Riding Shotgun with JCSO Deputy Brandon Przygocki

by | Nov 9, 2018 | General

It’s a tight fit – strapped in the passenger seat of a Ford Explorer Police Interceptor crammed with radios, radars, computers, keyboards, and both lethal and non-lethal long weapons. Ten-year veteran Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff Brandon Przygocki holds the wheel. I am on a four-hour ride-along. Turning left out of the compound, we’ve barely made it down the road 100 yards when the lights go on, the siren sounds, and “we” have made our first traffic stop.

Przygocki’s demeanor is non-threatening – pleasant even, and empathetic (if not sympathetic). Ten miles over the speed limit, no priors, valid registration, current insurance, and the driver is let go with a warning. 

Why a ride-along? Unless you are intimately familiar with law enforcement, or with the opposite extreme of the judicial system, ride-alongs offer access to an “undiscovered country” (to paraphrase Shakespeare) “from whose bourn (most) travelers return, and which can puzzle the will.” Sharing a day in the life of a traffic cop gives citizens a double dose of reality.

Five minutes later, and we are joining a two-car response to a domestic disturbance on Marrowstone Island. Not that I could understand the static-laden instructions relayed from dispatch. It takes special skill sets to decipher the terse reports breaking squelch on three to four channels, while keying the mic to respond, while keyboarding the computer, while whipping the car around 180 degrees, stomping on the gas, engaging the light bar, and goosing the siren as needed to move through traffic at speed.  The car-to-car tactical channel confirms an officer ahead of us on the scene as we head to the domestic disturbance on Marrowstone. But now “we” have spotted a car with no front license plate.

A bleep of the siren, a quick check with dispatch, and Officer Przygocki engages the driver. No driver’s license – never had a driver’s license – couldn’t pass the driving test – and no insurance. A quirk in the Washington State Traffic Law codes “driving without a license” as an “infraction” with a $550 fine. Driving with a suspended license is a misdemeanor with a maximum jail sentence of ninety days in jail and a $1000 fine (first-time offenders, not due to gross negligence or DUI). If the suspension was for more serious reasons (multiple offenses or DUI) it is punishable by a fine of up to $5000 and a maximum sentence of 364 days. Police don’t write the laws – but they do enforce them.

We complete the original domestic disturbance call (a dispute between roommates resulting in one moving out) and are sent on our next assignment. A dog has been caught in the tide and is being swept towards Puget Sound. We are called off as the dog manages to paddle its way back to the beach.

Another domestic disturbance call – this one between siblings and the third call of the day to this same address. Again, two cars respond. The officers gently, but firmly de-escalate the conflict and one of the disputants departs the property.

Another traffic stop, thirteen miles over the speed limit – just outside of Port Hadlock.  No priors, brand new car, dealer’s plates – the driver acknowledged an unfamiliarity with the new car and was released with a warning. Many, if not most traffic violations come down to driver inattention. If they weren’t paying attention before the traffic stop, chances are they are paying attention now, at least for the near future.

The last stop of the day (at least the last stop of my four-hour shift) provided an adrenalin/dopamine rush that had me wired for hours.  Deputy Przygocki spotted a familiar face at the wheel of a car he probably shouldn’t have been driving, on the other side of a four-way intersection.  An almost immediate about-face wasn’t enough. When we got across the intersection – there was no sign of the suspicious vehicle. Lights, siren, calls to dispatch, calls on tac channels, ploughing the center lines as traffic on both sides of the road (with varying degrees of alacrity) pulled over to make room, all the while keying the keyboard with his free hand (while I hung on for dear life). It’s amazing how fast and how far a screaming patrol car can go when it’s driven with a will. We quickly reached Port Ludlow but found that the suspect vehicle had turned off. Two can play that game. We clover-leafed through side roads at a more deliberate pace making our way back (without the lights and sound) until we’d all but closed on Port Hadlock – when there, around the corner and just off the waterfront, was that familiar face.

The driver was on a suspended/probationary license, with multiple DUI infractions and a mandated ignition interlock to monitor alcohol intake prior to starting and operating a vehicle. The driver was handcuffed, searched, and placed in the backseat of the police interceptor. A second squad car took charge of the driver’s passenger and vehicle, while we headed to the Jefferson County Sheriff compound, with a prisoner bound for the Jefferson County Jail.

It’s all about safety – public safety, and officer safety. Stopping a car for a few miles over the speed limit might not seem like a high-risk stop, but then again – it might be. Why were they speeding? Were they running from something? Running to something? Was it inattention, or a willful violation? If inattention – was it due to a medical condition? or intoxication? or confusion? If willful, does that display a chronic predisposition to criminal behavior?

Is there a gun in the car? Traffic stops are the leading cause of death for police officers, according to statistics from the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. They report that between 2000 and 2009, 118 officers were killed conducting traffic stops, compared with 82 handling domestic-violence complaints and 74 during disturbance calls.

Officer Przygocki knows the danger inherent in even the most routine traffic stop.  He palm prints the back of every vehicle before approaching the driver.  He’s putting his fingerprints and DNA on the vehicle to prove this was the last vehicle he had contact with if the stop turns violent and he’s unable to say it with words. His ritual is a grim reminder of how very dangerous his job is.

Ride-along programs offer a powerful bridge to the community. Officers (and their ride-along) are injected into the otherwise private lives of their fellow citizens unexpectedly, often during times of stress, vulnerability and anguish. Every contact has within it the possibility of escalation. To say it was “fun” trivializes the experience. To say the experience was “educational” evokes a noncommittal cliché that communicates nothing. For me? Witnessing even a small slice of a police officer’s job from the “other side of the windshield” was sobering, humbling, and infinitely reassuring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vote for Dave Stanko–Guest Editorial by Gene Farr

Vote for Dave Stanko–Guest Editorial by Gene Farr

by | Nov 1, 2018 | General

On October 22, 2018, I wrote an editorial, “Sheriff Stanko, Please Stand Down,” about why I believe Dave Stanko should not get another term as Jefferson County Sheriff.  In it, I asked “What’s with Republicans?” Though not endorsed by the party, many prominent Republicans are backing the Sheriff’s re-election.  Here is a response from Gene Farr, a well-known leader of the Jeffco GOP, who is one of Stanko’s supporters and financial backers. This is his personal opinion and not a statement from the county party organization. 

Change is hard. It’s even harder when your Undersheriff gets in the way.

Despite being undermined every step of the way by his former Undersheriff, Sheriff Dave Stanko has made remarkable progress reforming the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Upon election in late 2014, Sheriff Stanko asked Joe Nole to be his Undersheriff. Stanko trusted that Nole’s long tenure as a detective at the JCSO provided ample experience to help the Sheriff bring the department into the 21st Century. His trust could not have been more misplaced.

In public comments made recently during candidate’s forums in Port Townsend, Chimacum, Quilcene, and most recently Port Ludlow, former Undersheriff Joe Nole admitted to insubordination and dragging his feet when it came to following Sheriff Dave Stanko’s orders. After a period of underperformance, on July 21, 2016, Sheriff Dave Stanko asked Joe Nole for a timeline to improve his performance, promising him “You should no longer be under water. support you and will help you continue to be successful as Undersheriff.” Instead of modifying his work habits—a trait well documented since his first performance evaluations in 1995—Joe Nole had this to say about the Sheriff’s orders: “He was asking me to do things that I didn’t believe in… And I drug my feet and I didn’t do those things.” Joe Nole, Port Ludlow League of Women Voters, Candidates Forum, October 11, 2018

Disappointed with his performance, on July 25, 2016, Sheriff Stanko relieved Joe Nole of investigation oversight, reducing his core job responsibilities to three important projects: 1. Lexipol update; 2. Accreditation; and 3. Grant management. Joe Nole has this to say about the period in question: “We started going separate ways and I wasn’t getting done the things he wanted to get done. I was helping other deputies, helping detectives that needed help on cases.” Joe Nole, Quilcene Candidates Forum, August 16, 2018.

If you were Dave Stanko, how would you have reacted to your Undersheriff openly disregarding your direction and helping detectives that needed help on cases after he’d been formally relieved of investigation oversight? Sheriff Stanko did the only responsible thing. In January of 2017, Stanko demoted Nole based on underperformance, inability to multi-task, and manage his time effectively, deficiencies that were previously referenced by two JCSO sheriffs since 1998. Here is how Nole characterized his performance: “I never felt I was given an order by the Sheriff to do things. He asked me things he wanted me to do. I would say that it was borderline insubordination.” Joe Nole, Port Ludlow League of Women Voters, Candidates Forum, October 11, 2018.

If Nole had a problem with Sheriff Stanko’s orders, he could have gone directly to him, or to the County Commissioners, or to the County Administrator, Philip Morley with his concerns and complaints. He did none of these.

Who do you want as your Sheriff? A man who expects his chosen management team to follow direction? Or someone who failed as number two? Joe Nole cannot be expected to lead deputies who’ve witnessed him going his separate way. Dave Stanko is the true change agent in this race. He has an opponent because he holds his employees accountable. That he has been able to accomplish so much in the face of stiff resistance is reason enough to re-elect him.

Stanko has a great record of Community Service

With a decade of serious community service, David Stanko was named “Citizen of the Year.” He served as president of the Homeowners Association in Cape George, president of PT Rotary, drove seniors for ECHHO, and serves on the board of Dove House. It is with this background, plus his 30 years in law enforcement, that he ran and won in the 2014 sheriff’s race.

Stanko has brought to this office professional policing built on the community model recommended by the Obama Task Force. This includes the first ever Citizens’ Advisory Committee. Guided by the LEMAP management program, he’s made operational changes to IMPROVE services to our community. Most important has been his de-militarization of the department–-getting rid of the Hummer and military equipment of a previous administration.

Windward School Students Dig For Mastodons

Windward School Students Dig For Mastodons

by | Oct 25, 2018 | General

How cool is this?

We received this press release from Windward School, one of the excellent enrichment programs run privately in Jefferson County for children and families wanting more than our public schools offer.  Here’s the story, then more on Windward School:

Smiles, shovels, and lots of mud were on this week’s learning agenda as students of both the Port Townsend and Sequim locations of Windward School spent the week digging for mastodon bones on a Chimacum farm. Led by teacher Elisa Weiss, the students spent the week before the field trip learning about geology and fossils, and gathered to further their education by searching for real life treasures at the farm of a friend of the school.

Rudy Groussman, Yemma Kubica and Matilda Shaw search the mud for bones

The bones were discovered over the summer when the landowner began excavation for a pond. He kindly gave permission for Windward students to access the dig and put in a few hours making their own discoveries. “One of the great things about these being mastodon bones is that they’re relatively young,” said Weiss, a lead teacher with Windward School. “So we can have young kids digging for them without worrying too much about how delicate they are, unlike if they were dinosaur fossils, millions of years old.” The bones are estimated to be as young as 10,000 years old. Weiss plans to integrate the students’ discoveries into class discussions next week that focus on what life was like for animals and people in our region 10,000 years ago, and how humans can affect species’ existence over time.

Teacher Elisa Weiss talks to students about bones they unearthed. Zeke Banks listens.

“I had a lot of fun digging up the mastodon bones!” said Zeke Banks, age 9. “We found a lot of bones and I hope we get to do it again. Next I want to find out where I can go dig some dinosaur fossils.” In addition to many small bones, the students excavated a tusk, vertebrae, teeth, and several large, still unidentified bones.

Windward originated as an unnamed pilot program at the NW Discovery Lab. NW Discovery Lab is a Port Townsend-based non-profit dedicated to STEM education on the Olympic Peninsula.

Windward formally began operations at Fort Worden in September 2017 and has quickly grown to 80 students, roughly 50 from Port Townsend and 30 from Sequim. The school has two lead teachers, two assistants and project teachers offering afternoon classes in focused subjects such as poetry, science, biology and drama.

The cost is $75 per class day attended.  Windward is open to all students regardless of age, gender, or religion.  Students range in age from 5 to 12 and in achievement from those still learning to read to college-level readers.  In other words, they have some kids at those young ages reading at the level of college students.

Windward is a secular program that partners with 4-H.  Port Townsend Free Press previously reported on some of their kids’ helping bees with a project at the Jefferson County Fair. You can read that story by clicking here.

For more information on Windward School contact Danell Swim-Mackey, danell@nwdiscoverylab.org

For more on the cool dig, visit the website for Windward and the NW Discovery Lab: https://news.nwdiscoverylab.org/category/news/windward/

That is Evan Mackey in the lead photo showing the size of a mastodon molar the kids found.

White, Twenty-Something and in Jail: Life Behind Bars in Jefferson County

by | Oct 1, 2018 | General

On any given day, fifty-plus young men and women live locked behind bars in the Jefferson County Jail in Port Hadlock. They range in age from twenty to twenty-eight years old.  Seventy-five percent are male. All are white. Instead of building careers and raising families – they spend their days in narrow cells and cell blocks, with brief access to an “open air exercise facility.”

Crimes range from theft, to assault, to burglary, to forgery, to drug offenses – but actually – almost all are drug or alcohol-related. Most are committed under the influence of drugs, or to acquire resources to buy, sell, or use drugs. The poison runs the spectrum from OxyContin and Oxycodone to Fentanyl and Methamphetamine, with a wide range of deadly hybrids including Fentanyl-laced synthetic marijuana (K-2), Fentanyl-laced heroin, and even Fentanyl-laced cocaine.

These are not victimless crimes. Desperate cravings and the maddening hunger of withdrawal leads inevitably to broken promises, broken families, broken laws – broken bodies and broken lives. But according to Jefferson County Jail Superintendent David Fortino, for those awaiting sentencing – or those serving time, jail can be a haven of sorts, providing a humane “time-out” for inmates – and the community at large.

Superintendent David Fortino

“We’re not mad at anybody. We’re not here to punish anyone,” said Fortino. “We are committed to providing a safe, secure environment, and care for them while they are here.” But haven or not – jail is bleak.

Jefferson County contracts out for inmate meal service. Two chefs serve up three nutritious meals, typically: a cold breakfast, a hot lunch, and a hot dinner. Jail staff deliver the meals on carts. One tray per person, per meal – no second helpings, exchanges or substitutions. The tray, spork, cup and bowl (if applicable) must be returned immediately following the meal, when trays are collected by jail staff and/or kitchen workers. If you miss the cart, you miss the meal.

At 5:00 a.m. inmate cells are unlocked, and the lights, TV and phones are turned on. From 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. meds are distributed, and breakfast is served. Superior Court video appearances are scheduled for 11:30 a.m., and lunch is served at noon. Afternoon classes begin at 1:00 p.m. and midday medications are distributed from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. District Court video appearances are scheduled after 1:15 p.m. Dinner is served at 5:00 p.m. Evening meds are passed from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. Lock down at 9:00 p.m. Lights-Out is at 10:00 p.m.

A cell at the “Hadlock Hilton”

On the whole, it’s a pretty drab existence. Yes – a non-denominational group conducts weekly Bible Study Sunday nights. Inmates can request assistance to get a G.E.D. or complete high school. Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Anger Management programs can assist inmates through personal difficulties. Some inmates may qualify for work crews or inmate worker status. Life Skills classes are held weekly – encouraging healthy ways to cope with life changes and relapse prevention.

Yes – inmates have access to medical and emergency dental services, and necessary medical care is never denied based on inability to pay – but it’s not boutique healthcare by any means.

And yes, the jail provides controlled access to a telephone (collect calls only), and limited visits with friends and family on visiting lists (on either side of glassed partitions with phone handsets on either side).

But there’s not getting around it, life behind bars is grim.

Hollywood and the “entertainment industry” tend to glamorize the world of illegal drug use. Beautiful people with beautiful clothes in beautiful cars – rolling in money and influence. A touch of rebellion, a big dose “sticking it to the man.” There’s none of that in Jefferson County. No one gets rich – or stays “in the money” for long, and the superficial thrill of the first hit hurtles the user inevitably and rapidly towards the terrors of dependency. The drugs are unimaginably addictive and unimaginably destructive. Addicts lose their jobs and families, their health, and too often, their lives.

Cold-turkey detox in initial holding cells offers the inmate a clarity he or she hasn’t experienced for years. But there is little joy. As their minds clear, the severity of their situation sinks in. After a week or so of regular meals, rest, and mandatory hygiene, some of the visible sores, injuries and wounds that are the outward sign of the addict may heal. But the damage caused by prolonged drug abuse leaves lasting scars – external and internal, physical and psychological.

Some wags refer to the Jefferson County Jail as the “Hadlock Hilton.” It’s an unfortunate joke, evoking dark memories of American POWs being abused by the North Vietnamese. There is no abuse – certainly no institutional abuse – at the Jefferson County Jail. Inmate Rights are carefully enunciated and scrupulously enforced. On the other hand, the facility is absolutely no “Hilton,” in any way, shape or form.

According to statistics in the current Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) Strategic Plan, since 2001, 57 percent of inmates have returned to the jail at least once. Veteran corrections deputies have established long-standing professional relationships with many local offenders. This familiarity can help prevent confrontations and reduce the need for use of force – but it is no “Kumbaya” bonding.

l“We try to treat inmates with the maximum degree of compassion, dignity, and even respect possible under the circumstances,” said Superintendent Fortino. “But still, I’ve never had anyone say to me that they can’t wait to see me again next time.”

Even at full strength – the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) does not enjoy robust staffing – and overtime and extra shifts are common. While competitive salaries are a major goal of current strategic plans, the JCSO has experienced high turnover of patrol and correction deputy staff – and are currently understaffed.

Nonetheless, the JCSO (operations, county jail, civil division and administration) annual budget exceeds $6 million. When linked to peripheral services ranging from lawyers, bail bondsmen, and counselors, to academia, charities, foundations, contractors, and healthcare providers, and Port Townsend and state law enforcement and health expenditures, drug-related crime looms as one of the largest economic drivers in Jefferson County.

Sadly, with recidivism on the rise, and the opiate crisis showing no signs of peaking soon, it has all the trappings of a growth industry.

 

 

Knowing the Homeless: The Individuals on Port Townsend’s Streets

Knowing the Homeless: The Individuals on Port Townsend’s Streets

by | Sep 27, 2018 | General

2012 was the year I moved to Port Townsend from Tacoma.  While I immediately loved this place, our proximity to nature and the beach, I found myself having difficulty relating to people in my new home town.

It wasn’t that I felt anyone gave off a negative vibe.  Most of the people I met in my Uptown neighborhood  just seemed like they were worlds apart from my own.  I tried volunteering at the Wooden Boat Festival, Film Festival, etc.  I spent some time at the Uptown Pub.  While I had a good time, I never met anyone I connected with.

I grew up in Federal Way.  The people I’d known there and later in Tacoma were, you might say, a bit rougher, grittier, more down-to-earth than the people I was meeting in Port Townsend.

Perhaps strange, I began to feel most comfortable at the Penny Saver, often late at night.  Many folks coming in late in the evening were dirty, just ending a long day of work at the boat yard, mill or other blue-collar job.  I’d built my own automotive businesses.  I knew the dignity and joys of getting dirty in work you love. I found it easy to strike up conversations with this side of Port Townsend.

Many of the homeless would come in during the later hours. I was honestly more comfortable talking to the homeless than pretty much anyone at the Co-op and the parties I’d attended since landing here.

I’d been through plenty of highs and lows in life by this time.  I’d never been homeless myself, but it was easy for me to relate to these people.  I enjoyed listening to their stories.  We had shared experiences.  I’ve seen things they’ve gone through and I was really at ease around them.  

Over the years, I have gotten to know many of the homeless, mostly those who are “from here.”  I’ve gotten to know their stories.  They’ve shared their struggles and triumphs. 

I’ve seen things that bothered me:  the people who come out of Penny Saver with a six-pack of beer and give a can or bottle to a homeless person leaning against the wall.  Or the teenagers who pay homeless person to go in and buy beer for them. 

In all the time I’ve spent with this town’s street people, I have only had a couple uncomfortable experiences.  A homeless alcoholic man threatened me and stuck his head and hands in my car through the window.  He said, “You better watch you back and hope you have good insurance on your car.”  I immediately stepped out of my vehicle and confronted him.  He backed down and apologized.  The cause for his anger:  I refused to give him cash for the sandwich he said he wanted and instead offered to buy him one.  I had known any cash in his hands would only be used to get him drunk.

Another time, I found a bicycle in the middle of the road behind McDonalds. This was late at night. The homeless hang out back there in Kah Tai Park or in the landscaping around the parking lot. I got out of my car to move the bike to the sidewalk and someone I couldn’t see started throwing rocks at me.  I calmly but loudly shouted, “If this is your bike, please, I was just moving it out of the road.”  Instead my car and my person continued to be pelted with rocks.  

Each week I will be telling a story about someone who is or has been homeless that I have come to know.  I hope my personal experiences can open up the minds of our readers and tie in these experiences to our past article by our anonymous contributor entitled, “Knowing the Homeless.”

It is my intention that by putting a face on the homeless, being realistic about who they are, their problems, and the dangers and problems they pose for the rest of us, my writing might help us have a better informed discussion about things such as a homeless shelter, the increased crime attributed to transients, and the impacts of the homeless on our public resources.  We can’t start to address the problem of homelessness unless we know who these people are.

 

 

 

 

 

Tweek Watch Olympic Peninsula: Facebook Crime Fighters

Tweek Watch Olympic Peninsula: Facebook Crime Fighters

by | Sep 24, 2018 | General

A game camera is triggered by motion at 3 a.m.  A black Dodge pickup truck is photographed leaving a meth compound in Sequim.  The pic goes up on the Facebook page of Tweek Watch Olympic Peninsula where it is seen by over 2,500 people.

This truck and unidentified driver was caught leaving a major meth compound in Sequim at 3am on our game cam. If this truck is near your property they are likely on the prowl. The people living at the compound are involved in a major drug – theft syndicate in Clallam County! Beware!

Someone comments there are three identical trucks in Sequim.  Possibilities are narrowed down.  The truck is spotted at Lincoln Park in Port Angeles. It doesn’t take long to rule that one out.  Someone wants to know where the meth compound is located and the page administrator provides not only the intersection but a photo.   People weigh in.  They’ve seen the traffic and stolen property collected out there. But who owns this particular truck? Suggestions pour in, are  evaluated.  Finally, the community settled on the meth truck being regularly seen outside a particular tattoo stop.

Virtual vigilantes?  One commenter says “Call the cops…Starting vigilante sh#t could get you killed.”

The discussion rolls on, undeterred.

A “tweeker,” if you didn’t know, is a meth addict.  The term frequently encompasses heroin and other drug addicts, as it does in the case of this Facebook page.

We could not find out who runs Tweek Watch.  We were in communication with the administrator who initially agreed to answer questions but then the dialogue stopped.  We succeeded in locating people who know the identity of the administrator.  They say this person does not want to be publicly identified because of the potential for retaliation from users and dealers.

We understand.  Who would want to be outed for standing up to the crime associated with meth and heroin addiction on the Olympic Peninsula?  In one post the administrator stated that the tweekers had already found the site.  “Ban button wearing thin! Have a nice weekend was the response,” along with an expletive thrown at the tweekers who might be reading his post.

While readers of The Port Townsend Leader objected to naming arrestees in police reports, and the editor capitulated, the Tweek Watch community delights in posting photos and names of people they believe are engaged in criminal activity.  They post photos of RVs engaged in allegedly selling drugs on Port Angeles streets.  Someone posted having just seen a drug deal on Frost Road at the PUD gate. Photographs of persons accused of theft by a member of the community are posted, with full names.  Photos of recently stolen vehicles are posted with a request to speak up if they are seen. A Port Townsend man posts a photo with the message, “If you see this car in the hood, you are about to get robbed. PM me for details.”

Stash of hypodermic needles with location posted on Tweek Watch

We started watching this site months ago and have seen its following grow steadily.  What does law enforcement think?  We asked a Jefferson County deputy who hadn’t know about the site.  He thought it was a great idea and joined the page. Police are reading the comments.  They are part of the community.

Tweek Watch posted this on its “About” page:  “Meth and heroin thieves are victimizing too many good people on the Peninsula! It’s time to fight back! This page is to shed light on the tweeks.”

Not fearful of being sued, Tweek Watch also posts photos very clearly identifying homes and commercial properties as places where drugs are sold and used, or where tweekers reside and gather.  The administrator uses far saltier language to describe the locations and people there.

Some of the posts are followed with news that the wanted person had been arrested.  Police have raided some of the locations.  There’s no way of knowing if pressure from Tweek Watch motivated and informed police, or if information from police found its way to the site.

One thing is clear:  The Tweek Watch community knows quite a few of the miscreants and dodgy properties.  The anger about the situation is obvious, as is the determination to do precisely what the site set out to do:  fight back by dragging this activity and these people into the light.

This is not the only social media crime fighting effort.  In Seattle, the Next Door social media site has increasingly been used to share information about dangerous and criminal transients.  It has been reported to us that the Next Door network in Port Townsend is also engaging in rapid responses to drug crimes.

“When seconds count, the police are only minutes away,” the saying goes.  On-line crime fighting can bring the speed and sweep of the Internet to the battle.