March meeting follow-up

Thanks to those of you who attended and participated in our March monthly meeting last Tuesday! We were happy to have SW Precinct commander, Capt. Joe Kessler stop by to introduce himself and then stay to field questions about 2 safety concerns: recent incidents at the Nickelsville homeless encampment and activities at a nuisance property at 15^th and Holden.  Our meeting also featured a presentation by Sarah Sorensen from the SPD Victim Support Team for domestic violence.

Our agenda had included a presentation about Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) by Officer Jon Kiehn. Due to the unexpected amount of time Capt. Kessler was able to stay with us, we decided to reschedule this presentation so we can give it the full hour it deserves.

You can find coverage of the meeting highlights from the West Seattle Blog and the West Seattle Herald at the links below.

http://westseattleblog.com/2013/03/15th-and-holden-resolution-soon-neighbors-face-police-west-seattle-block-watch-captains-network-meeting

http://westseattleblog.com/2013/03/nickelsville-police-patrols-what-southwest-precinct-commander-told-the-block-watch-captains-network-tonight

http://www.westseattleherald.com/2013/03/27/news/captain-kessler-hopes-finish-out-career-southwest

http://www.westseattleherald.com/2013/03/29/news/11-year-prison-sentence-echoes-security-problems-

Our next WSBWCN meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 23rd, 6:30 – 8 PM, in the community meeting room at the SW Police Precinct. We’ll post the agenda as that date gets closer. Between now and then, we hope you will join us on our Facebook group page for discussion.

If you have ideas for future meeting topics, please send them our way!  You can email us at wsblockwatchnet@gmail.com or phone us at 206-424-0040.

Join us this coming Tuesday, the 26th, for our March meeting!

We have a great line-up for our meeting this month!

• Meet Police Captain Joe Kessler!
• Introduction to the Victim’s Support Team (VST)
• Learn about Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)

This month Southwest Precinct Captain Kessler will introduce himself to the Block Watch Captains.  He had planned to come in January but was called away by an emergency; we’re excited that he is able to come this month. He’ll be there at 6:30, don’t be late as he won’t be able to stay for the whole meeting.

Sarah Sorensen from the Victim Support Team will tell us about this volunteer opportunity and how to get involved if you are interested.

Officer Jon Kiehn from the Community Police Team will give his presentation on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design.  Learn how to reduce the chances that your home will be the target for burglaries. It’s an interesting and enlightening presentation (think “target hardening” and “hostile vegetation”).  You’ll come away with ideas and changes that you can make for little to no money to make your home and neighborhood a safer place to be. Feel free to send/bring photos if you have specific issues to ask him about!

Meeting schedule (Come early, stay late!)

Tuesday, March 26th 2013,  6:30-8 PM
SW Police Precinct, 2300 SW Webster Street (at Delridge Ave SW, next to Home Depot)

6:00-6:30        Arrive early for light snacks, socializing and networking with each other while we set up the room!

6:30-7:00        Introductions, updates, announcements.  Welcome Captain Joe Kessler, SW Precinct.  Victim Support Team overview,  Sarah Sorensen.

7:00-8:00        CPTED with Officer Jon Kiehn.

8:00-8:30        Feel free to stay after the meeting to continue your discussions.

Everyone is welcome, even if you aren’t a Block Watch Captain! RSVP is appreciated, but not necessary to attend.  You can email us at  wsblockwatchnet@gmail.com or phone us at 206-424-0040.

Hope to see you there!  

March edition of the community safety newsletter from SPD!

We received a new edition of the SPD newsletter this week!  Mark Solomon, the Crime Prevention Coordinator for the SW & South Police Precincts sends these out monthly.

Community Safety newsletter (in .pdf format):
Seattle Police Email Newsletter – March 2013

FYI, if your neighborhood doesn’t yet have a Blockwatch, Mark is your contact for helping you get started! You’ll find his contact info at the end of the newsletter.

New Westwood/Roxhill/Arbor Heights community council meets tonight!

For those of you who might not have heard, a new community council is forming for the Westwood/Roxhill/Arbor Heights area. They will have their 2nd meeting this evening; Mark Solomon, our crime prevention coordinator, is a guest speaker and will talk about Block Watch and other safety measures.

West Seattle Blog has posted more info about the meeting and this group.  Those of you who are members of our Facebook group may also want to join this group there.

Update, 3/8/13:  Here’s a recap of meeting highlights from the West Seattle Blog.

Miss our meeting about mail theft? Here’s video!

Our February monthly meeting which focused on prevention of mail theft  and mail fraud proved to be informative as well as thought-provoking.

If you missed it, or want to share the information with others, you are in luck!  The West Seattle Blog recorded and posted our main presentation by Officer Jon Kiehn, and Postal Inspectors Matt Rintoul and Sumyra Duy here.

As well, we’ve posted Officer Kiehn’s earlier advice on this topic. He noted that CPTED (pronounced “Sep-Ted” — Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) is one of the ways that you can prevent mail theft;  if you aren’t familiar with it, you’ll find more information here.

Our next WSBWCN meeting is scheduled for March 26th, 6:30 – 8 PM; we’ll post the agenda as that date gets closer. If you have ideas for future meeting topics, please send them our way!

Our February monthly meeting is this Tuesday, the 26th!

Had enough of mail theft?? Let’s get educated and tackle this subject head on! At
our meeting this month we will have the US Postal inspectors for our area, Inspector
Matt Rintoul and Inspector Sumyra Duy, as well as Officer Jon Kiehn from the Community Police Team Frank sector on hand to help educate us on this subject. We’ll also get a first-hand perspective from a block watch group that has been personally hit hard and took steps to combat it.  Come learn and discuss what to do if it happens to you and how your block watch can help catch the perpetrators.

We will also have our new Community Police Team Officer Jon Flores, who has replaced Ken Mazzuca in the William sector, there to introduce himself and get acquainted with all of you.

And lastly, I’m wondering if people are interested in having a late summer party this year?  Perhaps a more informal get together than last year, maybe on the beach in Lincoln Park or someplace like that?  Maybe a potluck? I’ll be looking for ideas and also for people who might want to help plan. If we don’t have time to discuss this at the meeting, or if you can’t attend, please email wsblockwatchnet@gmail.com with your ideas or to let us know if you would like to be involved in setting up the event.

Meeting schedule (Come early, stay late!)

Tuesday, February 26th 2013,  6:30-8 PM
SW Police Precinct, 2300 SW Webster Street (at Delridge Ave SW, next to Home Depot)

6:00-6:30        Arrive early for light snacks, socializing and networking with each other while we set up the room!

6:30-7:00        Introductions, updates, announcements.  Come meet and welcome Officer Jon Flores!

7:00-8:00        Learn about and discuss mail theft and mail fraud.

8:00-8:30        Feel free to stay after the meeting to continue your discussions.

Everyone is welcome, even if you aren’t a Block Watch Captain! RSVP is appreciated, but not necessary to attend.  You can email us at  wsblockwatchnet@gmail.com or phone us at 206-424-0040.

Hope to see you there!  

City grants to help your community or neighborhood with technology

Have a project idea that would use technology for community problem solving, civic engagement or community building?

The City of Seattle Department of Information Technology is now accepting applications from community and neighborhood groups for the 2013 Technology Matching Fund. Applications are due March 4.

These grants provide up to $20,000 for projects that increase technology literacy and access OR projects which use information technology to build community and diverse participation online.

Applicant organizations must be non-profits or ad-hoc, be in Seattle and applying for projects focused on reaching Seattle communities.

More information: seattle.gov/tech/tmf/

You can see a list of the 2012 projects at seattle.gov/tech/tmf/Projects2012.htm

City of Seattle Department of Information Technology
seattle.gov/tech | twitter @ diginclusion