Spike in crime brings renewed focus to Capitol Hill

One of Seattle’s most unique and vibrant communities has become the focus in recent weeks of increased efforts to combat a spike in violent crime.

Residents of Capitol Hill say the attention is long overdue.

“We’re seeing crime that we haven’t been seeing before,” said Michael Wells, executive director of the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce. “A lot of that involves guns and knives. We’ve always had crime on Capitol Hill, but guns and knives are a new quality and we need to be addressing those things.”

The Seattle Police Department Wednesday said “community reports and data analysis indicated a significant increase in crime” on Capitol Hill from August 2013 to August 2014.

While specific data was not available, a department spokesperson said the increase included violent crime.

The same day the data was released, Chief Kathleen O’Toole joined community members at Cal Anderson Park to discuss ways to address the problem.

“The primary concern of people was some of the assaults, some of the robberies taking place in the entertainment area, mostly in the late evening or early morning hours,” O’Toole said during a “Find It, Fix It” walk around Capitol Hill. “Their concerns were legitimate.”

The “Find It, Fix It” walks, which started in July, were designed to bring community members and leaders together to discuss and address problems facing individual neighborhoods.

During the walk on Capitol Hill, O’Toole discussed the importance of addressing smaller problems in order to prevent more serious issues.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard of the broken windows theory, but if we don’t address things like poor lighting and graffiti and disorder, then it’s an invitation to more serious crime,” she said.

Joining Chief O’Toole in the walk Wednesday was Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, who has lived on Capitol Hill for 30 years.

“This is a neighborhood that’s very exciting and growing, but it’s had some real problems with crime at the same time,” he said.

In recent weeks, Seattle police have increased their presence in the area and assigned more officers to foot and bicycles patrols in trouble spots like Broadway and Pike. Chief O’Toole and members of the command staff even hit the streets themselves.

“I think it’s really important to get out and see it firsthand,” she said.

The department Wednesday also announced that overall crime in the city is up 13 percent this year compared to 2013. The increase is driven largely by a 44 percent spike in motor vehicle thefts and an 8 percent jump in violent crime.