Residents of Federal Way, Auburn and unincorporated South King County confronted county leaders on public safety concerns during a Feb. 24 town hall meeting at Thomas Jefferson High School.

Frustration over the lack of police services in the area prompted several of the audience members to attend the meeting. Tips on how to remain safe in a largely unincorporated part of the county — admittedly under-serviced by the King County Sheriff’s Office — dominated much of the discussion.

“We all have a fear of crime and we all fear the economic conditions will have an uptaking in crime,” King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg said. “That’s not necessarily our future.”

Metropolitan King County Council member Pete von Reichbauer, Federal Way police Chief Brian Wilson and Auburn police Chief Jim Kelly stood by Satterberg. All answered attendees’ questions.

Unincorporated South King County does not receive adequate public safety, Satterberg said. The county faced a $93 million budget deficit coming into 2009, which resulted in cuts to public safety, among other things.

At the same time, the sheriff’s office must attempt to serve numerous pockets of unincorporated areas across the county, he said. Until residents in unincorporated locations vote to annex into a city, the sheriff’s office will continue to struggle providing service, the leaders said.

“(Sheriff Sue Rahr) is stretched really thin,” Satterberg said.

The police’s absence in South King County is apparent, unincorporated resident Jayson Boehm said. Response times are slow, he said. Deputies responding to calls near Federal Way are based out of Maple Valley.

“Here, we’re not treated fairly,” Boehm said. “We have neighbors in my community that won’t even call 911 because it takes too long. We are completely frustrated.”

Lack of services?

Some residents in established cities are also feeling slighted over a perceived lack of public safety services.

Federal Way resident Elbert Field and neighbors have struggled with increasing crime in their neighborhood, serviced by Federal Way police, near Federal Way High School for the past six months, he said. Slashed tires and home burglaries have become common, Field said.

“What can we do to help ourselves?” he asked.

Police presence in a neighborhood greatly reduces crime, Satterberg said. Federal Way’s crime rate has decreased continually in the past decade, Wilson said. Breakthroughs in car theft arrests have been a huge success within the county and Federal Way — but citizens can play a large part in protecting themselves, the police chiefs said.

In both incorporated and unincorporated locations, community block watches and neighbors who report suspicious activity help keep residents safe, the officials said. They urged residents to continue to phone police, even in unincorporated sections of the county that take longer to serve. A large number of crimes are solved and addressed because residents have communicated the problem to police, Wilson said.

“That’s exactly what we need to make sure the chaos happening in the global market is not happening in your neighborhood,” Satterberg said.

The more citizens who take ownership of their neighborhoods, the better, Wilson said.

Make a difference

For more information about block watch programs within Federal Way city limits, call the crime prevention unit at (253) 835-6720 or visit the police department’s Web site at www.cityoffederalway.com. To learn more about block watches in unincorporated King County, call King County Sheriff’s Office precinct three at (206) 296-3883 or visit the sheriff’s Web site at www.kingcounty.gov/safety/sheriff.aspx.