Dear DSA Members:

We need your help to improve Downtown public safety and Center City parks! You can make a difference by contacting City Council members. Three programs will make Downtown safer and more livable, and we need to convince City Council to include them in the budget.

1) Downtown Police Emphasis Patrols
City Council needs to hear your anecdotes about what the Downtown core was like before the police emphasis patrols and how much better it is now. Before additional patrols, criminal activity, shootings and fights intimidated Downtown workers, residents and visitors. The Mayor recently added a team of eight additional officers, and we now have our Downtown back. We can’t let our Downtown be taken over by thugs again!

2) Downtown Park Rangers
City Council needs to hear your personal stories about negative experiences in Downtown parks to support the need for Park Rangers. Downtown parks need additional attention because they are more heavily used, serve a more diverse population - including homeless people and millions of tourists - and have greater crime challenges than parks outside the Center City. This year, there have been 1,869 parks exclusions to people for illegal behavior in Seattle parks. 72% of those were in Downtown parks.

Park rangers will serve as resources to visitors, and provide an extra set of eyes on our parks, which often acts as a deterrent to illegal activity. Park rangers will focus solely on parks and have the authority to give citations for common offenses such as public intoxication, public urination and vandalism. Coordinated with Seattle police, park rangers will increase the efficiency of police officers in the area, who will now have the time to address more critical matters.

The proposal also includes funds for repairs, security cameras and event programming - to make sure our parks are vibrant and inviting.

3) 20 More Police Officers to the City’s Force
Seattle does not have enough officers on staff to provide needed foot patrols in Seattle neighborhoods. Last year the Council and Mayor agreed to add 20 officers a year for five years. We need to continue to support this goal.

Contact Council members to let them know why these budget items are important.
Neighborhoods that testify, send letters and emails are the ones that get funding! City Council members judge the support for items by volume of mail and calls. All Council members can be reached at the same mailing address: Seattle City Hall Floor, 2 PO Box 34025, Seattle, WA 98124-4025 or contact them individually below:

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact DSA’s Policy Director Ryan Bayne at ryanb@downtownseattle.org. We appreciate your continued support.




Sincerely,



Kate Joncas
President
Downtown Seattle Association