Earlier this summer, Captain Landy Black took over the reins as East Precinct commander from Captain Mike Meehan.
Originally from Ohio, Black spent six years in the military. He was stationed at Fort Lewis when he left the service, decided he liked the area and has called Seattle home ever since. He finished university and was hired by the Seattle Police Department in 1982. Following graduation from the police academy the following year, Black served for seven years at the East Precinct.
He worked next in the North Precinct, and following a promotion to sergeant, in the West Precinct, primarily in Pioneer Square. During this time he worked in the officer field training program. Promoted to lieutenant in 1999, Black initially worked in what was then called the Coordinated Criminal Investigations Unit, in essence the gang unit. He served as night shift watch commander for two years, then operations lieutenant, before moving to internal investigations in 2001. He headed that department as acting captain.
Black was then assigned to the sexual assault and child abuse unit in early 2003, a position made more complicated after he was called up to active duty as a reservist during the current Iraq war. He served for one year in Washington, D.C. until January 2004.
Upon his return, Black was reassigned to the robbery, fugitive and gang unit, a position he held until his promotion to captain this June. He was assigned to the East Precinct in July.
Black recently spoke with Capitol Hill Times editor Doug Schwartz about his new position and the challenges he faces. Below is the first of a two-part interview.
There's been a high turnaround of East Precinct commanders - you're the seventh person in about six-and-a-half years - how long do you think you'll be in this chair?
I have no idea, but certainly no expectation of leaving. Some of the past commanders had been captains for awhile and were promoted to assistant chief. I'm a new captain, so there's no place I anticipate going in the near future.
Is it a problem to step into a position that's been something of a rotation door?
It does take awhile to get up to speed. There are a lot of issues to become familiar with in a short time, and having continuity is a valuable thing. I'm still getting a handle on some decisions made by my predecessors, getting familiar with how they got to that point. I expect that the longer I spend here the less of a disconnect there will be.
Right now I'm telling people I still have to learn where all the doors are in the precinct, let alone have a complete understanding of the more complicated issues in the community. I feel overwhelmed sometimes with the large number of issues, but it's not one of those things where a fast adjustment can take place.
Will people notice much of a difference with you? What can people expect from Captain Black?
They can expect that I am an ethically and integrity driven person. I have always tried to induce those who work for me to live up to a certain standard. The image is almost a caricature of a time when police officers were more positive icons. That has been tarnished over the years. People often question what their police officers really stand for, and I'm a person who believes in trying to rekindle the faith people used to have in the police.
I think this department has done an excellent job in staying above most of the negativity, but we are a large department and we've had our share of problems. But the goal is still to provide quality service to the citizens at the same time as recognizing that police have to do more than be service providers.
Recently, the city made a commitment to hire 25 additional police officers. How many will the East Precinct receive, and will it make a meaningful difference to you as well as to people living in the East Precinct?
I haven't been promised any of them! But even if I was, it's still more than a year before they've finished training and can be assigned. I would expect, with five precincts and three watches each day, that, doing the math, one or two officers more per watch.
And I think people will notice the difference. One watch has about 18-20 officers at a time. One more officer, say 5 percent more, will be something people should notice. It will mean officers can spend more time focusing on problems rather than just responding to 9-11 calls. It's not a great amount, perhaps, but every little bit helps.
Regarding bike patrols, this was a big issue a little while ago when funding for a bike patrol was cut. Your predecessor maintained a bike patrol. How to you feel about them, and will they continue?
I'm a 100 percent supporter of bike patrols. I think they have the capability of filling two roles. One, they are able to respond quickly to calls and are, in some cases, able to respond with great stealth, which is a tactical advantage. And they are also in a position to be more approachable than a patrol car. I would be disappointed if I were forced, because of staffing or personnel realignment, to do away with the bike patrol.
It's frustrating for the community when all they ever see are patrol cars racing down streets responding to calls. People can feel fairly disconnected. But when they see bike officers, or foot patrols, it gives people a chance to have an exchange, perhaps even a pleasant one, but at least a chance to communicate.
And the status of the bike patrol right now?
It is a fully operational squad on the second watch, and is deployed often, but less frequently on third watch. There are issues regarding officer safety for bike patrols at night, which is something I want to examine. But as of now, the bike patrols are business as usual. We're purchasing new bicycles right now, and my purchasing requests are not being turned down, so the command staff must view them favorably.
What is your sense of the top issues Capitol Hill faces right now?
The biggest issue on our horizon right now is the opening of Cal Anderson Park. As people know, the park in the past has been a haven for all sorts of misconduct. Sex offenses, loitering, vagrants, narcotics, liquor offenses. The concern is that with the new park, and all the money that's been spent and all the thought that's gone into creating an attractive community park, that this will all be wasted when transients, among others, fall into their old patterns.
We've been having a large number of meetings with police staff, the parks department and community groups who are concerned about the park to try and come up with strategies to prevent that from occurring. We haven't come up with the perfect strategy yet.
One thing that's probably going to occur initially is greater emphasis by law enforcement. Unfortunately, that's not something that is possible to maintain over the long term. It's simply too expensive to devote officers to be essentially security guards.
But that will be part of the opening strategy to help establish the opening tenor. The hope is to displace the problem elements with positive uses and activities.
What would you tell people to expect once the park opens in September as far as its safety and its prospects for remaining safe?
I would say that we will be doing something to respond before issues come up. We're going to deploy officers so that people will be encouraged and feel safe when they arrive in the area, and by our being there the ne'er-do-wells, as I refer to those people who cause problems, will be displaced so that community members and those who want to use the park responsibly can replace the bad elements.
I am unable to give a guarantee as to what kind of action we will be taking. I don't know how people will respond to our presence there. Sometimes an occupying force almost attracts dissent. So I don't know what to predict.
We'll have a seasonal ally in winter, but come next spring and summer we'll have to throw resources at the park to keep it safe. And I struggle with that. It's something I find distasteful. Parks shouldn't be full of police officers. They should be full of families and people enjoying the environment. It shouldn't be a place where they feel they're walking into a walled city.
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