A foot patrol pilot program in Chinatown–International District (CID) is sticking around a little longer—and becoming a more regular presence on the streets around 12th Avenue South and South Jackson Street.
Seattle Police Department officers patrol on foot in Seattle’s Chinatown–International District, where a pilot program has expanded weekly beat patrols. (Photo by Susan Lee Woo)
The program, part of a broader push by the Seattle Police Department to bring back neighborhood-style policing, has been extended for another month. Under the current setup, officers are assigned to walk the area one full day each week during the department’s afternoon-to-evening “second watch.”
That means more consistent foot patrols during some of the neighborhood’s busiest hours, with officers out of their cars and on the sidewalks, interacting directly with businesses, residents and visitors.
The approach mirrors a wider strategy outlined by Police Chief Shon Barnes, who has emphasized smaller “beat” areas and relationship-building as key to reducing crime. Similar efforts in other parts of the city, including the Sand Point area near Magnuson Park, have been credited by police with helping deter crime and improve neighborhood conditions.
In the CID, the goal is straightforward: make officers more visible, more familiar and more connected—even if, for now, it’s just one day a week.
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