Laurelhurst Community Club                                                     

Serving 2800 Households and Businesses in Seattle’s Laurelhurst Neighborhood

South Laurelhurst Pilot Private Security Project

 

November 20, 2007

Dear Neighbors,

 

In response to the dramatic rise in home and car prowls, auto thefts and vandalism in Laurelhurst and concerns from neighbors, the Community Club is implementing a pilot program for private security.  We invite and encourage families in the pilot area to participate.  Because the southern part of the neighborhood has the highest concentration of reported incidents, that segment of the neighborhood was selected for the pilot project. 

 

For neighbors in the pilot area, the cost per family is $200 and checks should be sent in by November 30th.  The project is planned for a nine-week period from the Thanksgiving holiday through Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 21, 2008.  Because the cost to hire off-duty police officers for the pilot project is approximately $200 per night, the success of the pilot project depends upon your family’s participation.  The boundaries of the pilot area are approximately on the north the entire length of NE 38th Street from 47th Avenue NE and westward to 42nd Avenue NE.  From this northern border, patrolling will continue to all points south to the water’s edge of the general Webster Point area.

 

As background, residents of the general Webster Point area and a representative from the LCC Board of Trustees met with Seattle Police Detective Scott Kawahara on November 15 to discuss the pilot project and to work out logistics.  Detective Kawahara has served the Seattle Police Department for several years, is part of the Arson/Bomb Squad and is one of the four off-duty police officers who currently patrol the Windermere neighborhood.  Windermere residents feel that this program has been a very successful deterrent to crime in their area.

 

The goal is to have patrolling throughout the entire neighborhood once this pilot program is deemed successful, and a "security budget" would go into place with the Laurelhurst Community Club.  This would also bring the cost of such a program down significantly.

 

In the mean time, and to expedite this program, the Laurelhurst Community Club is asking those families who wish to participate for a $200 contribution by November 30th.  This is what your family would receive for your $200:

  1. Nine weeks of patrolling which would start this Thanksgiving holiday weekend through the Martin Luther King holiday weekend.
  2. Uniformed, off-duty Seattle Police officers would patrol four nights a week with guns and radios in their own vehicles. They will monitor incoming 911 calls and can respond quickly to participating families while waiting for official response from the on duty police officers.
  3. While families are away, notified officers would do a search of your premises each shift. They would put any delivered packages out of sight.
  4. These officers have a phone number for reporting issues, etc. (not a substitute for 911) that are relayed to the officers before each shift.
  5. In addition, they have an email list for those that want to stay aware of the issues.
  6. Most importantly, your family will have a greater sense of security with your commitment and the professional service of experienced off-duty police officers.

 

If your family would like to participate in the private security pilot project, please send your check for $200 made out to the Laurelhurst Community Club and return it in the enclosed envelope.  To ensure coverage over the Thanksgiving holiday when many neighbors will be out of town or not at home, we would appreciate your check by November 30.  LCC also offers secure online payment through its website at www.laurelhurstcc.com.  If you choose to participate in the pilot project and would like to be notified of crime in the area, please include your email address.

     

If you have questions about the Community Club’s private security pilot project, please contact any of us at the phone numbers and email addresses listed below.  Crime prevention is a major priority of the Community Club.  We have enclosed our Block Watch brochure and will continue to do all we can to keep Laurelhurst a safe place to live.

     

Sincerely,

                                               

Jeannie Hale, President                                               Colleen McAleer, LCC Trustee

3425 West Laurelhurst Drive NE                               3137 W Laurelhurst Drive NE

Seattle, Washington  98105                                        Seattle, Washington  98105

206-525-5135 / fax 206-525-9631                              206-525-0219

jeannieh@serv.net                                                       billandlin@aol.com

 

                                  

Maggie Weissman                                                       Brian McMullen

Crime Prevention Co-Chair                                        Crime Prevention Co-Chair

5222 Ivanhoe Place NE                                              3872 43rd Avenue NE

Seattle, Washington  98105                                        Seattle, Washington  98105

206-527-6646                                                              206-367-9325

maggiew@windermere.com                                       v-bmcmul@microsoft.com

 

Enclosures