The City of Renton will beef up police presence in and around the Renton Transit Center to help control unruly and criminal behavior.
The initiative to add three officers to the downtown core is part of a continuing effort by Mayor Denis Law and the Police Department to help the public feel safer downtown. Police are adding the patrols to a long horizontal area bordered on the north by South Second Street, on the south by South Third Street, on the east by Main Avenue and on the west by Rainier Avenue.
Nearly at the center is the transit center, a busy hub for regional bus traffic.
Law announced the new initiative at Monday’s City Council meeting.
Also announced was a new effort to use volunteer park rangers to patrol the Cedar River Trail to enhance safety on the trail and enforce trail rules. Later, the city Park Department would deploy rangers to Liberty Park and Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park.
The City of Renton already has taken several measures to make the Cedar River Trail safer for all users since an elderly woman died last spring when she was hit by a bike rider while walking on the trail.
The volunteers would patrol the trail and later the parks on golf carts, wearing clearly identifiable uniforms. If necessary, they will call 911. This program will start in June, after 10 to 12 volunteers are trained.
Renton has not had the serious crime experienced at other transit centers in South King County, Law said. Still, he said, some people don’t feel safe in this downtown area.
“It is our responsibility and my priority to do what we can to make people feel safe throughout our community,” he said.
Overall, the crime rate in Renton dropped 10 percent in 2010 from 2009.
Twice in the last few months the target area has experienced two shootings. The most recent one involved a 14-year-old boy at the transit center. He survived, but initially refused to talk with police.
He later agreed but missed the interview. Police Chief Kevin Milosevich learned the teen had been arrested at another transit center, armed with a handgun.
Law in an interview said most of the crime near the transit center has been gang-related.
However, the transit center continues to experience unruly behavior and youth-type crimes, such as fights and minor thefts. Metro Transit has a code of conduct that’s enforced on buses and at its transit centers. The City of Renton also has toughened up its regulations to give police more tools to control such behavior, including expelling someone from the transit center.
Officers will issue warnings, but after that will have zero tolerance for such behavior, Milosevich said.
Under the new initiative starting in June, the Police Department will have one to three patrol officers specifically assigned to this downtown area at all times. They will patrol on foot and on bikes. They’ll also be on duty during special downtown events, including the Farmers Market and the Return to Renton Car Show, and at functions at the Renton Pavilion Events Center.
Law said the new enforcement effort has nothing to do with safety concerns for a new library near the transit center. “It’s just the nature of the transit center,” he said.
The city will use current officers in the downtown enforcement effort; about a dozen have expressed an interest in the duty. Still, the city will see some impact, including the use of overtime to maintain staffing and fewer traffic tickets might get written, Law said.
But, Law said, the effort “is a higher priority.” Law and Milosevich also point to the importance of the high visibility the increased patrols will bring.
During the summer, the Police Department’s three school resource officers are available for patrol duties to supplement the new downtown team.
The Police Department’s Special Operations Division as well as patrol officers are already stationed in office space at the parking garage.
As part of the ongoing effort, the city will add more high-resolution cameras to the transit center and increase lighting to improve visibility.
The city also is reviewing whether to close the stretch of Burnett Avenue within the transit center to all vehicles except buses, because it’s often used by people looking for trouble, officials say. The city also could ban fortified drinks, in an effort to keep transients away.
“We are going to do this until we get there,” Law said of the city’s efforts to make people feel safe downtown.
Park rangers
The City of Renton is looking for 10 to 12 volunteers to serve as park rangers at the Cedar River Trail and at Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park and Liberty Park to help explain trail and park rules. The volunteer park rangers must be 21 years or older. They will work three- or four-hour shifts in a two-person team, no more than eight hours a week. The volunteers will undergo background checks and receive training. For more information, call 425-430-6600.
Share the trail
Various groups are putting on the “Share the Trail” event in Renton Saturday (May 14) to spread the word about trail safety and just to have a good time.
The event is 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Ron Regis Park, 1501 Orcas Ave. S.E., off the Renton-Maple Valley Highway.
“Share the Trail” is open to all ages and offers several fun activities and booths, as well as trail safety information for walkers, runners and cyclists. The event will also provide free “Share the Trail” brochures and information on the new rules and trail etiquette that have been implemented along the Cedar River Trail.
Various organizations will also be on hand to answer questions and promote trail safety. Prizes and refreshments available for all who participate.
The participating groups include City of Renton staff, Bicycle Alliance of Washington, Cascade Bicycle Club, Feet First Walking Club, RUFF, several trails users and other organizations.
