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The Seattle City Council invites you to a discussion of the science of policing with a special focus on the concentration of crime in “hot spots” and the innovative approaches police and others can take to reduce it. Research shows that over a 14-year period fully 50% of reported crime in Seattle was committed on just 4.5% of our street segments or blocks. What do these facts mean for policing? What is the role of the community to reduce crime? What prevention strategies are most effective? How can city governments and community partners collaborate to make neighborhoods safer by reducing crime?

This will be a presentation to the Seattle City Council, scheduled to begin at 9:30am on Monday, May 2nd, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (600 4th Ave). It will be followed by a public conversation at 10:30am, also at City Hall, in the Bertha Knight Landes Room.

These sessions will provide vital information about how we can apply the power of science to urban policing and be more just and effective by focusing on where crime occurs more than on individual offenders and by integrating and better coordinating a range of public and community resources that responds to the places where crime occurs. The research also suggests that police resources can and should be applied more judiciously and that police-community relations can be strengthened by partnering police with a host of public agencies and community organizations in the effort.

To RSVP or to ask questions, please contact Betsy Graef at betsy.graef@seattle.gov or 206-684-5341.

For more information on this topic, please see:

• “Police Science: Toward a New Paradigm,” by Weisburd and Neyroud
• “The Importance of Place in Policing,” by Weisburd, Telep and Braga
• Geography and Public Safety Bulletin, March 2011
• “Addressing Crime and Disorder in Seattle’s ‘Hot Spots’: What Works?” Seattle City Auditor Report
• “Controlling Drug and Disorder Problems: Oakland’s Beat Health Program,” by Mazerolle and Roehl

This entry was posted on Monday, April 18th, 2011 at 7:06 pm and is filed under City, Education, safety.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.