SEATTLE -- They are fed up with the car prowls, break-ins and disturbing behavior in their streets. But they're just as frustrated with police, who they say have left them waiting too long for help to come.
It's all happening in a neighborhood that's thought to be one of the safest in the city: Ballard.
Ballard resident Melissa Cowles was out walking her dog when an alarming sight made her stop. She saw a half-naked man masturbating next to a cafe.
"He had his shirt off, and he was having a good time with himself," she remembered.
Over a two-hour period, she called 911 twice. She says the 911 operator told her others were reporting the same thing, but Cowles says police never came.
"It just kind of feels like we're being forgotten about," she said.
Gina Frank, another Ballard resident, has also called police repeatedly for burglaries and car prowls at her home.
Her surveillance camera picked up two of the break-ins. One time, her father called 911 and ran out to confront the suspect, but by the time police arrived an hour later, the man was gone.
"It's a problem when response times are delayed like that for crimes, especially when you actively can see the person continuing to walk down the street," she said.
By using NextDoor.com, an app Seattle police have encouraged people to use to connect with her neighbors, Frank realized how property crimes are steadily increasing. She also realized how widespread the frustration was to police response times.
Seattle police says 911 calls are each given priority by the type of crime being reported.
"Priority one is the most important call we'll go to. It's violent crime, crime in progress," Sgt. Sean Whitcomb said.
Whitcomb said property crimes typically fall into priority two or lower. If police do not respond quickly, it is usually because another call is more urgent.
"If you go out to your car and your window was smashed overnight, you might wait two, three, of 4 hours depending on call volume and officer availability," he said. "The reason being we want to make sure officers go to the calls where we can make the biggest difference, not so much after the fact."
Given recent complaints, the Seattle Police Department is taking a close look at response times, and how they communicate those expectations to the public.
The city in the process of adding 100 officers over the next few years, but the department doesn't believe just adding more officers will solve the problem.
Ballard residents and business owners are meeting with SPD and city council members in two weeks to discuss this issue. The meeting is scheduled for Nov. 18 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Loyal Heights Community Center, Room 2.
