Tomorrow, starting on April 8, people who live, work, or play in Magnuson Park will notice familiar faces – sworn Neighborhood Resource Officers (NROs) who will walk or bike in and around the park to get to know people, help solve problems, and join community events.
The Seattle Police Department’s new NRO program in Magnuson Park is grounded in decades of research showing that foot patrols increase neighborhood safety and improve public safety results. This approach empowers officers to build long-standing, genuine relationships with the people they serve.
“This program is a direct response to the community’s requests to have officers be present in their neighborhoods,” Chief Shon Barnes, who for 20 years has been improving community policing strategies. “In my experience, police officers do their best work when they work in smaller areas and have responsibility for addressing neighbors’ concerns and problems. I look forward to having more NROs as we hire more officers this year.”
The Magnuson Park NROs will focus on helping community members first, and enforcement second. They are expected to get to know people in their area – including residents, visitors, employees, and small business owners- and identify issues before they escalate into criminal situations.
“I want to thank Chief Shon Barnes for his responsiveness to my requests for more patrols and officer presence to address the public safety problems at and around the park. Last summer, we saw positive, concrete results from the pilot, and I fully support making it permanent,” said District 4 Councilmember Maritza Rivera. “Chief Barnes and North Precinct Captain George Davisson have been great partners. I look forward to meeting Neighborhood Resource Officers who will be serving our D4 community.”
The 90-day pilot program showed results
Last summer, SPD tested the initiative for 90 days with two officers who regularly spent 10-hour shifts in Magnuson Park to assess its effectiveness.
Here are some of the department’s findings:
- The number of community members who called 911 for help fell 4%
- The number of property crimes fell 9%
- 64% of all arrests made in the area during the 90 days were directly attributed to the two officers
On the first day of the pilot, the officers also recovered a gun from an individual. They later made an arrest in a homicide case, thanks to relationships that they developed during their time in the community.
NRO expansion plan
Later this year, as staffing increases, SPD plans to expand the program to two additional locations, busy with workers, tourists, and community members: Little Saigon and Downtown along 3rd Avenue.
The department, which is actively recruiting new officers, gained 94 net new officers last year and is maintaining a similar momentum this year.