(DCLU). US West Communications agreed tovoluntarily remove the three pay phones andadjust the pay phone located 200 yards south ofthe 7/11 store to disallow incoming calls. DCLUhad the abandoned vehicles in the parking lotremoved.

Finally, crime prevention actively partici-pated in the project to educate residents on waysto deter and report criminal activity. From thesemeetings with the community, residents took itupon themselves to peacefully march throughthe neighborhood in an effort to protest the illegalactivity and reemphasize their interest in theneighborhood. In fact, this march became theimpetus for a much larger community event thatwas organized, in conjunction with the SeattleDepartment of Neighborhoods, as a"Neighborhood Appreciation Gathering" torecognize residents who had done positive workin the community and increase the interactionof the diverse ethnic groups who lived in theneighborhood.

Through these combined efforts involvingvarious units of the police department, other cityagencies, and local community residents andbusinesses, the problems in the neighborhooddecreased dramatically. The calls for service inthe block declined significantly, citizen complaintsat the neighborhood meetings diminished, andthe community became more organized andempowered to report and address crime anddisorder related issues. •

( Case Study No75J

Trespass & BurglaryComplaints at4507 UniversityWay NE

During the winter of 1997, over an approxi-mate two-week period, officers received anumber of trespass and burglary complaints fromthe businesses located at 4507 University Way NE.Employees of these businesses frequentlycomplained to officers that a number of differenttransients and street youth were breaking intothe building at night, using the bathrooms, andsleeping in the common hallway. Many times theyengaged in uncivil behavior once inside thebuilding and out of view from individuals outside.

There were four suites in the building, witheach suite having a different occupant: HairMasters, University of Washington Social Work andContinuing Education, University of WashingtonOffice of Annual Giving, and the WashingtonState Auditor's Office. There were two levels tothe building with the Hair Masters located on theground floor and the three other tenantsoccupying the second floor.

Each of these tenants, while occupying adifferent suite, shared a common hallway andstairwell that was -inside the building. The mainentrance to each of these businesses opened tothis common hallway that had a front entranceat 4507 University Way NE, and a back fire escapedoor that exited to an alley behind the building.

In the typical scenario, employees arrivingto work in the morning were confronted by thetransients and street youth that broke in theprevious night. Typically, these transients andstreet youth were sleeping in the hallway insidethe building or utilizing the bathrooms to bathe.In one case, an employee confronted twoindividuals having sex in the hallway when shearrived to work.

Although these transients and street youthwould leave once employees arrived in themorning, they were extremely intimidating andposed a significant safety threat to theemployees. Additionally, while The individualsbreaking into the businesses typically did not take

anything, pry marks were oftentimes left on thedoors inside the building suggesting that attemptswere made to break into the businesses.

After responding to a number Of these calls.Officer Stevens learned that there were twoprimary factors contributing to the problems, First.,he recognized that the individuals breaking intothe building were putting something in the backdoor during business hours to prevent the doorfrom locking, Once all the employees left for theevening, these individuals would then enterthrough the rigged back door.

Second, after speaking with a number ofthe employees, Officer Stevens learned thatemployees rarely checked the back door atnight when they left. Although employees wouldlock the doors to their respective suites, no onelocked the back door at the end of the commonhallway. Employees often worked late hours anddid not feel safe checking the back door toensure that, it was locked as the back door wasat the end of an isolated stairwell and openedto a dark alley.

With this information. Officer Stevenscontacted the building manager to discusspossible solutions. From the meeting, the buildingmanager agreed to the following: he posted"No Loitering" signs in the front and back of thebuilding; he signed up for the criminal trespassprogram giving officers the authority to arresttrespassers; he gave Officer Stevens keys to thebuilding, allowing the officer to walk through thebuilding periodically during hours of closure; and,he agreed to have the building cleaning crewcheck the back door at night. •

Through these efforts, a number of benefitsresulted. First, officers were no longer called tothe scene to handle the burglary and trespasscomplaints as the officers were able to pro-actively conduct indoor premise checks of thebuilding during late night hours when thetransients and street youth would typically enterthe building. Second, employee safety wasdramatically improved as employees of thebusinesses were no longer confronted by thetransients and street youth when arriving at workand opening the building. Third, the potential fora serious incident at this location significantlydecreased since, previous to the project,employees typically confronted the transientsand street youth alone, during early morninghours and in isolated locations inside the building.Finally, future burglary attempts at the buildingwere significantly reduced as individuals nolonger had easy access into the building, •

(Case Study No. 6J

Ballard FraternalHall and Lodges

Over the previous few years, the number ofcitizen complaints generated by events held atfour different fraternal halls and lodges within theBallard community steadily increased, Not oniywere focal residents increasingly alarmed andfrustrated with the repeat problems occurring,safety became a primary concern to officersresponding to these locations as many eventsinvolved more thanlOO individuals, with asignificant number of them usually intoxicatedand hostile towards police.

At least two or three times a month, typicallyon a busy Friday or Saturday evening, officersresponded to at least one of these problemlodges to handle a variety of complaints. Inaddition to noise complaints and the associateddisturbances that accompany large crowds(fights, excessive loitering, traffic congestion, etc.),numerous civility complaints including publicurination and public drunkenness negativelyimpacted the community. The problems reachedsuch an extent that the Ballard News-Tribune-highlighted an out-of-control party held at oneof these lodges involving a significant number ofjuveniles consuming alcohol.

Sergeant Wilson and Officer Wooierydecided to formally address the problemsassociated with these problem lodges. In the initialassessment of the problem, Sergeant Wilson andOfficer Wooiery realized that problems typicallyarose at these premises when rented to outsideindividuals for private events. Additionally, theyrecognized a system did not exist to CD notifythe precinct when an event was going to occur,or (2) inform the precinct of the individual(s)responsible, either on-site or from the lodge, fora particular event if it needed to be shut down.

As such, the only notification the precincttypically received of an event was comprised ofa 911 call for service. Consequently, by the timepatrol officers arrived on the scene, the problemsassociated with the event had in many casesescalated to such an extent that a number ofofficers, sometimes an entire squad, wererequired to handle the situation.

Sergeant Wilson and Officer Wooierydecided that, to proactively address theproblems occurring at these locations, an "eventnotification" system was essential to inform theprecinct on when events were going to occur,what type of event was to take place, and whowas responsible for the particular event.

A meeting was held involving repre-sentatives from each of the four problem lodges,police and the Washington State Liquor ControlBoard, Through the meeting, the lodges wereformally made aware of the problems occurringat their premises when rented to outside users,educated on the importance of informing theprecinct when events were to occur, and notifiedof possible consequences if they did not takemore responsibility in renting out their premise.Specifically, they couid be piaced on the statemaster denia! list, thereby preventing theestablishment from hosting events that involvedalcohol. Up to this point, these lodges wereunwilling to accept responsibility for the problemsoccurring at their locations.

From the meeting, an "Event Notification"form was created that each lodge wouldcomplete and return to the precinct before anevent was to take place. This "Event Notification"form accomplished two primary goals. First itinformed the precinct when events were tooccur, how many people were expected toattend, whether or not liquor was involved, andlisted an on-site individual associated with theevent whom officers could contact if called tothe scene. Second, the form increased fraternalhall management accountability throughrequiring them to have an individual from thefraternal organization itself who would shut downthe event if required to do so by officers.

While minor disturbances still occasionallyoccur at the respective lodges, the problemshave decreased and a system was establishedthat more effectively addresses the problems atthese locations. Under this new system, officersand community residents benefit as potentialproblem events are identified beforehand,thereby allowing officers the opportunity toproactively patrol these locations to preventproblems from escalating to larger disturbancesrequiring significant police resources. Additionally,fraternal halls and lodges were made aware ofthe possible consequences if problemscontinued, thus ensuring increased responsibilitywhen renting their premises to outside users. •

[Case Study No. 7J

Market Groceryand Deli

Due to its dose proximity to Pike PlaceMarket and the generous customers and touristswho visited the site each day, VictorSteinbrueck Park traditionally attracted anumber of transients who panhandled in thearea. Nevertheless, the foot beat officers whopatrolled the park noticed a significant increaseover the previous few months in the number ofintoxicated transients congregating at the parkand creating disturbances. During this sameperiod, residents of the Market PlaceCondominiums, located one biock east of thepark, and many local businesses complainedto district patrol officers about the large numberof transients drinking alcohol, aggressivelypanhandling, engaging in fights and destroyingproperty in their neighborhood.

After some preliminary research. Sergeantibuki, the patrol sergeant who worked in thearea, discovered that the Market Grocery andDeli, which recently sold to a Korean owner andwas located on the retail level of the MarketPlace Condominiums, engaged in businesspractices that significantly contributed to theproblems occurring in the neighborhood.Specifically, the new owner increased thenumber of inexpensive malt liquors carried inthe store and frequently sold alcohol toindividuals already intoxicated. As such, theMarket Grocery and Deli became a destinationfor many transients to purchase inexpensivealcohol with money they had panhandled fromvisitors of the park.

Sergeant Ibuki made contact with theowner to discuss the complaints associated withthe business. Through this meeting, SergeantIbuki learned that the owner, a recent immigrantwho operated the store with his family, was newto the neighborhood and not very familiar withthe neighborhood dynamics or liquor laws. Assuch. Sergeant Ibuki notified the owner that hewould return with a Korean-speaking officer anda representative from the Washington StateLiquor Control Board to educate the owner andhis family on the various liquor violationsoccurring at the store, possible consequences

if violations persisted, and steps to reduce theproblems.

The owner was educated on a number ofways to change business practices to eliminatethe problems: identify intoxicated indiviauals asthey enter the store and refuse service; trespassproblem individuals from the store; check theidentification of. alcohol purchasers (this is arequirement by state law and many transientsdid not possess valid identification); and, instructemployees to check outside for intoxicatedindividuals when selling several bottles ofalcoho! to an individual who may be distributingthe alcohol once outside the store tointoxicated friends.

Sergeant Ibuki also explained to the ownerthe dynamics of the community and how hecould actually change his product line toachieve the dual benefits of increasing storeprofits and reducing neighborhood problems.Three new condominiums had recently beenbuilt in the immediate area and officersexplained to the owner that he actually couldturn a higher profit through selling products thatbetter catered to individuals living in the neigh-borhood.

After meeting with the owner, patrolemphasis was increased in the area to ensurethe store complied with the new businessprocedures. The owner reduced the number ofmalt liquors carried in the store, made thesuggested changes in business practices, andtrespassed problem individuais. In replacing theinexpensive malt liquor with higher qualityalcoho! products, the store no longer acted asa magnet for transients seeking inexpensivealcohol, but instead became an attraction forindividuals living in the neighborhood

Once these changes were instituted, theproblems in the neighborhood decreasedsignificantly. The manager and residents of theMarket Place Condominiums commendedofficers for the dramatic decrease in problemsassociated with intoxicated transients in theneighborhood. Although a few intoxicatedtransients continue to congregate at VictorSteinbrueck Park and create disturbances, theproblems became more manageable as theMarket Grocery and Deli no longer providedthese individuals the opportunity to purchaseinexpensive alcohol in the immediate area, •

(Case Study No. 8)

MirrorTavern

The Mirror Tavern, located downtown at110 Pike Street, was rapidly becoming thesource of numerous community complaints,Specifically, residents in the area and customersof the tavern constantly complained of theheavy narcotics activity occurring inside the bar.While the Pike Street corridor had always beenan area that required a significant policeemphasis because of its history of high narcoticsactivity, the tavern had not traditionally beena problem location requiring repeat policeresponses.

The tavern was in the process of changingownership. A new person assumed manage-ment responsibility for the tavern and wasmaking monthly payments to the owner topurchase the tavern. While the owner workedclosely with officers to prevent problems fromoccurring, the new manager turned a blind eyeto the illegal activity and refused toacknowledge that problems existed. In fact, thenew manager hired employees who toleratedand, in some cases, participated in the illegalactivity.

While beat officers were well aware thatknown narcotics dealers would congregateand deal inside the tavern, law enforcementefforts were extremely difficult for a number ofreasons. First, the tavern provided concealmentfor narcotics dealers as they no longer had toconduct their activities outside in open viewon the street. Second, the interior of the tavernwas extremely dark, thus making it difficult forofficers to observe transactions once inside.Third, the people involved in the narcoticsactivity would only deal to known individuals,thereby preventing the success of undercoveroperations.

Consequently, the two sergeantscoordinating the project decided to attack theproblems via a different route. Since narcoticsarrests were proving difficult, it was decided towork with the Washington State Liquor ControlBoard to address the various liquor violationsoccurring at the tavern. While officers weretypically unsuccessful in apprehending

individuals dealing narcotics, they did observetavern employees frequently over-servingcustomers—a violation of state liquor law.

Officers were able to document four caseswhere customers were over-served in a one-week period. With these cases, liquor controlboard agents contacted the manager anddiscussed the consequences of the liquorviolations—namely, that the liquor license couldbe revoked and the tavern closed.

At this point, officers informed the ownerof the problems occurring at the tavern sincehe relinquished management to the newmanager and the possibility of losing the MirrorTavern liquor license, which was still under hisname, if the problems persisted. Upon learningthis, the owner became extremely concerned,and informed the new manager that ifimmediate changes were not implemented toreduce the problems occurring at the tavern,the sale of the tavern-would be terminated.

The manager, while initially unreceptive toofficer suggestions, agreed to implementchanges once pressured by the owner. First,problem employees engaging in the illegalactivity were fired and an employee rehiredwho worked at the tavern for a number of yearsbefore the change of management. Second,a row of booths along a back wall that providedconcealment for narcotics dealers wasremoved and in its place, tables and chairs wereset up that increased visibility in the tavern Tnird,locks were installed on the bathroom doors thatcould only be opened by the bartender. Beforethe locks were installed, individuals would goinside the bathroom to conduct their trans-actions. Fourth, video surveillance cameras wereinstalled to monitor the activities within thetavern. Finally, employees were educated onways to detect possible narcotics activity andencouraged to trespass individuals engaged inillegal activities.

Through these changes, and aggressivepatrol enforcement of liquor, narcotics andtrespass violations, an environment onceconducive to illegal activity dramaticallychanged. Individuals no longer had a safeplace to conduct their illegal activities anddiscontinued utilizing the Mirror Tavern as amarket for narcotics transactions. While theMirror Tavern subsequently relocated outside thecity after its lease expired, the problems at thetavern significantly declined for the two yearsafter the project ended. •

( Case Study No. 9 )

Ross PlayfieldNeighborhood

During the summer of 1998, theneighborhood around Ross Playfield, locatedin the 4300 block of 3rd Avenue NW,experienced a number of problems associatedwith transients congregating in the area,Residents frequently complained to officers oftransients sleeping in their yards and theplayfield, drinking alcohol, urinating in public,engaging in narcotics activity, and beingextremely belligerent and hostile whenconfronted about their behavior,

Through speaking with many of the localresidents and increasing her patro! presence inthe area, Officer Hentz, the patrol officerworking in the neighborhood, discovered anumber of factors that were contributing to theproblems. First, there was a vacant houselocated at 4403 4th Avenue NW where a numberof transients would sleep in the yard. This houseattracted transients not only because of itsvacancy, but also because it had a three-footconcrete wall surrounding the property thatprovided concealment from the street. Second,a local "mom and pop" grocery store, locatedat 4404 3rd Avenue NW, stocked numerousinexpensive 40-ounce malt liquors that transientsdesired. Third, the bathrooms at the park werenot locked at night thereby providing a placewhere transients could sleep, conduct illegalactivities, and bathe.

In the typical scenario, transients wouldwalk from the ship canal, which is locatedapproximately one-half mile south of theneighborhood, to the grocery store to purchasetheir alcohol—usually at 6:00 a.m. when thegrocery store opened. After these transientspurchased their alcohol, they would drink thealcohol at either the vacant house or theplayfield, many times conducting otherillegitimate activities at these locations as well.This cycle was repeated on a daily basis byapproximately ten transients.

In assessing the problems occurring in theneighborhood, Officer Hentz (earned thatprecinct community police team (CPT) officerswere already working on ways to improve the

conditions at the vacant house. Officer Hentzlearned from CPT officers that the owner iivedin eastern Washington, left the houseunoccupied during a significant portion of theyear, and was not willing to work with officersor the Health Department in addressing theproblems occurring on the lot.

Therefore, Officer Hentz decided to focusher efforts on the two other factors making theneighborhood an attractive place for thetransients to congregate: the grocery store andRoss Playfield. The neighborhood consistedpredominantly of single- and multi-familyhousing units, with the grocery store being theonly commercial space in the immediate area.Ross Playfield was located across the street fromthe grocery store and occupied an entire blockof the neighborhood.

Officer Hentz contacted the grocery storeowner and educated him on the factorscontributing to the problems in theneighborhood—specifically, how the sale ofinexpensive malt liquors from his store was aprimary source of the problems occurring in thearea. The owner, unaware of his store'scontribution to the problems, was receptive toofficer suggestions. The grocery store ownervoiuntarily made changes to the store's productline end discontinued carrying the productstransients desired,

In regard to Ross Playfield, Officer Hentzrecognized that during the afternoon and earlyevening hours, the playfield was well utilizedby a number of legitimate users in theneighborhood. As a result, transients rarelycongregated at the playfield during these timesas their activities were reported to officers.

The only times transients would congregatein the park were in the early morning and lateevening hours when no one else was around.At these times, transients would utilize thebathrooms for their illegitimate activities sincethe bathrooms provided an area ofconcealment. All other areas of the playfieldwere extremely visible from the four streetssurrounding the park, thereby providing goodnatural surveillance. With this information, theofficer contacted the Parks Department,informed them of the problems occurring atthe park, and had them agree to lock thebathroom doors at night. In locking the doorsat night, the transients no longer had a reasonto be in the park after it closed at 11:30 p.m.

Subsequent to these efforts. Officer Hentzincreased her presence in the area, educatedresidents to contact 911 whenever they

observed illegal activity, and informed thetransients that fheir behavior would no longerbe tolerated in the neighborhood. Throughthese integrated efforts, the transient problemsin the neighborhood disappeared. An area thatonce possessed a number of factors thatattracted these transients and their associatedillegitimate behavior quickly changed as stepswere taken to alleviate the factors contributingto the problems in the neighborhood. •

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Appendix Projects

Lessons Learned

While the ideal goal of problem solving is tofind a "tailor-made" solution to each particularproblem, specific lessons can be learned fromprevious projects that could help in future problemsolving endeavors. The following are just a few ofthe lessons learned from the particular projectsanalyzed that help explain their success. While onlyone project is highlighted under each lesson, anumber of the projects could apply to each.

I Be aware of the various methods availableto address a particular problem; if one avenue

does not work, be willing to address the problemfrom a different angle.

Although narcotics activity at the MirrorTavern was the primary concern of both theofficers and community, liquor violationseventually provided officers the leverage tomandate that changes be made. Once officersrecognized that the narcotics activity was goingto be extremely difficult to document, the officerschanged their plan of action and focused theirefforts on the liquor violations.

2 Utilize crime prevention through environmen-tal design (CPTED) principles as a component

in the problem solving efforts—not the exclusivetool.

When analyzing the problems occurring onthe 9000 block of Delridge Avenue SW, officersrecognized that a number of physical factorsexisted at the 7/11 store which made the areaconducive to illegitimate activity: unsecureddumpsters, accessible pay phones, andabandoned vehicles. Addressing these CPTEDissues, in conjunction with increased patrol andcommunity involvement, made the projectsuccessful. While making an area less conduciveto crime is important, enforcement andcommunity involvement were just as essential tobreak the cycle of crime occurring in theneighborhood.

3 Develop partnerships with other agenciesthat might be better suited to handle the

particular problem and impose sanctions.Officers recognized they had limited

influence when attempting to address the

problem occurring at the Lox Stock Billiards andSports Bar. That is, officers did not have authority,in and of themselves, to force the owner to makechanges in his business practices. Therefore,officers solicited the help of the liquor controlboard, which had authority over the liquor licenseof the establishment, to pressure the business tomake changes.

4 Provide solutions to alleviate problems.Not only is it important to identify problem

areas, officers should also help formulate solutions.The manager of the Mirror Tavern, while awarethat problems existed, did not know what specificsteps to take to alleviate the problems. Therefore,the officers acted as a resource and providednumerous ways to reduce the illegitimate activityoccurring in the tavern.

5When possible, do not shift the entire burdenof addressing a particular problem to others;

officers must agree to be part of the solution toincrease acceptance of problem solving efforts.

With the Lox Stock Billiards and Sports Bar,officers agreed to increase their patrol presencein the area at the time of closing. In doing this,officers demonstrated that they were willing towork with the owner in addressing the problems.As such, the owner was more willing to do his part-in combating the problems generated by the baras the process became more of a collaborativeeffort. The project would most likely not have beenas successful if the owner felt that the officers weretelling him what to do and were not willing tohelp him alleviate the problems.

6 Knowledge of neighborhood dynamics iscritical in understanding problems and

developing collaborative solutions.Officers were aware that Victor Steinbrueck

Park was an attractive location for transients topanhandle. Officers also knew that three newcondominiums in the neighborhood housed anumber of individuals with relatively high incomes.With these facts, officers were able to educatethe new business owner at Market Grocery andDeli of ways to turn a higher profit through sellingproducts that were more in line with neighborhoodresidents and did not contribute to the problemsin the neighborhood.

7 Recognize cultural barriers that might existwhen developing solutions.Once officers determined that the new

owner of Market Grocery and Deli was a recentKorean immigrant who was unfamiliar with the

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state liquor laws and neighborhood dynamics,officers obtained a Korean-speaking officer tocommunicate with the owner. This helped reduceany misunderstandings that might otherwise haveoccurred, and improved the relationship and trustbetween the officers and owner,

8 Educate people on problems that areoccurring.The owner of the Fifth Avenue Glass Gallery

was unaware that his business was the source ofnumerous complaints. Once he became awareof these issues, he was more than willing to takesteps to alleviate the probiems.

9 If possible, address a number of problemareas with the same solution.

Officers in the Ballard area recognized thatthey were repeatedly called to various fraternalhails and lodges to handle very similar complaints.As such, they realized that the most efficient wayto handle these problem locations would be todevelop a solution that could be applied to eachpremise.

Inform other agencies of inadequateresponse.

After discovering that repeat juvenileoffenders were receiving extremely light sentencesfor their crimes, officers worked closely with theprosecutor's office to implement strongersentences for these repeat juvenile offenders.

1 1 Increased patrol emphasis and suspectapprehension are critical components to

problem solving.Increased patrol enforcement was a signi-

ficant, if not the primary, problem solvingcomponent in reducing the East Precinct autothefts. The increased enforcement by patrol andthe anti-crime team was essential in that if led tothe apprehension of the juvenile auto theftsuspects who then informed officers of the CDSactivity in the precinct. Additionally, the increasedenforcement let CDS members on the street knowthat their activity would not be tolerated,

Utilize other units and resources within theorganization, where possible, to help in the

problem solving process.In addressing the East Precinct auto thefts,

the officers coordinating the project solicited thehelp of a number of different units: patrol, crimeanalysis, gang unit and anti-crime team. Throughinvolving the various units, each of which had aninterest in the problem, the project was much more

successful than if the officers attempted to doeverything themselves.

1 *i Involve the community, where possible,W to take ownership of their neighborhood.

When addressing the problems facing the9000 block of Delridge Avenue SW, officersencouraged the community to take ownershipof their neighborhood- Through educating thecommunity on ways to deter and report criminalactivity, citizens became important allies inpreventing similar conditions from returning.

MDevelop solutions that provide benefits toeach party involved.

Through the problem solving process, the LoxStock Billiards and Sports Bar owner was able tocontinue sponsoring the two promotional nightsthat generated a significant profit withoutreceiving sanctions from the liquor control board.Officers, on the other hand, were not called nearlyas frequently to the location and significant officersafety issues were reduced as the bar took moreresponsibility in handling their customers. These"win-win" solutions also ensure that individualsinvolved in the process follow through on taskitems.

IfT Problem elimination is not the onlyW successful outcome of problem solving

efforts.Although problems still occasionally occur at

the various fraternal halis and lodges in Ballard, asystem is in place that notifies the precinct ofpotential problem events before they occur. Thisprovides officers the opportunity to proactivelypatrol these locations and prevent problems fromescalating to larger disturbances,

1 JL Do not make problem solving efforts moreO complicated then needed; attempt to

focus problem solving efforts on areas wherechanges can be made easily.

In assessing the problems occurring in theRoss Playfield neighborhood, the officer identifiedthree main factors contributing to the problemsin the area. In formulating a response, the officerfocused her efforts on two factors that she couldmost likely change: the grocery store sale ofinexpensive alcohol and the Ross Playfieldbathrooms. In addressing the issues she had themost influence over, she alleviated the problemsquicker and easier than if she focused her effortson the vacant house where the transientscongregated.

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1^ Make those individuals responsible for a/ particular problem accountable for their

actions.Through not holding owners of the Ballard

fraternal halls and ledges accountable for theproblems generated at their establishments, theowners left the responsibility to precinct officers.The owners had no incentive to change theirbusiness practices because no one was pressuringthem to institute changes. However, once officersinvolved the liquor control board and informedthe owners that current conditions would not betolerated, the owners were pressured to developnew practices to reduce the problems.

I A Address the problem before it turns intoI O something more serious.

While the trespass complaints at 4507University Way NE were a fairly low prioritycomplaint that many times did not require a reportas the suspect typically left peacefully beforepolice arrived, the problem had the potential tolead to a much more serious incident. The potentialfor a serious assault at this location was significantas employees typically confronted these transientsalone, during early morning hours, and in isolatediocations. Through the problem solving efforts,however, the likelihood of a serious incident atthis location decreased as efforts were taken toeliminate the factors creating the risk.

Documentation of steps taken during aproject is essential.

When other agencies were not willinginitially to use their authority or resources to solvea problem, they were much more responsivewhen provided written reports and chronologiesof chronic problems. Without documentation,officers were not as likely to receive support inaddressing problems.

^ a " s *or s e r v i c e a n c i crime statistics shouldnot be used as the exclusive indicator of

a problem area.Although 911 calls for service do provide an

indication as to what problems are occurring in aneighborhood, they are not the exclusive indicator.In many cases, the problems in an area becomeso entrenched in a community that individualsbecome discouraged and stop calling police toreport illegal activity, As such, calls for service andcrime statistics wouid not have shown theseriousness of the problem even though a problemdefinitely existed.

21 Calls for service and crime statistics shouldnot be used as the exclusive indicator of

the success of a problem solving project.While calls for service and crime statistics can

be utilized to support the success of a problemsolving project, they must not be the soleassessment tool. In many cases, employees of thebusinesses at 4507 University Way NE would notcall 911 to report the individuals sleeping insidethe building because the transients usually leftpeacefully once the employees arrived. As such,when assessing the project via calls for serviceand crime statistics, one does not see the trueeffects the project had in alleviating the fears ofmany of the employees, nor the amount of timesthese incidents actually occurred before theproject.

While officers might not consider a prob-lem a high priority, individuals living and

working in the area might view the same problemas a significant issue requiring additional policeresources.

While officers repeatedly responded to theCharlesgate Apartments for noise complaints,many did not view the problem as being asignificant issue. Therefore, not much time wastaken to address the underlying causescontributing to the problem. Residents, however,were extremely frustrated with the noisecomplaints and upset with the police response. Intaking the time to analyze the problem in a littlemore depth, the officer recognized that arelatively easy solution existed that went a longway in improving the relationship between theapartment residents and police.

Be willing to proactively speak with resi-dents in the neighborhood to discuss the

problems occurring in their communityIn the Ross Playfieid case, the officer spoke

with many of the residents in the neighborhoodto get an idea as to what problems were occurringin the area. In speaking with a number of theresidents, the officer gained a more thoroughunderstanding as to the particular problems in theneighborhood, possible causes of the respectiveproblems and potential solutions. With thisknowledge, the officer was better able toformulate a successful response. •

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