Yesterday’s “tweet-a-thon” shed a lot of light regarding a typical 12 hour window of 911 police responses here in Seattle. We tweeted a total of 478 police responses, 142 of them being crimes against persons and another 336 for property crimes, traffic complaints and other officer observed activity. It is important to note that not every call resulted in an arrest, a ticket or a police report.
While we realize that the numbers may seem like quite a lot for our city, it really was just an ordinary day for the men and women of the Seattle Police Department. And while Seattle is certainly a busy city, for a city of our size, it is actually comparatively safe. For those wondering about the status of crime in Seattle, June 2011 crime data is now available. Total violent crimes through June 2011 compared to June 2010 have seen a 1% reduction. Total property crimes through June 2011 compared to June 2010 have seen a 12% reduction. Total major crimes (violent and property combined) through June 2011 are down 11% compared to the previous year.
Working together towards a safer Seattle
The point of our “tweeting” police events yesterday was this: while crime fighting is the business of the police department, we can’t do it alone. The majority of the incidents that we handled were brought to our attention by the public. We rely on Seattle residents to report crime and suspicious behavior.
Another way Seattle helps fight crime is by its high participation in the annual Night Out Against Crime Event. Night Out 2011 is coming up this August 2nd. Please register your event now if you have not already done so.
Watch yesterday’s press conference in its entirety by clicking here.