Weed & Seed Program
BackgroundWeed and Seed was created in 1991 by Attorney General William Barr under the Bush Administration. He was concerned that, while the multi-jurisdictional approach developed to address drug trafficking, was doing a great job of locking up the serious offenders and displacing the drug trafficking organizations, the affected neighborhoods, were continuing to see drug dealing on their streets. And they were inundated with added violence as new trafficking organizations and gangs vied with each other to take over the area's narcotics trade. Attorney General Barr expanded the multi-jurisdictional approach to a multi-disciplinary approach, bringing experts from the social services, treatment, prevention, and neighborhood restoration fields, as well as neighborhood residents to work with law enforcement on addressing the issues. The goal was to rid the neighborhood of drug trafficking while, at the same time, providing resources and focus to the area so that it was no longer "ripe for the picking" by the toughest new group to come along. An evaluation done several years ago indicated that while crime was going down all over, those areas with Weed and Seed had a greater drop than the surrounding communities. Additional information can be found on the Weed and Seed Data Center web site.
As with all Weed and Seed sites, those in Western Washington focus on the four elements of the Weed and Seed Strategy: Law Enforcement (the traditional law enforcement and prosecution role); Community Policing; Prevention, Treatment, and Intervention; and Neighborhood Restoration.
The Weed and Seed Strategy
Operation Weed and Seed is foremost a strategy--rather than a grant program-- which aims to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity in targeted high-crime neighborhoods across the country. Weed and Seed sites range in size from several neighborhood blocks to 15 square miles.
The strategy involves a two-pronged approach: law enforcement agencies and prosecutors cooperate in "weeding out" criminals who participate in violent crime and drug abuse, attempting to prevent their return to the targeted area; and "seeding" brings human services to the area, encompassing prevention, intervention, treatment, and neighborhood revitalization.
A community-orientated policing component bridges weeding and seeding strategies. Officers obtain helpful information from area residents for weeding efforts while they aid residents in obtaining information about community revitalization and seeding resources.
The Western District of Washington is fortunate to have six officially recognized Weed and Seed sites:
Each site is unique in its character, structure and emphasis. The U.S. Attorney's office is the co-applicant for all Weed and Seed sites and the LECC Manager, Kate Greenquist, is the Office's point person for Weed and Seed in Western Washington.
Application Process
Sites must first apply for Official Recognition (OR) by the Executive Office for Weed and Seed, which is good for five years. Once they have obtained OR they are eligible to apply for up to $225,000 per year in funding. The OR status is good for five years, after which they may re-apply, but must re-define their boundaries and strategies. To become an Officially Recognized Weed and Seed site and to be eligible for funding, a community must identify its issues and define a strategy for addressing crime and community needs. All sites must work closely with the United States Attorney's Office. For detailed information on developing a Weed and Seed strategy and applying for Official Recognition please see the Office of Justice Program's Operation Weed and Seed web site.
Washington Insurance Council
Since March of 1994, the Washington Insurance Council (WIC) has contributed approximately $600,000 to neighborhood restoration projects in collaboration with the Seattle and Tacoma Weed and Seed sites. The Washington Insurance Council is a non-profit consumer education and media relations trade association, funded by member insurance companies. Its mission is to foster knowledge and awareness among consumers and
the media regarding insurance issues. WIC participates in numerous projects to assist consumers and the public at large, including crime prevention, auto safety, home safety, insurance education and research. Through the Insurance Fund Foundation's Strong Neighborhood Action Program, WIC takes an active role in promoting safety and security.For further information on Weed & Seed please contact:
Kate Greenquist
LECC Manager
206-553-5103
DETAILS ON WEED AND SEED SITES
Seattle's Central site was one of the first sites to receive the Weed and Seed designation in 1992. For sustainability in the Weed element, Central Seattle Weed and Seed has merged effectively with the East Precinct Crime Prevention Council to provide overall guidance and direction for implementing policing initiatives that fit within the Weed and Seed Strategy. Current "weed" strategies include the partnership among Seattle Police Department, the State Department of Corrections (DOC) and the community. Special emphasis is placed on furthering community involvement in tracking and advising DOC on offenders returning to community. Resources are focused on building relationships between police and youth, with special emphasis on homeless and disenfranchised youth. Donut Dialogues is a collaborative effort between the police department and youth serving agencies to increase positive community participation, decrease panhandling, and reduce tension among the various partners in the neighborhood. The Seattle Police Department is the grantee and fiscal agent.
Contacts: Fiscal Agent: Diane Miller; (206)
386-0063; diane.miller@seattle.gov
Site Coordinator: Barb Biondo;
(206) 323-9671; barb@sngi.org
Law Enforcement: Lt. James
Demody; (206) 684-4306; james.dermody@seattle.gov
Seed Coordinator: LiLi Liu;
(206) 684-0114; lili.liu@seattle.gov
Southeast Seattle
The Southeast Seattle Weed and Seed site is currently in its final year of Weed and Seed funding and has just received Official Recognition for the next five years. A recent evaluation showed the site to be an area much improved through the efforts of Weed and Seed, but an area, too, that continues to need innovative and vigilant efforts. One success under the Neighborhood Restoration Element is the recent collaboration with the Rainier Beach Merchants (RBM) Association. The RBM Association has been working with the community to identify gaps in services, encourages retail development in the area, and is outreaching to local churches, in an attempt to get them more involved in revitalization efforts in the community. Through efforts of RBM, many local churches are participating in neighborhood enrichment events which involve community residents, youth and business volunteers in an ongoing neighborhood clean up and beautification effort. The Seattle Police Department is the grantee and fiscal agent.
Contacts: Fiscal Agent: Diane Miller; (206)
386-0063; diane.miller@seattle.gov
Site Coordinator: Barb Biondo;
(206) 323-9671; barb@sngi.org
Law Enforcement: Lt. Dan Whelan;
(206) 233-2033; daniel.whelan@seattle.gov
Seed Coordinator: LiLi Liu;
(206) 684-0114; lili.liu@seattle.gov
Southwest Seattle
Community stakeholders from Southwest Seattle began planning in the summer of 2002 to implement the Weed and Seed strategy in their community. The Southwest Seattle Weed and Seed site was awarded Official Recognition in July of 2003. The site was chosen to encompass a major long-standing crime hot spot that serves as the border between the City of Seattle and the King County line. Serious criminal offenses, such as homicide, rape, assaults, and robberies have increased dramatically in this area. As part of the overall Weed and Seed strategy being implemented in the site, Seattle Police Department Community Police Team officers along with King County Sheriff Deputies will work together to address these serious crime issues. This joint Weed and Seed effort between the City of Seattle and King County is unique in that the Task Force will develop and implement community policing strategies in concert with very active neighborhood stakeholder groups. Although multi-agency task force operations are fairly commonplace today, this effort to form a joint jurisdictional Task Force that focuses on community policing and problem solving is perhaps the first of its kind anywhere in the nation. The Seattle Police Department is the grantee and fiscal agent.
Contacts: Fiscal Agent: Diane Miller; (206)
386-0063; diane.miller@seattle.gov
Site Coordinator: Barb Biondo;
(206) 323-9671; barb@sngi.org
Law Enforcement: to be announced
Seed Coordinator: LiLi Liu;
(206) 684-0114; lili.liu@seattle.gov
Tacoma
The Tacoma site is in its second five year cycle of Official Recognition. The current strategy addresses the Jennie Reed, Lincoln, Hilltop and McKinley Neighborhoods. Goals of the Weeding strategy include reduction of prostitution and narcotics related crime with an emphasis on methamphetamine, Crime Free Housing training and development of neighborhood block watch groups. It's seeding strategy includes code enforcement, development of intergenerational relationships between adults and youth, a decrease in truancy and an increase in home ownership. Neighborhood restoration efforts, such as "adopt-a-traffic circle," alley lighting, and neighborhood clean-up activities are significant efforts highlighted in the current strategy. The Tacoma site is noted for its strong relationships with law enforcement, residents, business owners and community service providers. The City of Tacoma is the grantee and fiscal agent.
Contacts: Fiscal Agent: Tareena Torres; (253)
591-5047; ttorres@ci.tacoma.wa.us
Site Coordinator: Merilee
Tanbara; (253) 272-6824;mtanbara@safest.org
Law Enforcement: Lt. Michael
Miller; (253) 591-5889; mmiller2@ci.tacoma.wa.us
Lakewood
The City of Lakewood received its Official Recognition from the Executive Office for Weed and Seed in 1999. Since that time, Lakewood has continued to identify and employ Best Practices in comprehensive crime prevention strategies, coordinated community response and innovative approaches to solving crime and balancing prevention/intervention/treatment strategies. Community Policing is a cooperative approach to improving police/community relations and engaging citizens to help solve law and order problems. Lakewood Police have successfully established partnerships with Lakewood's 47% ethnically diverse population with the intention of improving communication between police and communities of color. Lakewood African American Police Advisory Committee (LAAPAC), Asian Community Outreach, and Latino Community Outreach are examples of highly effective programs that focus on strengthening police and community relationships in order to build a better Lakewood. One of Lakewood's strategies focuses on domestic violence and the Partnership Against Domestic Violence is promoting awareness and education on the causes of domestic violence as well as providing effective resources for victims. The City of Lakewood is the grantee and fiscal agent.
Contacts: Fiscal Agent: Faye Landskov; (253)
983-7716; flandskov@ci.lakewood.wa.us
Site Coordinator: Ivy Murphy;
(253) 983-7742; imurphy@ci.lakewood.wa.us
Law Enforcement: Commander
Dave Hall;(253) 798-4203; dhall@co.pierce.wa.us
Rochester School District
Rochester Weed & Seed was officially recognized in March 2002. The official site is the boundary within the Rochester School District, a rural, unincorporated area with a population of just under 10,000 that also includes the Chehalis Tribe. Families in this rural, unincorporated area must often deal with low-income levels, lack of transportation, substance abuse, violence, and dysfunctional home environments. The strategy is to "weed" out meth, other drugs, and domestic violence and "seed" the community with programs and social services. The mission of Rochester Weed and Seed is "The Weed and Seed strategy for the Rochester area will build a healthy and safe community by implementing a "no tolerance" campaign toward violent crime, drug use and domestic violence by promoting community-wide partnerships within the Rochester School District boundaries." The Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney's Office is the grantee and fiscal agent.
Contacts: Fiscal Agent: Dee Koester; (360) 786-5540,
x. 6248; koested@co.thurston.wa.us
Site Coordinator: Linda Clark;
(360) 481-1572; clarkpaws@aol.com
Law Enforcement: Lt. Chris
Mealy; (360) 786-5500; mealyc@co.thurston.wa.us