Check out a great new project being started. It is a documentary about police made by police officers. Watch the trailer and donate if you can to help make this film a reality.

http://www.fallenproject.com/

The members of the Tukwila Police Officers Guild support all of the Tukwila Casinos. We know that all of the voters can see through the scare tactics and bad-mouthing the opposition has been using to try and win votes. We think the citizens can see through this and understand what the real issues are.

The casinos do not bring crime into your neighborhoods. The statistics prove it. They are regulated by the state, employee security guards and surveillance employees. And, most of all, they bring revenue to the city that pays for parts of our salaries. These businesses have been part of Tukwila for decades, and they have been great partners with the police.

Please don't fall into the trap of believing your house is being burglarized because someone needs to play blackjack. This argument is ridiculous. Drive along Tukwila International Blvd and see the drug activity, prostitution activity, and gang activity. Here are your criminals! The anti-casino people want you to believe that the "problem gamblers" are the reason your house is being broken into. Make the decision for youself.

If gambling is such an immoral activity, why aren't these anti-gambling council members voicing their concern of the brand new Washington State Lottery booths at Southcenter Mall? Some of the time, these booths are empty, which allows anyone to purchase a ticket and play. Even those under 18.

In these tough economic times, voting no will cause the police department to make even more cuts. Remember, there is no plan to replace the $2 million that will be gone.

Make your voice heard Tukwila Citizens, and VOTE!

Below is a link from the Seattle Times. Read and make up your mind!

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016659436_tukwila01.html

$2 million per year!!

LOST

 See update below

A Feb. 22 vote by the Tukwila City Council has set a closing date of Jan. 1, 2016 for these privately owned casinos. The vote also means that as of 2016, Tukwila will be a casino-free city.

That decision - which came on a 4-3 vote following emotional testimony from both residents and casino representatives - is the result of an either-or decision the Council felt compelled to make: either let casinos open in any part of town where restaurants can be, or not let any casinos operate here at all.

The city will lose between $2.1 million to $2.4 million every year in the gambling tax it now receives from the three casinos here. It also means a total of 450 people from these casinos will lose jobs - many of which are family-wage careers.

Councilman Dennis Robertson, who with fellow members Joan Hernandez, Kathy Hougarty and Joe Duffie voted for the ban, said if the city couldn't dictate location of the state-regulated casinos, then it was best to leave the industry behind, for the sake of residents, a number of whom showed up to express their distaste for the casino industry at the Feb. 22 meeting.

"If we can't control where they locate, then they can locate anywhere," Robertson said of casinos here. "Do I want one next to my house? No."

The Tukwila Police Guild supports all of the casinos in the City of Tukwila and we are disappointed in the vote by the city council to ban casinos, and also the negative label placed on this industry by some in the council.  Especially in these tough financial times when the city has threatened police, fire, and other city services with layoff and substantial cuts in the budget.

Please, if you support the casinos and the 400 jobs it provides to local families, contact the highlighted council members and ask them to rethink their decisions.

Story from Tukwila Reporter 3/14/11

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/tuk/news/117977549.html

UPDATE - July 18, 2011 Council Meeting

Chuck Parrish, 4430 South 150^th Street, presented a petition with 384 signatures asking the City Council to replace Ordinance #2323 with a new policy that would allow the existing commercial card rooms to remain in business, saving approximately 450 jobs and retaining $2.1 to $2.4 million in annual tax revenues to the City and maintaining the services associated with that revenue.  He asked any citizens in the audience in support of the petition to stand.  It is conceivable that some of the employees here tonight would have to be laid off based on Ordinance #2323.  Mr. Parrish expressed that he would like to see the petition given serious consideration and that this matter be handled by way of City legislation as opposed to an expensive ballot measure.  He asked the Council to create a better ordinance.

Councilmember Hougardy inquired which employees in the room would be laid off.

Mr. Parrish responded that if approximately $2.1 million in revenue is lost, then inevitably layoffs would occur.

TPOG supports the work of Chuck Parrish and urge all citizens to contact their council members and let them know how they feel. It appears that certain council members still believe that closing the casinos will somehow benefit the city. Two million dollars is alot of money, and the loss of it will definately affect city services.

The bad economy has touched us all in the last two years. One thing for certain is that when the economy is bad, crime goes up.

TPOG wants every citizen to be aware of the plans to close the TPD Neighborhood Resource Center, located at 14661 Tukwila Int'l Blvd. The NRC has been staffed by many volunteers over the years and also was the home to the department Crime Prevention Officer. The NRC was open to all citizens to ask questions, make police reports, talk to police officers, and other services. It has been open for over 10 years, smack dab in the middle of an area with one of the highest crime rates in the state.

The biggest asset to the police department was the use of the department CCTV system which monitors criminal activity along Tukwila Int'l Blvd from Southcenter Blvd all the way north to S. 130th St. This allowed officers to observe criminal activity, then respond and arrest the violators. Most of these cases involved drug sales, and prostitution activity. All in all, it is a very important tool in keeping crime in check in this area.

The police department has put the NRC on the chopping block in order to save money. The PD pays rent to the building owner and it costs around $12K per year. TPOG feels that this expense is worth the service it provides to the citizens of Tukwila. To allow the doors to be locked forever, would be a lost resource.

Even the police department's own Volunteer Position Announcement states the following:

Position: Neighborhood Resource Center Volunteer

Location: Tukwila International Boulevard

Duties:

Community Liaison and Office Assistant: has a variety of duties, including answering telephone; handling walk-in customers (giving directions, handing our food bags); assisting with crime and accident reports; monitoring security cameras on Tukwila International Boulevard; and conducting special projects for other City departments, such as making telephone inquiry calls and preparing mailings-- resulting in substantial financial savings the City.

Contact the police department and voice your opinion. The officers of the TPOG think this valuable resource should remain open.

Once again, Tukwila is one of the tops in the state for per capita crime. Our dedicated officers put in long hours of hard work keeping the citizens of Tukwila safe. When you look at the numbers provided by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC), it really puts things into perspective.

Tukwila is a very unique city. Small town with big city crime. The City estimates that the daytime population of Tukwila is approximately 200,000. Using this number, the number of officers per 1,000 is 0.32 officers per 1,000. With the recent annexations and the plans for the gigantic Southcenter South development, the need for police is going to increase  in the near future. Groundbreaking for Southcenter South is July 30, 2010.

On July 26, 2010, the Tukwila City Council unanimously voted to further reduce city services to the citizens of Tukwila including fire and police services. If you are a Tukwila citizen, feel free to attend city council meetings at City Hall and voice your opinion. Meetings are every Monday at 7:00 PM. Let your elected officials know how you feel about these reductions.

In the past few weeks, we have seen overwhelming support for the Tukwila Fire Department at council meetings. Feel free to let the council know that the citizens don't want any cuts to the police department. We need to keep a handle on crime. We are already operating at bare minimums.