On Dec. 31, the Herald ran a retrospective on crime in our area in 2010, covering the major crimes during the year and looking back at the best of the West Seattle Herald Police Blotter. Here is the link in case you missed it:

SLIDESHOW: The Year in Crime: 2010 saw major crimes in our area

The Herald asked Southwest Precinct Commander Captain Steve Paulsen to discuss crime in 2010 and challenges for the police and West Seattle community moving into 2011. Here is what Captain Paulsen had to say (his responses in italics):

Q: The major crimes of 2010 (as compiled by the Herald) include the beating and torture of Shane McClellan, the police shootout with Thomas J. Qualls, the Roxhill park murder of Bernard Martin and the Phan/Harm family shooting in White Center. You were away from the SW precinct for a while, but do you have any perspective on whether this year in West Seattle was more or less violent than in years past?

A: West Seattle is one of the safest communities in the City. Although we have had some tragic events, our crime rate for all crimes is one of the lowest in the City. I don’t see that the current economic downswing we have all experienced has had an effect on crime per say. We have experienced that folks are under enormous strain due to the economy which tends to manifest itself with more emotionally driven types of incidents/events.

Q: Are there any inroads into crime reduction or police successes that stick out for the Southwest Precinct in 2010?

A: One of the significant crimes that impacts West Seattle is residential burglary. The residential burglary rate for 2010 is the lowest in 5 years ... 20 percent lower than 2009. We attribute the continuing drop to our citizens becoming active in their neighborhoods and calling 911 if they see suspicious activity.

We continue to be challenged with car prowls, which we hope to impact with crime prevention education, crime mapping and proactive patrolling of our neighborhoods - when we are not responding to emergency calls for service.

I also have to give great kudos to the men and women who work tirelessly in the West Seattle community. Our officers enjoy being assigned in West Seattle and take great pride in taking care of their community. I have had the opportunity to work in many assignments within the Seattle Police Department, but I have never experienced the level of energy and commitment that I have seen with our West Seattle officers...They follow the crime trends and share information with each other daily between shifts in order to catch, as we call them, "the bad guys."

Q: What are the most important issues facing the Southwest Precinct moving into 2011?

A: I think the biggest issue facing the Southwest Precinct is still going to be doing more with less. Taking our already successful programs and striving to do even better. We don’t have the luxury of overtime funds as we have had in the past. The key will be putting the right people in the right place at the right time. One program that I think will only benefit West Seattle is our residents getting to know their neighbors and watching out for each other.

Captain Paulsen became commander of the Southwest Precinct in October 2010 when outgoing Captain Kessler was reassigned to the West Precinct. To read more about his return, check out the Herald’s story, Captain Steve Paulsen returns to West Seattle as Commander.