Those red boxes are the result of a new SPD effort to take a more data-driven, Moneyball approach to policing using a new piece of software called PredPol.

“PredPol looks at crime patterns and helps SPD put officers in the right place at the right time to prevent crime,” says Sgt. Christi Robbin, who oversees the Predictive Policing program as part of the department’s 20/20 Initiative.  “The forecasts are location and time based. We’re not targeting people. This is about predictive policing and the crime itself.”

Now, officers at each of SPD’s five precincts will begin receiving those forecasts at the beginning of each shift and will spend spend at least two hours of their shifts patrolling those forecasted areas, in addition to responding to their regular workload of 911 calls.

While officers typically know the busy spots in their patrol beats, the Predictive Policing system is another tool to help officers keep better track and share information across different shifts about where crime is happening.

“As an officer, I may know a particular spot in a neighborhood has had some burglaries, but I might not intuitively know they’re regularly happening at 6pm on a Tuesday,” Sgt. Robbin says. “PredPol doesn’t replace intuition. It enhances intuition.”

Currently, the department has only tasked the Predictive Policing system—also used by police in other cities like Los Angeles and Tacoma—to forecast potential areas where property crimes like burglary, car prowling and theft might occur, but the program could be expanded to project forecasts for violent crimes as well.

While this new Predictive Policing program should be a helpful tool in SPD’s crimefighting efforts, the system is only as good as the numbers it has to crunch. That means it’s more important than ever for Seattle residents call 911 to report crimes or suspicious behavior in their neighborhoods. “The more 911 call data we have, the more accurate the program will be,” Sgt. Robbin says.

Please take a look through our photo gallery of the eight suspects—along with a list of crimes they’re wanted for—and check out the three videos further down the page.

If you recognize any of the suspects, please contact the May Day 2013 Investigation Team at MayDay2013@Seattle.gov or call (206) 233-2666.

Suspect # 1 hurling a brick through a window

Suspect # 7 manhandling an SPD officer:

Suspect # 8 smashing a glass door with his skateboard:

On Saturday, April 27th, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, the Seattle Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Adminsitration (DEA) will give the public its sixth opportunity in three years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.  Bring your medications for disposal to any one of the five Seattle Police Department precincts.  Find out which one is closest by visiting our precinct map page at http://www.seattle.gov/police/maps/precinct_map.htm and clicking on one of the precinct icons.  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last September, Americans turned in 244 tons of prescription drugs at over 5,200 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners.  In its five previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in over 2 million pounds – over a thousand tons- of pills.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.  Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.  Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.  Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the family medicine cabinet.  In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medications – flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash – both pose potential safety and health hazards.

Four days after the first event, Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow and “ultimate user” of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them.  The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances.  DEA is drafting regulations to implement the Act.

At 4:30 this morning, the man showed up at his mother’s apartment, near 18th and East Madison Street, and buzzed himself into the building.

When the victim opened the door, the suspect reportedly stepped forward and said “This is what you get!” and began stabbing his mother in the face with a knife.  The victim screamed as she was attempting to fend off her son.  The victim sustained three deep stab wounds to her face, a cut to her finger and a cut to her chest.

Bleeding badly from her wounds, the victim—who is in her 60′s—staggered backward and fell to the kitchen floor.  The victim’s boyfriend was in another part of the apartment and heard the commotion.  He ran into the kitchen where he saw the suspect standing over the victim.  As the boyfriend came into the kitchen, the suspect turned and left the apartment.  The boyfriend followed him out and saw him walk down a stairwell before he lost sight of him.  The boyfriend then returned to the kitchen to assist the victim.

Seattle Police and Fire were called and responded to the scene.  Medics treated the victim at the scene and then transported to Harborview Medical Center.  Officers set up containment, conducted an extensive search for the suspect and brought in a K-9 team, but unfortunately did not locate the suspect.

According to other family members, the suspect is homeless, suffers from mental illness, and is abusing various substances, specifically crack cocaine.

The suspect is Kevin D. Ross.  He is described as a black male, 34 years old, 6′ 2″ tall, 240 pounds.  He was wearing all dark clothing and may be unshaven.  He might have been wearing a skull cap.  He has very distinctive tattoos:  “Mr. Ross” on his neck, an eyeball on his Adam’s Apple, and a Grim Reaper on his forearm.  He is homeless, but is known to frequent several of the parks in the Central District.

He was last seen with a knife in his hand, so he is considered very dangerous.  If anyone sees the suspect, they are urged to call 911 immediately.

After a 36-year career in law enforcement, Seattle police Chief John Diaz is retiring.

“It was time,” Chief Diaz said at a press conference Monday morning, flanked by his successor, Assistant Chief Jim Pugel, and Mayor Mike McGinn.

Since taking the helm at SPD in 2009, Chief Diaz has overseen, among other things, an 11-percent drop in major crimes across the city, expansion in Crisis Intervention Training for officers, accessibility of police information and data online, the investigation into the murder of Seattle police officer Timothy Brenton, a crack down on the commercial sexual exploitation of children online, and the department’s reform efforts as part of a Department of Justice settlement agreement and the 20/20 policing plan.

Diaz said he “wanted to be sure” a number of reform efforts within the Seattle Police Department—including the 20/20 plan and DoJ agreement—were “up and running” before he departed.

Diaz will continue on as the SPD Chief through May, when Assistant Chief Jim Pugel—who currently oversees SPD’s Investigations Bureau—will take the helm as Interim Chief.

As Assistant Chief, Pugel—a Seattle native and University of Washington graduate—has overseen the Homicide, CSI, Robbery, Gang, Vice/High-Risk Victims Unit,  Sexual Assault, Major Crimes, Domestic Violence, Auto Theft, Fraud and Forensic Support units, and is also the department’s lead for the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) pilot program, which officers low-level drug offenders to opportunity to get treatment instead of jail time.

At Monday’s press conference, Mayor McGinn praised Assistant Chief Pugel for his ”progressive thinking,” a sentiment also echoed by the leaders of two drug policy reform groups:

Allan Clear, Executive Director, Harm Reduction Coalition: 

For those interested in re-imagining drug policy, Jim Pugel is a champion. Courage of conviction is necessary to commit to new and innovative policing models.  Chief Pugel’s long commitment to harm reduction and his role in developing the LEAD program reflect an intelligence and humanitarian orientation toward drug issues that is rare in American policing.  He is a visionary choice to lead SPD.

Laura Thomas, MPH, MPP, Deputy State Director, San Francisco 

Drug Policy Alliance

Jim Pugel has emerged as a national leader in the effort to move law enforcement toward drug policies based in science, compassion, health, and human rights. Chief Pugel has been an effective spokesman to national and international audiences on the effectiveness of harm reduction approaches in drug law enforcement.  It is a welcome development for such an innovator in drug policy reform to take the helm in a major police department.  

At about 11:30 pm on February 2nd, the two victims were walking near 42nd Avenue SW and SW Alaska Street when three men walked up to them and asked the victims for change.

One of the suspects then grabbed cash from the victims and started to walk away.

When the victims asked for their money back, two of the suspects pulled guns on the victims while the third suspect stole the victims’ backpacks, wallets and cell phones. 

After the robbery, detectives were able to track down video of two of the suspects, captured by a store surveillance camera, but haven’t yet identified the robbers.

If you recognize the suspects, please contact the SPD Robbery Unit at (206) 684-5535

“Don’t press your luck this weekend. Make sure you and your friends get home safely,” said Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “If you plan to drink, designate a sober driver, ride the bus or take a cab.” 

The Washington State Liquor Control Board will be visiting local bars to educate employees about the extra DUI patrols and responsible service. Officers will hand out “Click 2 Ride” cards with information about taxi services that bars can share with patrons. 

“We want to get the word out so people can make safe choices for themselves and their patrons,” said Lieutenant Woodrow Perkins, Washington State Liquor Control Board. 

More than 40 percent of all traffic deaths in Washington State involve an impaired driver.

Extra patrols are coordinated throughout the state by Target Zero Managers with support from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. This work is part of an ongoing partnership with law enforcement, public health and community partners to reach the Washington State Target Zero goal of eliminating all fatal and serious injury crashes by 2030. 

Participating agencies in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties include the Arlington, Auburn, Bellevue, Black Diamond, Bonney Lake, Bothell, Burien, Clyde Hill, Covington, Des Moines, Duvall, Edmonds, Enumclaw, Everett, Federal Way, Fife, Fircrest, Gig Harbor, Granite Falls, Issaquah, Kent, Kirkland, Lake Stevens, Lakewood, Lynnwood, Maple Valley, Marysville, Mercer Island, Mill Creek, Milton, Monroe, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Newcastle, North Bend, Port of Seattle, Puyallup, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, SeaTac, Seattle, Snoqualmie, Steilacoom, Sumner, Tacoma, Tukwila, Tulalip Tribal, University Place, and Woodinville Police Departments, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington State Liquor Control Board and the Washington State Patrol.

Tell us in person. We’ll be at the Alki Beach Bathhouse, 2701 Alki Avenue SW, Tuesday, March 12th at 7 p.m. and at the Belltown Community Center, 415 Bell Street, Tuesday, March 19th at 7 p.m. More meetings will be scheduled, but time and location is still TBD.

Can’t make it? Not a problem. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, you can send your thoughts to us electronically. Drop us an email at cameraquestions@seattle.gov

New to the conversation? Check out this Seattle Channel City Inside/Out segment. It  just aired today!

Officers arrested a 14-year-old and a man wearing body armor during a drug sting yesterday in the Pike/Pine corridor.

Officers arrested the teen near 2nd Avenue and Pike Street, inside the Joe’s Mart, after he sold cocaine to a police informant. Officers booked the teen in the Youth Service Center.

Later in the afternoon, officers arrested also 21-year-old man during the operation—again, for selling crack cocaine—and found he was wearing body armor. Officers submitted the body armor into evidence, and booked the man into the King County Jail.

Naturally, Seattle police and the City Attorney’s office think this is a bad idea.

Earlier this year, one of the managers at South Lake Union’s Citrus nightclub applied to take over the Fusion Ultra Lounge (where he is also a manager) in the University district. In response, the city sent two letters (PDFs) to the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) objecting to the man’s request for a new liquor license at the location near 8th Avenue NE and NE 45th Street, detailing violence at Fusion, and citing the club as a “dangerous venue.”

“As patrons leave [Fusion], assaults, thefts, and shootings have become common in the street and parking lot,” North Precinct Community Police Team Officer Loren Street wrote to the liquor board. “Currently, there is no other club in the North Precinct that demands the resources of the police department like Fusion.”

In addition to taking noise complaints, calls for crowd control, and reports of damage to vehicles near Fusion, police have also been called to deal with a number of other violent and troubling incidents in and around the club:

In July, a fight involving 30 people spilled out of the club into a parking lot. One man was dragged into a nearby garage and beaten unconscious. He also sustained several facial fractures in the attack. Despite the fact that the brawl started inside the club, Fusion security staff members were not able to provide police with much useful information about the incident.

In December, an extremely intoxicated patron stood outside of the club taunting security staff after he was ejected. He then punched and spat blood on another patron walking out of the club.

A month later, someone fired off a gun in a parking lot next to Fusion, striking a vehicle. When police returned to the club to talk to employees about the shooting, they’d locked up and gone home.

Then in February, police responded to a fight involving 50 people, which spilled out of the club onto the street. Later in the month, several men left Fusion and got into a fight at a gas station. During the fight, one suspect used a baseball bat to shatter a car windshield, leaving a victim with shards of broken glass in his eye.

In addition to noting those nasty incidents in its letter to the WSLCB, the City also noted that the man trying to take over Fusion has a history of involvement with other troubled clubs. In addition to managing Fusion and Citrus—which the City declared a Chronic Public Nuisance following a streak of shootings, melees, robberies and other violent crimes—and previously owned Georgetown’s El Reventon nightclub, until he sold the business for $1 just weeks before the City declared that club a Chronic Nuisance for having its own set of ongoing issues, including brawls, gang conflicts, and sexual assault. 

The WSLCB is now reviewing the city’s objection letters.

“We’re working hard to keep the city safe,” says City Attorney’s Office North Precinct Liaison Jana Jorgensen. “Fusion has been a consistent drain on North Precinct police resources.  In addition to our objection to the liquor license application, we will continue to monitor Fusion and could pursue that declaration of chronic nuisance in the future.”