King County Sheriff's Four Creeks Storefront

·     The Mission of the Storefront is to provide quality, professional law enforcement services, tailored to individual communities to improve public safety.  The primary objectives of a Storefront Officer are Problem Solving and Community Oriented Policing.  Storefront Deputies also serve in a supporting role to the reactive patrol force of the precinct.

·     The focus and direction of individual Storefront Officers will be at the discretion of King County Sheriff’s Office Precinct Commanders or Contract City Chiefs. The selection of special projects or problem emphasis will be through a team approach with the concurrence of the Storefront Sergeant. The direction is based upon information and desire from the unique service population of each precinct or contract city.

 It is the expectation of the Precinct 3 Command staff that Storefront Officers work within a Community Policing philosophy. 

 Community Policing is a philosophy of policing based on the concept that police officers and private citizens working together in creative ways can help solve contemporary community problems related to crime, fear of crime, social and physical disorder and neighborhood decay.  The philosophy is predicated on the belief that achieving these goals requires that police departments develop a new relationship with the law abiding people in the community, allowing them greater voice in setting local priorities, and involving them in efforts to improve the overall quality of life in their neighborhoods.  It shifts the focus of police work from handling random calls to solving problems.

 

The Four Creeks Storefront Office is located at 16422 SE 128th.  The Officer assigned to this Storefront is responsible for community policing and problem solving in the geographic area designated by the F1 and F2 patrol districts.

·         The Four Creeks Storefront Officer is responsible for assisting dayshift patrol  with calls for service, as needed, during shift hours.  Patrol staffing of the F1 and F2 districts relies heavily upon the presence of this Storefront Officer, therefore it is imperative that the Storefront Officer notifies radio of his/her availability to patrol, throughout the shift.

Officers assigned to the Storefront Offices will:

Work to reduce crime or the fear of crime in local neighborhoods.

  ·         Work with patrol in targeting and solving specific community problems.

·         Inform and educate the community, building community relationships.

·         Coordinate with other agencies, sharing information to reduce crime and the fear of crime in adjoining neighborhoods.

·         Provide direction and guidance for volunteers.

·         Check and respond to email and voicemail daily.

·         Answer telephones and correspondence pertaining to the Storefront Area

·         Keep the Storefront clean and stocked with supplies.                                      

·         Produce monthly Block Watch or Community News Publications as directed by the Storefront Sergeant.

·         Interview walk-in citizens and take necessary reports.

·         Stock the Storefront with appropriate pamphlets that can be accessed by members of the community for educational purposes.

·         Work to make the Storefront user-friendly to shift deputies by consistently updating the resources available to deputies.

·         Assist patrol in responding quickly to in-progress crimes.

·         Work in partnerships with community members to develop applicable community service programs for local neighborhoods.

·         Evaluate and prioritize assigned or self-initiated projects.

·         Use all available resources to successfully conclude problem solving projects, including using non-traditional methods.  This will include monitoring and interfacing with patrol problem solving efforts/projects and providing whatever assistance is needed to bring them to closure.

·         Attend one regularly scheduled roll-call session per week.

·         Attend training classes and sessions when scheduled.

·         Attend monthly Precinct 3 Top 5 meetings.  Be prepared to brief attendees on your activities throughout the month, including a status report of current Problem Solving Projects.

·         Read applicable Crime Information Bulletins, General Information Bulletins, Notices, and Memos put out by relevant department units.

·         Read applicable Crime Analysis Bulletins and reports from surrounding agencies.

·         Design a Resource Book for the Storefront Office.  This resource book will include but is not limited to information regarding specific Storefront Problem Solving Projects, District “Hot Spots,” Storefront maintenance, Volunteer rosters, and Neighborhood Association members contact information. 

·         Ensure that the Storefront Resource Book is consistently updated and available for use by volunteers, visiting deputies and the Storefront Sergeant.

·         Conduct an on-going marketing campaign in the form of communication with other members of the department.  Marketing will show off the efforts of the Storefront Officer to reduce crime and the fear of crime in the designated area and will serve to create a positive working relationship between the Storefronts, Patrol and Detectives.  Storefront Officers will post statistics, newsletters, current Problem Solving Projects and their opinions about how Storefront Officers can best be utilized.   Specific marketing strategies will be agreed upon by the Storefront Sergeant and Storefront Officers.

·         Complete a quarterly statistics data sheet in a timely manner and forward to the Storefront Sergeant.

·         Make a presentation regarding the Storefront Officer position and Storefront responsibilities during Citizen’s Academy sessions.

 

·         Volunteers will be recruited from the community at large.  Volunteers must be at least 18 years old.  Advertisements for the recruiting of volunteers can be made in local newspapers, community fliers, local colleges, at community functions or neighborhood meetings.

·         All prospective volunteers must complete a volunteer application and undergo a background investigation conducted by the KCSO Background Investigations Unit.  During the course of the investigation, prospective volunteers will undergo a polygraph test and an interview with the Storefront Officer they will be working with and the Storefront Sergeant.

·         Volunteers are asked to donate at least 4 hours to Storefront duties each week.  The specific hours will be set by the volunteer and the Storefront Officer.

·         Volunteer supervision and on-going training will be the responsibility of the Storefront Officer and the Storefront Sergeant. 

·         The duties for each volunteer will be determined by the Storefront Officer and will vary at each Storefront. When assigning duties, the Storefront Officer should take into account the volunteer’s skills and willingness to learn new skills.  Volunteers shall receive proper training before performing their duties.

·         With the exception of cleaning the facilities, Storefront Volunteers may assist you with any of the Storefront Responsibilities listed above.

·         Volunteers will not be responsible for the cleaning of the Storefront facility.

 

The focus and direction of individual Storefront Units will be at the discretion of Precinct Commanders or Contract City Chiefs. The direction of the Unit will be based upon information and desire from the unique service population of each precinct or contract city.  Storefront Officer’s may be directed to initiate, coordinate or implement in their community, any of the programs listed below.     

This list is not intended to be all-inclusive, nor is it the intent of the Precinct Command staff that each Storefront make every program listed a priority. 

Those that have been identified by the Precinct Command Staff as essential and required are shown in bold text.

·         Animal Safety and Control Programs

·         Bicycle and Scooter Safety Programs  

·         Block Watch Programs 

·         Business Safety Surveys

·         Business Watch Program

·         Child Safety Programs  

·         Citizen Academy Program  

·         Consumer Fraud Prevention Programs  

·         Council of Neighborhoods Program

·         Court Notification Program 

·         Crime Free Multi-Housing / Landlord and Tenant Act Programs

·         Crime Prevention Meetings and Programs 

·         Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design 

·         Crime Trends Meetings / Pattern Alerts  

·         Data Base Programs  

·         Disabled Parking Violation Notification Program  

·         Domestic Violence Services  

·         Family and Teen Services  Pamphlets

·         Gang Awareness Presentations  

·         House Check Program (Vacation and Funeral Watch)

·         Log Sheets and Statistical Record Forms  

·         Monthly Crime Recap Publications 

·         National Night-Out Program 

·         Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program / Street of the Week

·         Pamphlets

·         Pedestrian Safety Grant Program  

·         Personal Safety Training Programs  

·         Monthly Community Newsletters 

·         Residential Safety Surveys 

·         Robbery and Shoplift Prevention Programs (Business Related)

·         School Programs 

·         Senior Citizen Safety Programs 

·         Sex offender Monitoring Program  

·         Victim Call Back Program (Burglary, Vandalism and Larceny Crimes)

·         Volunteer Programs (Training and Management )  

·         Workplace Violence Prevention Program