Next month, the City of Seattle will send out four assistant city attorneys among Seattle’s five precincts to help the city respond to community concerns such as public safety and regulatory issues. The program, called Precinct Liaison Program 2.0, is the second version of a program originally created 1995 to give legal advice to police officers and to act as a, “legal resource for public safety problem-solving efforts in the neighborhoods,” according to the City. As of last fall, the City Council restored funding to the program.
The City of Seattle expects the liaisons will typically deal with issues surrounding nightlife regulations, liquor licenses, medical marijuana dispensaries, and, “helping neighborhoods rid themselves of chronic nuisance properties.” The liaison to the Wallingford area will be Jana Jorgensen, who says she, “looks forward to opportunities to develop new relationships, improve old ones and work for a better Seattle.”
From the City of Seattle:
“It’s an opportune time to launch a completely reengineered Precinct Liaison Program 2.0,” said City Attorney Pete Holmes, “simultaneously bringing closer together SPD’s five precincts, the City Attorney’s Office and Seattle’s diverse communities to better address local problems and concerns.
With the city petitioning the state to allow longer hours for liquor service, Holmes said the liaison attorneys will likely play a role in drafting good-neighbor agreements with clubs seeking the extended hours or new liquor licenses. Noise, disorderly conduct, over-service, service and criminal activity can all be addressed in agreements drafted by the liaisons.
