Priorities for FW law enforcement

A couple of years ago, my son’s Peavey bass amplifier was stolen from the church we go to along with a fellow church member’s Fender bass guitar.

Both of these kids worked a lot of time to pay for these items.

Afterward, my new stereo was stolen from my pickup truck in my driveway.

And my new $4,000 fence was tagged twice with gang graffiti.

Then two separate credit card accounts were invaded.

On all occasions, I was told by the 911 operators to file my own police reports on the Federal Way Police Department’s Web site with no personal police response to my residence.

But, by golly, on June 30, while I was about to leave my residence to do some charity work on behalf of my church, a Federal Way pickup truck pulled up and blocked my driveway.

A code compliance officer came out of the truck, and told me that they got a complaint. I had my garbage cans in the wrong place, and that I had to keep them out of sight, the officer said.

Yet, they had refused to do anything about abandoned shopping carts that were dumped next to my house for several weeks.

Boy, I’m sure glad Federal Way has its law enforcement priorities straight.

Glenn Sawyer,

Federal Way

Crack down on illegal fireworks

Once again, I stayed home July 4, instead of going to Celebration Park for the city’s fireworks program because some of my neighbors continue to disregard the fireworks ban.

The problem was less than in past years, when the illegal activities started around June 29 and lasted well into the afternoon of July 5. This year, the racket began July 3 and ended around 11:30 p.m. July 4. That’s some improvement, but not enough.

I’ve heard from several people who had fireworks in their neighborhood.

The most surprising account was from a couple who attended the Celebration Park festivities, then came home to their cul-de-sac neighborhood.

The area was filled with people in lawn chairs shooting off hundreds of fireworks. This couple did not call the police. They should have.

It is a civic responsibility to call the police when a person observes a law-breaking activity that might also cause personal or property damage.

We’ve been lucky so far in that our heavily-wooded community hasn’t had a runaway conflagration caused by illegal fireworks.

Let’s not trust to luck. Let’s continue public education about the danger of fireworks. Let’s continue the “code red” automated calls from the police department, advising residents of the fireworks ban and public safety.

If you didn’t get a call this year, tell the police so they can make sure your neighborhood will be covered next year.

While you’re at it, circle your 2009 calendar for July 1.

That’s when you should give police a map of areas in your neighborhood where there have been illegal firework displays and request that police schedule patrols in that area July 3-5, 2009.

There will always be some individuals who refuse to follow the law. That means for the foreseeable future, I’ll be home on July 4.

And a P.S. to Bob Roegner, whose July 9 column about the King County Charter Review Commission noted that “the commission and even some ardent (county) library supporters are starting to wonder if this separate allegedly non-political system shouldn’t receive closer scrutiny.”

We’re not wondering, Bob. We know more scrutiny is needed. The King County Library System reports to neither one individual nor one agency. There is no public oversight individual, board or agency that can hold this flagrantly incompetent agency to account.

H. David Kaplan,

Federal Way