Public safety and law enforcement in Eastlake

If you are aware of any fire, explosive risk, or crime that is about to occur, is in progress, or is very recent, please call 911 immediately. Additional phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and web sites can be found on this web site’s hot line page, which can be reached by clicking here.

Fire Department

Fire Station 22 is just east of I-5 at 805 E. Roanoke Street. If you know of a fire or potential for explosion, call 911.

Emergency preparedness

Seattle’s Emergency Management Division is in the Police Department. For info, videos and free trainings on emergency preparedness: please see the adjoining emergency preparedness web page by clicking here.

911 and (206) 625-5011

Our police officers are the first to say that they can’t do it alone. They urge you to call 911 right away if you see any law-breaking or expect it to occur imminently. Police can’t respond if you don’t alert them, and are more likely to patrol our neighborhood if there is a pattern of past calls to 911. Nothing is too small to report, and a crime need not have been committed. Calls can be anonymous, but it is best to give your name (you can ask that it be withheld from public disclosure). There is a record made of each call; if you plan to request the record, ask the call-taker for the event number. The 911 system has plenty of capacity, so you won’t compete with another call that you fear could be more urgent. The operators are professionals who know where to refer your call.

An alternative to 911 is the Police Department’s “non-emergency” number, (206) 625-5011 (then dial 2 and then 8 to reach a dispatcher). This is for questions about something suspicious occurring in your neighborhood, and you are not sure it is criminal activity; to report a non-emergency crime that did not just occur, and the suspects are not in the immediate area; or to report a nuisance, such as a noise or parking complaint. But please call one or the other number when you see suspected or actual law-breaking.

West precinct

Formerly split between two police precincts, in 2015 Eastlake became entirely a part of the West Precinct, whose boundaries also include South Lake Union and downtown. An Eastlake Community Council representative attends monthly meetings of the West Precinct Advisory Council, an official City advisory board. If you have suggestions on anything you wish the ECC representative to bring up at the advisory meetings, contact ECC at info@eastlakeseattle.org.

Patrol beats and the Community Police Team Click here for a Police Department web site that, for Eastlake and other neighborhoods, provides patrol beat boundaries, enforcement priorities, and numbers on reported crimes. In addition to patrol officers, each precinct has a Community Police Team. Eastlake’s Community Police Team representative is Officer Donald Little, who welcomes questions and concerns at donald.little@seattle.gov, 206-684-8996, or (206) 386-4056.

Your input is welcome and needed on micro-policing priorities for Eastlake The Seattle Police Department regularly seeks input from neighborhood residents and businesses about its law enforcement priorities for each Seattle neighborhood. As of June 2019, the priorities were as follows. (1) For the Micro-Community Policing Plan for the parts of Eastlake that are west of I-5 (patrolled by the West Precinct): police presence; car prowls/auto thefts/burglaries; issues related to the homeless population; and traffic-related issues. And (2) for the parts of North Capitol Hill that are just east of Interstate 5 (patrolled by the East Precinct): police presence; car prowls/auto thefts/property crime; and parking issues. Note: the Police Department uses the names “Eastlake-West and Eastlake-East” for these separate plans which are under the jurisdiction respectively of the West and East precincts. The two precincts share responsibility for the area under I-5.

The Police Department seeks input on these enforcement priorities by U.S. mail or e-mail as well as at public meetings. For an official comment form (not required; comments may also be in e-mail format),click here Comments can be sent anytime to Officer Donald.Little@seattle.gov; please cc to info@eastlakeinfo.net. Also, Seattle University is under contract with the Police Department to conduct focus groups to evaluate these enforcement priorities and its performance in addressing them.

Best practices to deter break-ins

Victims of burglary often regret not having taken basic steps to reduce the risk. Cars, homes, and businesses are much more likely to be broken into if desirable loot can be seen through the windows. And many break-ins occur through unlocked doors–even while the owner is gardening outside. A thief recently arrested in Seattle’s North end told detectives she was surprised how many people leave their house keys out in mailboxes or on the porch. Experienced burglars can often find a key you think is well hidden under a welcome or paving stone, in flower pot, etc.

Neighbor-to-neighbor cooperation

Eastlake would be a safer neighborhood if more neighbors exchanged phone numbers, e-mail addresses, Twitter and Facebook accounts, and made more effort to know one another. Please take the initiative with your neighbors on mutual alerts and problem-solving about suspicious or risky situations. For advice on crime prevention, click here. “Block watch” doesn’t have to involve a whole block; there is safety also in cooperation of several residences or businesses, a houseboat dock, or even within a single apartment, condo, or office building.

Organize a street, driveway, or yard party

On the first Tuesday in August, block parties are free of the need for a permit or fee and from onerous insurance requirements. “Night Out” is a national event to help neighbors meet each other, toward starting a block watch and preparedness team; Police and Fire officers often also drop by. These events needn’t be in the street (most are small enough to be held in a yard or driveway). Of course, such events can also be held anytime during the year, but on the first Tuesday in August, the normal permit and insurance requirements for having the event in the street itself are waived–but only if you register. To do so, go to http://www.seattle.gov/police/crime-prevention/night-out. The same information is available by searching Facebook for Seattle Night Out. Note: the City usually does not provide on its web site or Facebook page updated information about each year’s August event until June or even July, so please don’t be discouraged if you can’t register before then.

Door-to-door sales

While there are reputable salespeople, others use the pretense of sales or requests to use the bathroom, the phone or for a drink of water to gain illegal access to your home. An unacknowledged knock could invite a break-in, but you are not required to open your door, and it may be advisable to speak to strangers through your door. If requested, sellers are required to leave the premises immediately. It is unlawful for any residential seller to attempt to gain admittance for the purpose of selling at any residence with a sign that says, “No agents,”, “No solicitors”, or “no peddlers.” Call 911 if you feel intimidated, pressured, or threatened, or think your neighbors may be in jeopardy. Questions and concerns are also welcome by Eastlake’s Community Police Team officer Donald Little at Officer Donald.Little@seattle.gov, at the Police non-emergency number (206) 625-5011 (dial 2 and then 8 to reach a dispatcher) and the Eastlake Community Council at info@eastlakeseattle.org.

Upon contacting a prospective buyer, sellers are required to disclose their name, company, and what they are selling; they are required display on their outer clothing a badge with their photo and who they are soliciting for. All are required to have a Seattle license with the name of the agent and the type of product or service being sold; call (206) 684-8136 during business hours to check if there is a license on record. Read carefully anything you are to sign. Police Department advise not to pay on the spot (funds often disappear without result), but rather to order from the company or receive a bill upon receipt of the product or service. For any purchase, the salesperson and the contract must state your right to cancel within three days any purchase of $25 or more made from a door to door solicitor. Never be afraid to say “No.” If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Report graffiti

Quick removal of graffiti discourages taggers, who may be gang-related. The City requires landowners to remove it promptly, and promises immediate action on public property. Report graffiti (and water pollution and illegal dumping) at (206) 684-7587; or by clicking here. An Eastlake volunteer who helps in the effort against graffiti is available at: frisky1@mindspring.com.

July 4 crowds and traffic

While Lake Union fireworks are not planned for 2021, they are likely to occur in 2022. In preparation, police will block off some streets, make others one-way, prohibit some parking and restrict entry except for residents and their guests (who are encouraged to arrive by 5 p.m. Click here for a summary of the street and law enforcement plans expected to be in effect on July 4, 2022. Click here for an excellent map of July 4 traffic patterns and closures by Eastlaker Curt Milton.

Please don’t shoot off illegal private firecrackers and skyrockets, which endanger life and property, and cause trauma to pets, some lost forever (see p. 18 of the summer 2014 Eastlake News, accessible at right). And please contact EastlakeInfo at info@eastlakeinfo.net with any ideas or questions about July 4.