AUDIO
LINKS & SUMMARY:
January 30, 2007 Sultan Town Meeting
Re State of the City's Security and Police
Click
here if you would like to receive our periodic
update bulletins of time-sensitive info and events)
NOTES on our recording and digital audio.
Agenda Packets & Minutes for this, and previous meetings
For more info on meetings and hearings, visit our TRANSCRIPTION page
For
Visual References made during Walser's presentation, Download
the Chief's SLIDE SHOW (in pdf).
This file matches his presentation, with the exception of the Org Chart,
which we did not have before the meeting.
(Audio File A, 3:20 min., 585 kb) - Meeting Open & Mayor Tolson Introduction
(Audio File B, 4:33 min., 802 kb) - SPD Chief Fred Walser Introduction and summary of Societal security problems (and a couple of minutes spent working out kinks in the slide setup, of course!)
(Audio File C, 4:00 min., 706 kb) - "Introduction" slide: Includes background on police staffing levels in the recent past and currently and the number of offiicers, organization chart, etc.
(Audio File D, min., 6:37 min., 1,2 mb) - Strengths, Challenges and Opportunities; what citizens can do to help, training classes, what info Police need when they call for help, etc.
(Audio File E, 2:45 min., 486 kb) -Slides discussed: "Calls for Service by Day 2006," "Sultan Assist Law 2006" and "Assaults 2006"
(Audio File F, 2:18 min., 405 kb) - "Theft/Burglaries 2006"; what consistutes a "Priority" 911 call and how it's handled.
(Audio File G, 1:21 min., 238 kb) - "Suspicious Events"
(Audio File H, 1:17 min., 228 kb) - "School Events"
(Audio File I, 2:10 min., 302 kb) - "Traffic Events 2004 and 2005" and "Traffic Events 2006"; How 72-hour abandoned cars are handled; time limit for tagging.
(Audio File J, 3:10 min., 558 kb) - Question Cops in school program.(no slide associated with this file.)
(Audio File K, 1:21 min., 240 kb) - Question/comment from pre-teen re using more focused, small-neighborhood watches to help. (No slide associated with this file.)
(Audio File L, 3:42 min., 651 kb) - DUI arrests and need for U. S. 2 coverage. (Question re how many are re-offenders; no specifics known, but FW's resonse was, "A lot." (Chief is member of the Washington Assocation of Police Chiefs and Sheriffis and on their legislative committee: "What we do is is go and try to get the legislature to draft bills dealing with the law enforcement issues, drunk drivers and other things." Asked for residents' help in calling or emailing legislators to support HB-1001, toll-free hotline: 800-562-6000.
(Audio File M, 6:07 min., 1.1 mb) - "Misdeameanor Filing" and "Adult Criminal Cases 2005/2006" - Refers to Co. Prosecutor-supplied graphs which we do not currently have.
(Audio File N, 8:13 min., 1.4 mb) - "Dispatched Events" for 2004, 2005 and 2006; issues re juvenile offenders; statement by Prosecutor Janice Ellis.
(Audio File O, 1:59 min., 351 kb) - Various: Question by Cheeko Boucher re whether people can ask question. Last two slides re SPD revenue: "2006 Law Copies, fingerprints CPL" and "2006 Sultan Violations Revenues & Costs." List of other services offered by the SPD, conlusion and wrap-up of Walser presenation.
(Audio File P, 0:22 min., 67 kb) - Question from man re attendance (lack of); statement by woman re lack of effective meeting notice.
(Audio File Q, 1:19 min., 232 kb) - Walser wrap-up; available SPD forms by which to complain or compliment the police, or to get involved, ask for "vacation home watch" and other police issues and services.
(Audio File R, 2:04 min., 365 kb) - Meeting hand-off to Mayor Tolson. Then summary by Chief of his contacts with Prosecutor Ellis re homeless area across Skykomish River (located in the county), how it came about, what their actions have been to date. Tolson adds his own comments.
PUBLIC QUESTION PERIOD BEGINS:
(Audio File S, 1:54 min., 335 kb) - Tolson opens Public Question Period: begins with comments by Brian McNaughton (SPD actions had terrific positive effect on his daughter.)
(Audio File T, 5:47 min., 1.0 mb) - Comments by Ed ("Cheeko") Boucher (Mr. Boucher is owner of the Dutch Cup Restaurant, a major developer-partner of the Willow Run development, and father to former Sultan councilmember Dusty Boucher and current sitting Sultan councilman Derek Boyd.)
He speaks with lots of people in the course of running his business. So he wants to know how he should respond to those folks who ask why Fred's not around very much? (Walser's response: As just one example, during Shindig he worked 14-hour days. another is when the SPD was short-staffed in 2006, and for quite awhile, he worked double shifts, six days a week, beginning at 5:00 a.m, to cover for SPD staff city did not have. In his view he puts in an inordinant amount of time. In addition, he actively volunteers his time lobbying on behalf of the U. S. 2 Safety Coalition and U.S. 2 needed safety and capital improvement projects and other safety- and police-related organizations.)
Boucher stated the next "most-commonly-asked question" he is asked by people "out there" is that so many officers are short-timers and just moving tthrough? (Walser response: That used to the be case, and is the nature of the job, to a certain extent, as many cities are offering hiring bonuses and other inducements to attract officers. A very competitive environment has development in attracting and keeping officers. But he's heartened that the situation in Sultan is beginning to change bit; he's seeing lateral transfers are becoming attracted to Sultan because they want to work here.)
Next Boucher question: "I understood there was going to be a bit of a presentaiotn on the amount of cost of going to the county versus our city, as an option." Is that going to happen tongiht? (Mayor Tolsons' response: "That was never part of what was announced for this meeting. This is not a meeting to make a choice between the county or the ciyt's police department. That's not the--this venue at all." And "A lot of this information is for the councilmen to take -- we will be having our council retreat a week from this Saturday. It'll be held in Monroe at the library there and we'll be going through and going through a number of things. We will have information for the council, uh, foir that, that whole issue, to try and address that. But this is not that venue.")
(Audio U, 0:31 min., 93 kb) - Robert Criswell, former two-term Sultan City Councilman. ("Well, I don't --I don't really have any questions anymore. I raised my hand three or four times, when Fred was....doing his little spiel and he wouldn't even acknolwedge me, so I guess I'm not here." Mr. Ed Boucher asked, "Could I ask his question?" (Also, a brief deferral to speak by L. Storm is included at the end of this audio file.)
(Audio file V, 2:37 min., 462 kb) - Mary Carson Ford (Sky Harbor resident and part-time volunteer/worker at Monroe's Chamber of Commerce) - Strongly urges involvement by citizens in responsibility for their own security and safety through creation of ocal neighborhood watch programs in various Sultan communitie. Her prior experience in this type of effort proved very effective and positive.
(Audio file W, 1:29 min., 264 kb) - Maxine Purbaugh - Thinks that three SPD officers (Berg, Marshall and Gillespie) need "to go to diplomacy school." Just had a bicycle stolen but didn't call the cops because they don't come out anyway. Her neighbor's house was broken into and it was nine hours before an officer arrived. "I think there's going to be a vigilante deal going on here if we can't get the cops to just work with people instead of bullying peop.e"
(Audio file X, 2:16 min., 401 kb) - Michelle (last name?) - Thanked Officer Stebbins for his actions in putting "peace back into our home in November 5, 2006." Also thanks police for action in protecting her son who works at Sultan Pharmacy (during their burglaries there); also mentioned incidents re Gohr road fire hydrant issue; etc. "We do have a drug issue around here, big-time. And I'd really like to see something done with all the drug dealers and the drug houses that are supplying our kids. Because the kids are all getting labeled as the Potheads and blah-blah-blah. Well, where are they getting them? And I have two kids that were in Sultan High School, "and they said they could get any kind of drug they wanted within two minutes --heroine, Meth, Ectasy, you-name-it. And that's a sad thing."
(Audio file Y, 1:43 min., 301 kb) - Kyle Davis - A representative from the The Rock Church in Monroe, re activites & events they have for teens.
(Audio file Z, 6:00 min., 1.1 mb) - Elizabeth (Can't catch last name) - Questions re how SPD is funded.
(Audio AA, 4:15 min. 750 kb) - Jim Ross re reflective I.D. for druggies. Fred Walser's comment re Susan York's presentation on how to defeat drug houses. Prosecutor Janice Ellis, encouraging citizens to call 911 if they see something suspicious, but do NOT call the police's business line or call without specific information, the more, the better: "Please don't call 911 and say, 'I see something suspicious in front of my house,' without saying, 'It's a brown car and the last three digits on the license plate are -- (XXX) and it's being driven by a white, middle-aged male whose wearing glasses,' if that's what you see. Because the more information, the better."
(Audio file BB, 1:47 min., 316 kb) - Sharon Clune - Third Street resident who lives near drug house, victim of several break-ins. "I'm terroriized. There's terror in this town. And something's gotta happen. Soon."
(Audio file CC, 4:12 min., 740 kb) - (Missed woman's name; if anyone knows her, we would appreciate if you would contact us with her name) - Lives on Junction Lane near infamous and well-known drug house. Walser responded that the SPD has been working on this for years; told a brief story of his personal experiences with Josh Halen's father. "The problem with that house is -- you're exactly right. It's an insidious house. How we can get in there legally, and clean it out is a perplexing problem for us. And we've been working with the prosecutor's office to see if we've got enough probable cause (unintelligible). But we have arrested people out of that house continually. I'm very -- I'm as frustrated as you are. I don't know how else to tell you that. And that's, again, where Janice (County prosector) was talking about getting his license numbers and all that, descriptions of the people. Sometimes we'll stop and clear away -- by the way, he has police scanners in the house so he knows where we're coming and going. That's why we're using cell phones to communicate sometimes. Now crooks are getting as sophisticated as the movies portray them. I'm not giving you one excuse. I'm telling you we're going to try our best to irradicate that sucker, because he is a cancer in this community."
(Audio file DD, 1:53 min., 332 kb) - Richard Barron - He's given details to the police before about the drug activity in his neighborhood on Third street. But the fact is that most don't drive cars or have any distinguishing marks. He's even taken photos, but the question one asks themselves is, Do I want these punks to make reprisals against me for turning them in?
(Audio file EE, 0:53 min., 157 kb) - Leanne Court (Ed Boucher's "partner" and close relation to former Councilmember Carolyn Eslick) - Wisteria Avenue resident; lived in Sultan for 20 years and never seen so much crime as she's seen in the last six months. She's building a new house and it's been vandalized five times and "cost her thousands." She works at the Dutch Cup restaurant and their employees have experienced burglaries, customers say the same thing.
(Audio file FF, 2:42 min., 478 kb) - Jeffrey Beeler (Eagle Ridge resident and a U.S. 2 Safety Coalition board member) - One of the answers to these problems was passage of the Police levy. People voted it down.
(Audio GG, 0:30 min., 91 kb) - Robyn Maybery (Library board member) - City is not well lit; more and improved streetlighting might help.
(Audio file HH, 0:49 min., 147 kb) - Traci Hoenstine, Dyer Road resident - Proud of SPD and absolutely urges involvement with block watch programs.
(Audio file II, 3:30 min., 539 kb) - Kathy Koehler, lives on Junction Lane near drug house; has kept detailed logs but activities have increased substantially, getting bolder. Sent log to SPD, never heard anything.
(Audio File JJ, 6:15 min., 1.1 mb) - Scott Myer, Sultan Basin Road - Aksed how much new growth and population affects this situation. Tolson responded: Admitted that city had allowed police officers to fall below legal (or acceptable) levels of service; mentioned ridiculous "prorata share" of police by developers to "solve" the problem; stated the reality is an inequity in tax revenue, and that the city "has to have rooftops" to make growth viable.
(Audio File KK, 2:58 min., 525 kb) - Joe Schlicker (Ed Boucher's partner in the Willow Run development and in other endeavors), lives on Gohr Road - Asked how fees from building permits and other growth-related revenue affects Police budget. Tolson response raises tired chestnut about the negative impact from Tim Eyman's licence tab initiative (despite the fact that many other cities adequately compensated for that loss using sound financial management practices).
(Audio File LL, 2:38 min., 465 kb ) - Jim Ross re financial revenue effetiveness of fingerprinting.
(Audio File MM,1:12 min., 214 kb) - Unidentified Female re lack and ineffectual public notice (someone sent her an email), thank goodness. Walser mentioned there was a note in Boucher's Valley Review. She stated she never reads it.
(Audio File NN, 3:00 min., 529 kb) - Dusty Boucher (former Sultan High School English teacher and former Sultan Councilman, currently the suspected editor and/or publisher of The Valley Review): Election speech re "this is a new beginning...."
(Audio File OO, 3:50 min., 675 kb) - Debbie Copple (Debbie is a long-time uber-activist and community leader important to Sultan's future. She manages Sultan's Visitor Information Center; she's past president of the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce; she and her husband, Brian Copple, own and manage Sultan's Chiropractic business as well as being the charter members of the Sultan Education Foundation, through which thousdands of dollars' worth of scholarships are annually awarded to Valley students for higher eduction.) - Representing the Chamber of Commerce re various issues, more recently the juvenile situation as well as the increasing problem presented by drugs. Generally speaking, she feels our law enforcement measures are ineffective: She believes the punishment needs to fit the law. And with lower-level crimes, she feels community service by which relevant reimbursement can be "paid" for, is the answer. The City's Diversity Board can provide that accountability tool.
(Audio File PP, 4:37 min., 812 kb) - Tolson and Walser close meeting. A second meeting was scheduled for March 15th at the Sultan Middle School.
NOTES ON OUR DIGITAL RECORDING AND FILES:
- This audio is accurate and complete. However, we urge that people contact the City directly to obtain the final agenda, and certified minutes, ordinances, resolutions or other documents: City Clerk Laura Koenig 360-793-2231. If you receive the automated message, you can bypass it and go directly to her voicemail by pressing "2" and then the pound (#) sign.
- As of the October 26, 2006 council meeting, the city began recording meetings using a Morantz MP3 digital recorder, which has records directly from the microphones to the recorder, thus, clearly than the audio we present here, with is captured from "room" sound from a microphone located near the podium. If you wish to secure a copy of the City's audio, contact Clerk Koenig.
- All of our digital audio files are in MP3 format, playable on Windows Mediaplayer or other MP3-compatible digital device