By reporter Steven Smalley
Property crime has increased so much in some Seattle neighborhoods, residents choose to pay the price and hire security patrols to help stop theft. Magnolia might be next.
For the last seven years, for example, the Laurelhurst community found their endeavor to operate private patrols with off-duty Seattle police greatly diminished the rate of property crime, according to Brian McMullen, Laurelhurst Community Council trustee and crime prevention coordinator, as outlined HERE by Magnolia Voice.
With KOMO 4 News reporting an 800% increase in Magnolia?s year-to-year property crime levels, some in the neighborhood think we should consider the same private patrol program to help stem the tide here. Heading up the initial effort is a Magnolia native with years in law enforcement and private security, Army veteran, Joe Villarino.
?I live here. I was raised here,? he states. ?I was a security director in Florida and did high-profile security work in California ? across the street from Disneyland.? It?s possible to have paid security in Magnolia if enough people are interested, he says
?My main goal is to get this community involved,? he explains.
Villarino, an affable man wearing an Army 101st Airborne hat, says the response following a quiet initial announcement was more than expected. Thus he begins a journey to explore the possibilities of private police patrol in Magnolia. The goal was research when he visited security administrators in Windermere, Whittier Heights, and Laurelhurst.
?Laurelhurst has 350 neighbors subscribed,? Villarino says. ?It?s about $250 a year. I?m trying to model the association after the other neighborhoods that have them.?
Staffed by a company called Seattle Security, patrol units are operated with off-duty police personnel in uniform driving their own vehicles and carrying service weapons. Equipment includes actual police radios in communication with the 9-1-1 emergency system. Numbers of shifts and patrol levels need to be determined.
?My sister got her car stolen twice,? he reveals. ?Now I realize we have a big issue here in Magnolia.?
The first public meeting to discuss the patrols is Saturday, February 21 at noon inside the Magnolia Library at 2801 34th Avenue West.
?I need to find dedicated individuals who love this neighborhood willing to volunteer,? Villarino says. ?I?m searching to see who would fill key leadership positions.?
In the event expected attendance levels exceed the library maximum, a alternate venue will be announced here on Magnolia Voice.
Check out the new patrol website HERE, then email Villarino at joe@magnoliapatrol.org so he can get a headcount.
To show your interest, he asks everyone to attend the meeting February 21.
?This is a great place to live,? Villarino says. ?I love?it.”