The Southwest Precinct Picnic on Aug. 20 brought many residents out to enjoy the weather, scarf down free hot dogs and drinks and meet the men and women of the SPD who serve Southwest Seattle.

The event was sponsored by the Seattle Police Foundation and members of the SPD Mounted Patrol Unit, SWAT team, bomb squad (and their robots) and many Southwest Precinct lieutenants and officers were there for the community to meet.

“What’s wonderful about these picnics is they bring our community, which we serve, here to learn about all the things that the Seattle Police Department has to offer to the community,” Southwest Precinct Captain Steve Paulsen said.

“As well it’s a way for us, in a casual manner, to just talk to the people that we serve in our neighborhood,” he added. “It’s a wonderful event with good food and great music and like I said it is an opportunity to come and talk to officers in normal circumstances instead of a crisis.”

Captain Paulsen is coming up on his one year anniversary as precinct captain on Oct. 1, and had this to say about his first year at the helm:

“Its’ been wonderful, absolutely wonderful. I can say we are having a good time here at the precinct. The officers are enjoying themselves and truly enjoying going out and taking care of our citizens. Our crime rates are at 20 percent lower than they were last year at the same time, so things are all in the positive.”