By Tim Clifford

Southwest Seattle Police Precinct Commander, Captain Steve Wilske was introduced Tuesday night at the monthly community safety meeting at the precinct on Delridge Way S.W.

Questions were quickly fielded by Wilske regarding updates on the recent murder investigations of Nga Thi Nguyen, who was found murdered in her residence in High Point last December, and Stephen Jeffries, who was shot and killed at a New Year’s Eve party. Updates were unavailable at this time.

Judge C. Kimi Kondo was present; the first time a judge has shown up to one of these meetings, to discuss Seattle’s Mental Health Court and its role in the community. According to a press release handed out at the meeting “participants volunteer to “opt in” to the program or can choose to be monitored by Mental Health Court post sentencing”.

The program boasts saving the city money by cutting down on the amount of jailing time for the mentally ill as well as being a resource for finding the proper help for these defendants. Kondo, who has a son who has been diagnosed as being bipolar, championed the importance of this program and shared her own personal pride in presiding over this court.

Much of the time of this meeting was also devoted to discussing a particular mentally ill transient who has been harassing local businesses and terrorizing neighbors around the community. These concerns were addressed by both Kondo and Wilske with both promising to look into the matter this week.