White Center Now: The blog about White Center

We heard this pursuit on the scanner last night but didn’t realize it had begun in White Center. Just in from King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart:

The New Year is starting with a bang as one car chased another car while firing several shots at the fleeing vehicle. Apparently no one was hit.

Then it got interesting. A Sheriff’s deputies found the suspect car twice, and the chase(s) was on!

It all started about 10:50 PM last night (January 2nd). The Sheriff’s Office received a 9-1-1 call about a black Acura chasing a red SUV in the White Center area at speeds up to 80 mph. The driver of the Acura was leaning out the window shooting a handgun at the SUV.

Ten minutes later a deputy found the Acura, now in the Top Hat neighborhood and a short pursuit ensued. But the suspect vehicle got away.

A few minutes later a 2nd deputy found the car again, this time on SR 599. Another pursuit ending up on southbound I-5. The chase was ended when the deputy lost sight of the car at about the Kent-Des Moines Road.

At 12:15 AM a White Center woman called to report her 1997 Acura Integra stolen. Deputies believe this was the vehicle involved in the shooting and the chase. The license number is 403ZJG (Washington). The car is distinctive because it is black but with red and silver wheel rims.

So far there are no reported injures. No one is in custody. Neither the stolen vehicle nor the red SUV, possibly a 4Runner, have been found.

Anyone with information is asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hours) or 9-1-1.

10:32 AM UPDATE: According to the scanner, police have found the stolen car. No word if they found a suspect with it. It wasn’t in West Seattle or White Center – someplace else in Seattle city limits, couldn’t quite pick that up from the radio transmissions.

Following up on the King County Sheriff’s Office announcement that remains of another likely Green River Killer victim had been identified, seattlepi.com tells more of her story tonight, in an interview with her sister. The photo of Becky Marrero , who disappeared in December 1982, is courtesy of KCSO. In case you missed the earlier coverage, here’s their official announcement:

A skull found in an Auburn ravine on Tuesday (December 21st) was positively identified as Rebecca “Becky” Marrero. The remains were identified by Dr. Gary Bell, who performs forensic odontology for Medical Examiner’s Office and the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab.

Detectives believe Marrero very likely a victim of serial killer Gary Ridgway, the so-called Green River Killer.

Marrero was last seen on December 3, 1982 when she left a motel room at S. 168th and Pacific Highway South. She was 20 years old at the time.

Marrero was reported missing to the Sheriff’s Office by her mother on July 20, 1984. Her disappearance was investigated by the Green River Task Force, and she was believed to be a Green River victim.

Ridgway was arrested on November 30, 2001. Two years later he pleaded guilty to the murder of 48 women and was sentenced to 48 consecutive live terms. He was not charged in the Marrero case.

The remains of Marie Malvar on September 28, 2003 in the same general area where Marrero was found. Malvar was last seen in 1983 at S. 216th and Pacific Highway South. Ridgway was convicted in the Malvar homicide.

Ridgway was questioned extensively in 2003 about Becky Marrero’s disappearance. However by policy, the Sheriff’s Office does not discuss what suspects say or don’t say during the investigation of open cases.

Here’s the roundup from tonight’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting (held as always at North Highline Fire District HQ):

UNINCORPORATED AREA COUNCILS’ FUTURE: Will county budget cuts and a study of combining UACs into one countywide body mean the end of NHUAC? This was addressed, somewhat, by Lauren Smith, who is the liaison for unincorporated areas from KC Executive Dow Constantine‘s office – her bottom line, too soon to tell what the cuts (first reported here 2 weeks ago) are going to lead to, or even what they were intended to lead to. She said “there is some money left in the budget” even after the cuts to funding for the councils. She says their office was “surprised” by the action, which was initiated by the County Council as a change to Constantine’s budget proposal, and “concerned,” and that they have a “sense of urgency” about a plan of action “moving forward” despite all the “uncertainty.” She says her team is in an “information-gathering phase to find out exactly what is in the budget” – which isn’t as easy a job as you’d think, she explains. They’ll also be trying to find out what council concerns led to the cuts. (She points out that newly elected KC Councilmember Joe McDermott, who’s here, was not on the council when they decided on those cuts.) “We cannot design a future for the UACs without working in partnership with you,” she said. “The value you give to this community is beyond measure.” She says KCE Constantine agrees that having a “local gathering point” like the UACs is vital. But: “What does the future look like? I don’t know. … There is nothing higher than this on my priority list.” She offered to answer questions but as council member Barbara Dobkin observed, “We don’t know what to ask, because you don’t know what to tell us.” Council member Ron Johnson suggested they’d keep meeting even without funding; he’s been a member since 1996, noting it’s an unpaid role. Smith said that’s what she’d heard from other UACs so far – that they would carry on whether they had funding or not. After she spoke, Johnson offered remarks of appreciation for the unincorporated-area liaison they’d been working with – since funding for his job has been cut.

COUNCILMEMBER McDERMOTT: After a break that followed Smith’s appearance (during which McDermott mingled with some of the NHUAC meeting-attendee regulars), he took the podium to address the NHUAC for the first time in his new role – “eight days!” he noted – and he also talked about his familiarity with UACs’ work, and said that they fill such different roles for their communities, and consolidating them “into one voice” did not seem to be an idea that makes sense, so he said he’s spoken to Executive Constantine about that.

KING COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE: Capt. J.J. Hodgson said that the area had 18 residential burglaries over the past month, “down slightly” … commercial burglaries at 9, “slightly up” … 13 auto thefts, 1 robbery, 14 assaults, all down … 6 vehicle prowls, a new stat so no comparison this time (though he notes it “tends to be a very underreported crime,” and urges that anyone who is a victim of any crime be encouraged to “at least make a phone call to report it,” because that helps KCSO know where to allot its resources). … Regarding ongoing Club Evo concerns, a temporary injunction is in place, he says, to keep it closed until they seek a business license. If they did seek a license – which they haven’t done so far, he says – then there would be a court hearing. Council member Douglas Harrell noted that Evo had shown “defiance” in the face of enforcement action before, but the captain noted that was regarding administrative action from agencies, not a court order like this. … The captain was asked about budget-cut effects; he mentioned the number of cuts far outstrips the number of actual layoffs they are currently facing (18) because of currently open positions. One big effect – the property-crime investigation unit has been “severely cut back,” he noted, and patrol deputies will be asked to do a lot of that followup. Council member Patrick Mosley asked about the storefront; “The storefront will still be there … CSO (Vary) Jackson will still be manning the facility … but as of right now, we do not have a deputy to put there,” Capt. Hodgson said, while adding it’s “a high priority to get someone back in there” if the money were available. … When crime concerns were being discussed, council member Heidi Johnson noted the online-crime-reporting form that’s now available on the KCSO site – and Capt. Hodgson said it’s so new, he isn’t even sure it’s been announced yet. (Find that form here.) … One attendee asked about an incident on 4th SW near Greenbridge this morning, and the captain hadn’t heard about it, but invited the attendee to e-mail him so he can look into it.

KING COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY MEETING: This is related to the council’s recent discussions about whether some of the developments are keeping the promise of bringing in “market-rate” housing as well as low-income housing, toward the issue of addressing economic diversity in White Center as well as ethnic diversity. Council member Dobkin reported on a recent meeting with Housing Authority leadership – saying there’s a triangle of land the county took over on 4th that doesn’t have a definite plan right now. She said an attempt to get exact numbers on units currently in Greenbridge didn’t yield much information – the reply was “fuzzy.” But she was assured that the land in Greenbridge “set aside for market-rate homes will remain (that way)” though there are “no plans” right now to build it. Are there subsidies for the currently empty storefronts? she asked – and was told that until market-rate housing is built, they’re not expected to fill that space – so “it’s a Catch-22.” Council member Pat Price talked about the inconsistent building pattern at Seola Gardens (the former Park Lake II) and “there’s a house over here … then one over there …” She said their next meeting is in February, and that she had straightened out the KCHA on the issue of why meeting notices weren’t getting sent to the NHUAC.

BURIEN UPDATE: Jenn Ramirez-Robson filled in for city manager Mike Martin. First up: What’s up with the trees with “big white X’s on Ambaum”? 112th to 156th, they’re doing sidewalk work, and looking at spots where trees have pushed up the sidewalks and even damaged the streets and storm-drain system. She says those trees will be “replaced … in the spring … with more suitable trees.” The ones that are being taken out are called “London Plain.” Meantime, she says that on 128th, storm-drain pipes are being replaced, with work under way right now between 1st and 4th, and “they’ll just keep moving east.” It’s all preparation for the “overlay program” next spring and summer – street pavement. “Our city is going to look vastly different and much improved by this time next year,” she said; look for a “ramp(ed) up communication” regarding road projects, including that one. … She also said that Burien was “caught off guard” by the budget action involving Unincorporated Area Councils, especially since they consider NHUAC “an invaluable partner to the work we do.” She also made sure everyone had heard the news that Jerry Robison – who has served as lawyer for the NHUAC and moderated its recent campaign forum – is about to be appointed to an opening on the Burien City Council. (That drew applause.)

BIKE RACK IN DOWNTOWN WHITE CENTER: The council voted to send a letter supporting Proletariat Pizza‘s campaign to get a business-district bike rack.

STEVE COX MEMORIAL @ PARK: “A few lines underground” were the latest semi-holdup, according to a committee report by council member Heidi Johnson. Those lines will have to be moved a bit before the memorial can be installed, she reported. Council president Christine Waldman then read a letter that came in late in the day from a county staffer suggesting those lines might not be such a problem after all. NHUAC then voted to extend the contract with the memorial’s artist, which otherwise, Ron Johnson pointed out, would expire in the middle of this month.

WORK SESSION: Part of tonight’s meeting involved council members laying out their priorities. The full list will have to await the meeting minutes; categories that were discussed included Public Safety and Code Enforcement, Public Housing and Human Services/Public Health, Arts and Parks, Governance/Growth Management/Zoning, Natural Resources/Transportation/Pedestrian Safety/Metro/Public Outreach. The latter is a particular point of concern for NHUAC – wanting to make sure more people know about them and their role advocating for the community and discussing issues. (They’ve printed up pads of post-it notes with the logo and website, for starters, and are working on other materials.)

BUDGET: Since right now, the county budget includes no funding for the council or its expenses, members discussed what expenses for next year they could prepay with the reserves they have now – since no one can even tell them yet whether that reserve would carry over regardless of the budget cuts. They voted to pay some of the basics like insurance and White Center Jubilee Days tabling. County staff promised to procure information within a week on the carryover issue; if they need to make decisions before year’s end, they will have a special meeting on December 16th.

PUBLIC COMMENTS: Dick Thurnau from Friends of Hicks Lake pointed out that two years have elapsed since recommendations were made for how to spend $25,000 the county had allotted for lake improvements – an aerating and beautifying fountain, a parks caretaker, a “safe walking path around the lake” – but “nothing has been done or resolved.” He said he’d sent King County Parks division director Kevin Brown e-mail asking about the status – and after 3 weeks, no response, leaving him to wonder what to do to get attention for “this seemingly forgotten facility” (Executive’s Office rep Smith said later that she would make sure Brown responded to Thurnau’s note) … Gill Loring voiced concern about the UAC budgets (as discussed earlier in this story) and about board appointees vowing to serve their full terms.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: White Center Summit this Saturday at White Center Heights Elementary (more information on the White Center Community Development Association website), and NHUAC will have a table there … Also Saturday, the WC Library Guild’s holiday bazaar at the WC Library … And this is on Saturday too: The WC Jubilee Days fundraiser (“Festivus,” as mentioned here earlier this week) … The following Thursday, Dec. 9, the WC-South Delridge Community Safety Coalition meets at the WC DSHS office. … The North Highline Fire District has a holiday-donation food drive under way; pickup spots are listed on the NHUAC website. … Council member Price said that the NHFD board has agreed, finally, to have some evening meetings – the first one will be at 6 pm January 18th – after long scheduling its meetings in the morning.

NEW MEMBER: This is the last item on the agenda as of the time we’re publishing this story at 9:45 pm – the one candidate for an open position, former council member Liz Giba, answered questions, and then the council went into executive session, which means everybody else has to leave the room. Not knowing how long that would take, we left, and will amend this story when we get word of the results.

The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meets the first Thursday of the month, 7 pm, North Highline Fire District HQ.

An update on this morning’s lockdown at local schools during a search for a possible gun on campus. King County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. John Urquhart just sent word that it was determined to be a hoax, and a student was arrested:

A series of hoax calls to the Sheriff’s Office 9-1-1 center about a gun seen in the school put Evergreen High School and the adjacent Cascade Middle School into lockdown mode this morning. The schools are at SW 116th St. and 8th Ave SW in White Center.

The first call came in at 9:33 AM. The voice on the phone said there was an AK-47 in a locker at the school, and “We need help quickly”. A total of five calls with variations on that theme came in.

The school was placed in lockdown and about 20 deputies and detectives arrived to block off access and search both schools. A K-9 dog that can sniff-out weapons was brought in to check lockers. Nothing was found.

The lockdown was lifted about 10:30 AM.

Detectives were able to track the cell phone to a student in the school. He was called out of his class and arrested. His cell phone was seized. The student is 15 years old.

The boy was booked into the Youth Center on a threats charge.

King County Sheriff Sue Rahr called a last-minute “media availability” at midmorning today – not with enough notice for us to be here – but her office has sent a copy of her opening remarks, plus answered a followup question for us. First, here are her remarks, from the document KCSO provided:

Now that the King County budget for 2011 is finished, I wanted to take a moment and discuss what the ramifications will be for public safety in unincorporated King County.

First let me say I recognize this was another difficult budget year trying to cover a $60 million deficit, on top of similar deficits in years past.

The money in the general fund is limited, and therefore the money to support criminal justice in King County is limited. We realize and reluctantly accept that there is simply not enough money to maintain all the services I believe are important.

All the cuts in police services were difficult. All the cuts will mean a hardship for the 305,000 citizens living in unincorporated King County, especially if they are victims of a crime. I wish none of the cuts were made.

But they were. In light of these reductions, my first priority for the Sheriff’s Office is to maintain emergency response. If you call 9-1-1 in 2011, it will not take longer for a Sheriff’s deputy to arrive. If you need to be rescued from a flooding river or have a hiking accident, we will still have a team to respond.

My second priority is to preserve our response to crimes against persons….rapes, assaults, robberies, and homicides.

We will continue to actively and aggressively investigate those crimes.

As I’ve said before it is primarily the investigation of property crimes that will suffer. That means if you are the victim of a burglary, car prowl, theft, auto theft, fraud, and so on, we will have no detectives to conduct the follow-up investigation. Our citizens need to know this.

I hope to train our patrol deputies to take on the follow-up investigations of property crimes. But follow-up investigations can be complex and time intensive and often require coordination across many jurisdictions. It’s pretty unrealistic to expect that most deputies will be able to do this in between answering 911 calls.

But we will try.

I’m sure you’ve also heard that I’ll have to send School Resource Officers back to patrol, along with storefront deputies and detectives and deputies from several units from around the Sheriff’s Office including; Civil Unit, Marine Unit, Registered Sex Offenders, Homicide, and several others. We will have to end our participation in nearly every regional task force on terrorism and gangs.

All of these changes will mean our citizens receive less service from the Sheriff’s Office.

Essentially I’ve chosen to keep deputies assigned to units that can protect life over property.

The bottom line for the Sheriff’s Office is this draconian budget leaves 198 Sheriff’s deputies and supervisors to serve the 305,000 people living in unincorporated King County.

This is a rate of .65 officers-per-thousand, 2nd lowest in the entire state, and significantly lower than our two neighboring counties, Pierce and Snohomish.

Now you may have heard a council staffer earlier this week tell the King County Council that the rate is actually 1.37 and rising up to 1.5 officers-per-thousand by mid year. That number is wrong. To reach that rate, we would have to have 400 deputies patrolling unincorporated King County. I can assure you that is not the case. Not even close.

So why is this number important at all? Because it is an objective measure of the number of police officers serving a community. It allows comparisons from year to year and from one like agency to another.

If the number is not accurate it can give citizens a false sense of security and a false sense of the level of police protection they are receiving. It left the Council with the impression that we have twice the capacity that we actually have. It would be misleading and unethical to leave this very inaccurate number standing.

And now we come to the Guild contract. I wish the Guild had decided to give up at least part of their wage increase for 2011. It would have meant we could hire back some, if not all, of the deputies we will lay off.

But that is not my decision, and quite frankly there is nothing I can do about it. It’s the decision of the union leadership and their members. I still hold out hope there will be a vote and some portion of their raise next year can be used to save jobs.

Finally, let me close with a very real example of what these cuts will mean.

Two days ago our School Resource Officer at Thomas Jefferson High School had a distraught student come up to him and say that a student had a gun on school grounds. She told the SRO who that person was and who he was with.

The SRO put the school into lockdown and tracked the student and several of his friends to a spot nearby, but off school grounds. One was armed with a handgun and several rounds of ammunition.

The 16 year-old student said someone at school had given him the gun because another student planned on shooting the first student, and he wanted to protect himself.

A gun in the hands of a 16 year-old at a school was recovered because we had a deputy at that school that had developed a relationship with the students. Those SROs at schools in unincorporated King County are going away beginning in January.

As the Chief Law Enforcement Officer in King County, I have an obligation to the citizens of King County to keep them safe. The dedicated men and women of the Sheriff’s Office intend to do that as we always have. 2011 will be a very trying year for many of us, and the citizens of unincorporated King County have to be ready for a reduced level or service. But we will do all can to keep them safe.

Regarding the White Center storefront, we asked the sheriff’s spokesperson, Sgt. John Urquhart, whether the facility itself would close, without a deputy (which has been its status for a while now). He said he didn’t expect that to happen, “since other county business takes place there.”

Announced today by the King County Sheriff’s Office:

Sheriff Sue Rahr will join other law enforcement leaders on Wednesday, September 15th as a report is released showing that investing in early learning programs reduces crime in the long run and saves dollars on the state’s education budget as well.

The report shows investments in high quality, voluntary early learning programs reduce the need for special education placements and other Kindergarten through Grade 12 education expenses.

“I am in favor of anything that helps kids succeed, and keeps them away from a life of crime. Early learning centers have a positive impact, I’m all for those programs”, says Rahr.

Sheriff Rahr will be joined by Normandy Park Police Chief Rick Kieffer and Burien Police Chief Scott Kimerer at the event.

It’s been almost six months since the Educare center was dedicated – here’s our coverage from that sunny day in March.

Just in from the King County Sheriff’s Office:

Sheriff’s detectives are looking for help from the public to solve a 2001 homicide. The crime occurred on August 28, 2001, exactly nine years ago tomorrow.

➢ Specifically, they at least hope to find the White Center house where the suspect took the victim and her sister prior to fatally shooting one of them on a street corner.

Case History: Crystal Vaughn (above; age 29 at the time) and her sister Misty were drinking beer at a bus top in White Center when they were contacted by the suspect. They went back to the suspect’s house for a drink. An argument ensued and the sisters were driven back to the area of SW 101st and 15th Ave SW.

The argument continued between the suspect and Crystal. The sisters were out of the man’s car and walking away when he pulled up next to them and shot Crystal three times. She died at the scene.

Suspect’s Residence: The house was about a mile or so away from where the women were first approached, generally in the area of the 3700 block of SW 106th, unincorporated King County in the White Center neighborhood.

➢ See attached drawings of the interior of the house (above).

The women were asked to remove their shoes when they came in. The man said his “niece was sleeping” and to they had to be quiet. The interior of the house was neat and tidy, and there were children’s toys in the house.

There was a large stereo and a CD collection, as well as a free standing stove or fireplace in the living room. The women were served brandy to drink.

Suspect Description: A black male about 27 to 35 years old (above). He was “big” and 6’ to 6” 3” tall. He smoked Marlboro Red cigarettes.

Vehicle: A black or possible dark green SUV, similar to a Chev Tahoe (above). There was a dolphin display on the stereo face. The front seat might have been a “bench seat” and the seats were possibly leather.

The public can also view the drawings on our web site beginning this afternoon.

Anyone with information, especially on the house, is asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hours) or 9-1-1.

2:43 PM UPDATE: Here’s the webpage on which KCSO has posted all its imagery and info in the case.

If you haven’t already seen it on partner site West Seattle Blog – here’s what we found out from King County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jim Laing today. Toplines: Only person hurt was the suspect/driver. Three patrol cars damaged; three civilian cars damaged.

6:54 PM: Roxbury is blocked at 8th – with traffic diverted to streets east and west – as deputies investigate a crash that as far as we can tell involves up to three police cars – one SeaTac, two Burien. All reports indicate this related to some kind of chase that at one point went through Highland Park. (8:05 PM: More details on partner site West Seattle Blog – we’re headed back to see if Roxbury has reopened yet.) 9:43 PM: Roxbury is indeed clear and open again. We hope to be able to get more information from King County Sheriff’s Office tomorrow regarding what sparked all this.

Given the recent changes in King County Sheriff’s Office matters regarding White Center, in case you’re not on the mailing list, we thought you’d be interested in this e-mail message from Sheriff Sue Rahr today:

Last month I talked about some of the ways we have been working to address and respond to the challenges of defining and sustaining a 21st century law enforcement organization. Because 85% of my budget is dedicated to labor cost, I have few discretionary resources and leeway.

But the challenges presented by the changing population, economic structure and new social expectations around technology, also present opportunities. Cumulatively, these changes provide me with some latitude in maximizing the 15% of my budget that I do control.

Annexations, contract city growth, and growing transportation needs have redistributed the population we serve as well as the way it moves. As a result, we are operating in a new geographic environment. On the policing side, the old Block Watch model is being reinvigorated and is reemerging as an outgrowth of new, electronic social networks. Now, once-small groups of neighbors are emerging as large, wired and connected organizations, such as the Greater Redmond Ridge Community Watch, who are proactively participating in each other’s lives and mutual safety.

These trends are driving a new reality with opportunities to change how we are operationally organized and physically distributed to best serve the citizens of King County. We simply need to be closer, more visible, accessible, and more responsive to our citizens.

Given these issues and the current economic situation, I have initiated an internal reorganization to first address how we are positioned for delivering our police services to you. We have reconfigured our 3 major precincts down to two primary and more efficient east and west operations. This will consolidate our largest unincorporated operations and concentrate a broader array of local and regional police services.

I am currently working with Executive Constantine to also look at our physical presence throughout King County. My goal is to find long term, cost effective, and mutually beneficial ways to increase our presence and visibility through our contract city relationships. We need more deputies who provide a variety of increasingly specialized skills closer to the people who need us. We are also examining ways to consolidate a variety of critical and interrelated regional operations such as Criminal Investigations, Property Management (evidence), AFIS, and Special Operations, into a centralized and logistically optimal campus-type location.

These ideas take time, vision, and hard work. But there is no better time than the current economic crisis to be constantly asking ourselves how, when and where can we do our job better and more cost effectively.

From the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting – Capt. Carl Cole and Major Jim Graddon from King County Sheriff’s Office are the main event. Nothing dramatic in the crime-stat briefing they gave first – but then, the big issues:

CLUB EVO TROUBLE: First, regarding Club Evo – which Capt. Cole described casually as “riots in the street” – he says, “We’re having a … challenge, with Club Evo” and mentioned a meeting back on Tuesday (apparently the same one mentioned during Thursday’s White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting). “The bottom line is, we have a number of agencies that have their hands in sort of regulatory situations with Club Evo – licensing, taxing, code enforcement, us … from a very open and objective perspective, every one of those groups has a violation or something to investigate with that business, so we came together to say, what can we do about this?” He described it as “an attractive nuisance” drawing “people from outside our area … who don’t have the same ownership of the area, and are causing a lot of problems.” He estimates there were 60 cars that recent Friday night, “and we were hosing everybody down with our industrial-strength drums of pepper spray. … These are volatile situations and we can’t tolerate that happening every Friday and Saturday night.”

Capt. Cole also has clarified the reason the Fire Marshal violations didn’t keep the club closed: “There are alternatives to sprinklers … like a physical fire watch, and that’s the agreement was made, and that’s why they were allowed to reopen.” White Center business owner and Legislature candidate Geoffrey “Mac” McElroy asked the KCSO duo, “So what can we as a community do?” Capt. Cole offered two suggestions: “Talk to the owner of Club Evo … and start writing letters to (the different entities that can enforce the laws that are being violated).” He says “we’re putting everything into it that we can” and says “we’re basically putting our entire Gang Unit into it on Friday and Saturday nights,” though “there are other gang problems in King County we’d like to deal with.”

(Maj. Graddon also confirmed that deputies are no longer allowed to hire on for “off-duty work” at Evo because it would be a conflict of interest given the alleged violations there.)

Capt. Cole has also revealed he is now focusing on Burien and has been replaced with Capt. Pat Buschley (we’re checking the spelling on that) for the White Center (etc.) area.

DEPUTY JEFF HANCOCK: Maj. Graddon first talked about Deputy Hancock’s move and distributed the letter that we published here earlier today, saying he felt it’s self-explanatory. He says it is an intense job and sometimes you don’t “I support him 110 percent in stepping off the storefront position” “he would love to work day shift Vashon because of where he lives and his family considerations … we are reaching a compromise so we have been able to accommodate him to a degree … he’s working some Vashon, some mainland … he’s soon going to get to go to his second-choice shift, graveyard, which will make it much more convenient with his five children, one on the way .. Have we had complaints invesigated up here? Certainly. A recent sustained complaint? No. As commander of the precinct … I make the decision and this is the outcome of things that he is facing in his life.”

He also mentions that all the storefront deputies have had to move out of the storefronts because of a personnel shortage, “We’ve had to pull them out of the storefront positions to do reactive patrol … while still trying to stay involved with the community … I don’t know how soon that situation is going to change” – he mentions that budgetary considerations remain paramount, and they’re hearing that up to 70 more positions could be cut in unincorporated areas, in which case, “We won’t have storefronts at all.”

Maj. Graddon says he doesn’t know why some people feel they’ve been lied to regarding this situation. He acknowledges that Deputy Hancock “has done a remarkable job.” He talked almost emotionally about what it was like for Deputy Hancock to fill Deputy Steve Cox’s shoes, and says he has done it maybe too well. He uses the word “addiction” – and how law-enforcement officers may get too caught up in your work. He doesn’t use the phrase “unhealthy relationship” but you might read that between the lines; he said, “When you have a dependency that starts to form when you feel he is the only thing between you and rampant crime in the streets … then Carl and I haven’t done our jobs … it’s not safe for him to continue to draw that much out of himself for the community. … This is where we find ourselves. I have not lessened my commitment to this community. … I’m still standing in front of you tonight, I didn’t have to, I could have handed this off, but this is important to me, you are important to me.”

Council member Patrick Mosley brings up the point that Dep. Hancock did not ask to leave White Center patrol, just the storefront. Maj. Graddon said yes, Hancock could patrol this area, but “I want to make sure that we are not still sucking the life out of him … there’s a healthiness issue that we need to be mindful of. He’s not leaving the precinct, he’s still an asset, he’s still part of our police force out here as much as all of our folks are.” Capt. Cole affirms, “He’s not restricted from patrolling White Center – it’s his choice (not to).”

Mosley follows up, “My concern with someone who’s put as much into the community as he can, the next officer is going to be starting from square one.” Maj. Graddon acknowledges that’s correct, but says Hancock’s “not the only person responsible for taking care of business” – another deputy who’s patroling the area, for example, has been in White Center for several months and, they say, is doing well.

McElroy asked if there will be a replacement – for now, no, says Maj. Graddon, because of the staffing uncertainties; he wants to see how July goes – he doesn’t want to get someone attached to the storefront when it might even be temporary. The captain and major are applauded after the Q/A ends.

(Later in the meeting, it was suggested that during White Center Jubilee Days, the NHUAC booth offer people the chance to write messages of thanks to Deputy Hancock. So at WCJD, be on the lookout for that.)

NUISANCE CONCERNS: Council member Barbara Dobkin says she takes the bus home and has seen an increasing number of problems – an assault, open drinking, prostitution. Capt. Cole says he hears anecdotes about this but not enough people are calling in to report it – so they’re not on record – but that’s “really important for us to get the calls.” They “may not be able to roll on it right away – but in order for us to make an argument to the King County Council that we can’t operate at the staffing level they’ve given us, we have to get the 911 calls.” The captain says not to worry about which line you call – emergency or non-emergency – they’re answered by the same people, who will make the decision on routing. “I say that to everybody – YOU GOTTA CALL US … you won’t be a nuisance.”

BURIEN BRIEFING: As usual (though he was unavailable last month), Burien City Manager Mike Martin briefed the council. (added Friday morning). Toplines: Burien City Hall North has issued its first business license … major road-paving program is about to start, with $9 million in bonds to be sold in August, which is when they’ll the “overlay” work – Ambaum’s the first road that’ll be done, from the northern border (112th) to 156th … Burien’s budget cycle is beginning and they do NOT anticipate layoffs or furlough days. Message to city employees, says Martin: “We’re suffering through the same thing as everybody else, but we don’t have the drama.” A “community survey” will go out in July asking Burien residents “big questions,” such as “do you feel safe” – “We’re not looking for data, we’re looking to find out how people feel,” Martin elaborated. Final note of interest: Burien is trying to move its car lots off 1st Avenue South into a new “car park” and looking for other dealers to join the project.

KING COUNTY BROWNFIELDS: We covered a sort of pre-session on this last month (here’s that story). The county team briefing the council says it’s a redevelopment project, not just a cleanup project. The project has a three-year grant, and they’re now working to figure out what the sites are going to be. They’re also pointing out that they are developing information on sites’ history so that if you want to buy property and it has history – say, as a gas station – there’s a way you can find out. Here’s more info about the program. (They also note that they’re continuing to look into the Hicks Lake situation, which had drawn some questions previously, regarding what its true level of toxicity actually is – the brownfields team says they would be looking for actual toxic substances, not something like algae, but research continues.) So how do people get involved with the program, WCCDA’s Virgil asks. There’s not a formal process, the team replies – but they’d be happy to meet with WCCDA or anyone else who’s interested, to talk more about possibilities.

LIBRARY: Council member Ron Johnson is reading a letter from the county library system pointing out that they are postponing capital improvement projects in this area until annexation – whether Seattle or otherwise – for the adjoining area is settled, because that raises questions about what area the library ultimately will serve. The library system will continue to provide operational support, the letter goes on to say.

The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meets the first Thursday of each month, 7 pm, North Highline Fire Department HQ.

When the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meets tonight, as reported earlier, two high-ranking King County Sheriff’s Office leaders are scheduled to appear, and the topic of “who’s responsible for White Center?” is certain to come up. Deputy Jeff Hancock‘s impending departure was first reported here last week, but now there’s a new development – his open letter to the “citizens of White Center,” shared by Village Green Nursery’s Vera Johnson, who is Block Watch captain in her area and concerned about the situation. The letter:

To: The citizens of White Center

As of 06-24-10 I have submitted a request for transfer from the White Center Storefront to Pct#4 Patrol. This request for transfer was made voluntarily by me for several reasons.

As many of you know I have five children, and one on the way. The oldest is eight so it can get pretty hectic at home. My wife is truly amazing. She is a stay at home mom and home schools the two older boys. My job as the store front deputy has demanded much of my time over the years. My wife and kids would argue that on many occasions too much. The schedule for the storefront deputy is definitely not one conducive to family life. It is a 4-10 schedule (four ten hour days), which after my commute turns into a 4-13 schedule. Not to mention, this past year I have been working the Byrne grant gang overtime on Tuesdays and Saturday nights making my average week a 55 to 60 hour work week. It has taken its toll on my family life. With my wife being pregnant, as well as just recently being diagnosed with a serious medical illness, I need to spend more time at home. Along with this is the fact that I will receive a 3-4% pay increase by leaving the storefront and returning to patrol. With all of my kids and my wife’s illness this extra money will really help.

I thank all of you for your support over the years. Many of you have asked me to stay in the store front and have hinted that you intend on petitioning the command staff to achieve that end. I assure you that the decision is mine and has already been made. I apologize for the lack of timely information in regards to my leaving the storefront, and any confusion it has caused. I want all of you to know that the Sheriff’s Office, from the Sheriff on down to every deputy on the street, wants what’s best for White Center. I have grown to really love and care for this community.

Having said that, it would be very troubling for me to know that my leaving somehow, or in any way, has weakened the bond the community of White Center has with the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office on top of just serving White Center is part of the White Center Family. Unlike any other community I have worked in, White Center and the Sheriff’s Office have a unique bond. We are family. Now is the time to strengthen that bond.
I have been honored to work here and please know that you will always be in my thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,
Deputy Hancock

Tonight’s NHUAC meeting is at the usual place and time – 7 pm, North Highline Fire District HQ.

We promised a followup on last night’s confirmation from King County Sheriff’s Office Community Service Officer Vary Jackson that Deputy Jeff Hancock says he’s leaving White Center. Deputy Hancock has gained respect and popularity as he took over the daunting role of following in the footsteps of murdered Deputy Steve Cox, and e-mails have been circulating with rumors regarding his possible departure and what would happen next.

Jackson’s statement at last night’s White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting (WCN coverage here) was the first official public word. Now we have learned from sources at the Sheriff’s Office that Deputy Hancock has requested a voluntary transfer from the White Center Storefront job “for personal and family reasons.” The sources tell White Center Now that he likely will be reassigned to Vashon Island (as noted by local entrepreneur Vera Johnson in a comment on last night’s story).

Looking for further comment, we checked with King County Sheriff’s Office media liaison Sgt. John Urquhart. He won’t confirm the reported transfer of Deputy Hancock but he did say that if the storefront position is vacated, another deputy would “very likely” fill it – “The dedicated White Center deputy is too important to the community to do otherwise.” However, he also reminds us all that possible 2011 budget cuts to KCSO mean “everything is on the table,” including the potential there will be no storefront deputies anywhere in the county. Right now, he says, Sheriff Sue Rahr has been told by the KC Executive’s Office to prepare for a 12 percent budget cut, which would mean more than $9 million – eliminating about 70 positions.