Mayor McGinn announces plan to improve safety in Seattle

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn says the city is going to spend $400,000 beefing up patrols to deter major crimes.

“This is a continuation of our efforts to use our violence and prevention emphasis patrols and our directed patrols in the places where our data says it’s needed the most,” McGinn said in a news conference Thursday.

The funding will extend the violence prevention emphasis patrols through the end of the year, funding 6,000 extra officer hours.

“We’re getting more officers out on the streets, including on foot and on bike, to protect public safety and respond to recent serious incidents and community concerns,” said McGinn.

The Seattle Police Department will use a combination of crime data, past officer experience, “predictive policing” software, and complaints to determine how to deploy patrols to hot spots.

The hot spots will include busy transit corridors, such as 3rd Avenue in downtown and Broadway on Capitol Hill.

The mayor said that Seattle Parks and Recreation will also light up Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill throughout the night.

“We know we’ve had some late night issues up there. This is a pilot,” said McGinn.

The Seattle Police Department is in the process of hiring more officers, which will increase the force by 30. They’re expected to be integrated into the department by next summer.