‘Let’s be clear’: Seattle council member defends his support of police station

Despite fervent opposition at meetings to a proposed new precinct for the Seattle Police Department, Seattle Council member Tim Burgess is holding strong to his support of its construction.

“The proposed new facility is more than a replacement precinct,” Burgess recently wrote on his blog.

In his latest post, Burgess lays out his case for the controversial north precinct. He faces public opposition to the proposed $149 million building in north Seattle. Two council meetings have been packed, and often disrupted, by a passionate crowd demanding that the city abandon plans for the precinct. Opponents call the proposed station a “bunker.” Many argue that the precinct is an “act of war” and an investment in white supremacy and oppression.

Tempers flare over police precinct issue at council meeting

But Burgess’ blog post makes his stance clear. He attempts to press a logical rhetoric to explain his intentions.

He argues:

The current north precinct is overcrowded

We have known this since 1998 when the precinct was overcrowded by a factor of 30 percent. Today, it is overcrowded by 65 percent. One of the most significant problems with this overcrowding is that detectives and other staff are located in nearby commercial office space, a fact that interferes with effective communication, efficiency and team building.

The new precinct is more than a police station

It also includes an urgently needed new Training Center, a key component of the city’s continuing path toward compliance with the federal court consent decree. Over a third of the new building can be used for police training, including seven classrooms and simulation areas, plus offices for training staff. Some of these classrooms are multi-purpose and can be used by the public as well … this new center will provide significantly more room for the five-fold increase in in-service training officers receive each year. This training is essential to the successful reform of policing in Seattle.

Tim Burgess is not voting for the ‘most expensive’ station

Let’s be clear, this is not the most expensive police precinct in the United States as inaccurately claimed by The Seattle Times and widely repeated by opponents … Could we lower costs further? Yes, of course. For example, we could eliminate the public community spaces and the Training Center. But why would we do that when these facilities will contribute directly to better police-community relations and better policing?

Support for police

Our officers are putting their lives on the line every day and they deserve a building that is not 65-percent overcrowded with equipment piled up in the bathroom. They deserve the highest quality training that will help us continually improve quality policing … The people of Seattle deserve the best from our police officers. Our police officers deserve the best from us.

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