NCJ Number
224999
Date Published
June 2002
Length
74 pages
Annotation
This report reviews the history of Seattle’s Central District Weed and Seed strategy from 1993 to 2001, with attention to “weeding” out the violence and drug dealing and “seeding” the area with community involvement and neighborhood revitalization.
Abstract
When Weed and Seed was introduced to the East Precinct’s Central District in 1993, the crime rate had reached an unprecedented high, and open drug markets thrived. Initially Weed and Seed was not well received by the neighborhood because the community had a negative perception of the police as an occupying force. This attitude slowly changed with the intervention of a community action coordinator and active listening by the police. The strategy of arresting both drug dealers and drug buyers (the latter came into the community from more affluent neighborhoods to buy drugs) and the deployment of special city and Federal crime task forces as well as community policing teams resulted in reduced crime and improved trust and cooperation from local residents. By 2001, the number of violent, drug, and weapon crimes had decreased by nearly half. The number of vacant properties had decreased, and new commercial construction increased. Community problem solving is being addressed by the Seattle Police Department’s new joint venture with the Seattle Neighborhood Group. Although innovative Seed programs have had an effect, significant challenges remain. Low levels of employment and income, high levels of resident mobility, low levels of home ownership, and poor public health have threatened some of the social and public safety gains. After a number of years of improvement, the Central District is facing renewed drug dealing and crime in at least one old and two new areas of the community. This is a reminder that ongoing vigilance is needed to protect and advance Weed-and-Seed gains. Extensive figures and 20 references