Survey: Renton fearful of downtown after dark | Community Spirit

Renton residents are fearful of downtown, according to a public survey, but police say that fear may be unwarranted.

Nearly half of residents feel unsafe downtown after dark, while 27 percent feel somewhat safe and 9 percent feel very safe, according to the survey results.

“We’ve seen a few well publicized incidents that have occurred downtown that I think is adding to the perception of being unsafe,” says Renton police spokeswoman Terry Vickers. “In reality, statistically the incident reports are about the same in other areas.”

Vickers says residents likely think of the transit center as “downtown” – a place with high traffic and transient people passing through.

“We’re seeing the kinds of crimes you can expect from an area with transients,” she says, citing fights and drug deals as issues.

The city says it will continue to focus on downtown safety and other issues brought to light in the report, including traveling in and throughout the city, street repair, police response to traffic problems and the taste of Renton’s tap water.

Police have already implemented special enforcement teams as part of their mission to patrol downtown and the transit center, Vickers says.

A majority of surveyed residents say they feel safe in their neighborhood. Approximatley 68 percent say they feel very safe, a number that has increased by 20 percent in the past 10 years.

“This feedback indicates that our efforts to make our community feel safe are paying off,” says Mayor Law. “Public safety continues to be our priority and we will continue to use proactive approaches to target crime.”

The survey also included feedback on the quality of life in Renton, business optimism and quality of service from city employees, which received high marks.

View the full survey results. (PDF)