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Safe City Cameras FAQ
Marine Hills Architectural Control Committee
P. O. Box 4291, Federal Way,
WA 98063-4291
June 1, 2013
Dear Marine Hills Residents,
The Marine Hills Architectural Control Committee in partnership with Safe City
Federal Way is proposing the installation of police monitored digital
pan/tilt/zoom cameras at each of our 3 entrances. The cameras will provide 24
hour live coverage of our entrances with several days of DVR history to be
monitored by the Federal Way Police Department and credentialed police
volunteers only. The cameras will assist police in protecting Marine Hills from
future suspicious activity and crime as well as provide coverage for Sacajawea
Middle School. Officers responding to 911 calls in Marine Hills will also be
able to have a live view of the entrances from their patrol car as well as
review previous footage captured.
The total estimated cost provided by the City of Federal Way to complete this
project is $32,523. We are requesting
a onetime minimum donation of $135 or more per household to fund the cameras in
addition to the regular MHACC contribution of $30 per year. We will also be requesting funds from
neighbors in the Redondo View Community as well as the Federal Way School
district to make up any short falls.
All funds collected for the cameras will be held in a separate MHACC account and
any surplus funds will be held for future camera maintenance/replacement. The expected life of the cameras is
approximately 7 years. In addition
the MHACC will begin applying for a yearly grant of $1500 from Federal Way to
fund future camera maintenance.
Once all the funds have been collected, the expected time frame to have the
cameras up and running is 3 months.
Now we just need your help to make this project happen.
We would appreciate a donation of $135 or more by July 31st 2013 so
that the project can be completed by Mid-Fall 2013.
Your generous donation will be publically acknowledged in the Fall Newsletter
unless you choose to remain anonymous. The safety of our neighborhood will be
greatly enhanced by this project and Marine Hills will only continue to benefit
from the community goodwill generated by your kind donation to our cause.
Thank you for taking our request into consideration and we look forward to
receiving your generous donation.
Sincerely,
Marine Hills Architectural Control Committee
Recent Crimes within our Community
Have Become a Major Concern!
Safe City Federal Way, the Federal Way Police Department, and
the Marine Hills
Architectural Control Committee created a plan to proactively
and effectively
address this problem.
In recent months, Marine Hills’ residents have unfortunately seen a major
increase in property crime and suspicious activity. To address this issue, a
community meeting was held at Federal Way City Hall on February 7th, 2013 with over 250 neighbors in attendance.
The goal of the meeting was to address Marine Hills’ issues directly with the
Federal Way Police Department and discuss potential solutions provided by
increasing our involvement in the Safe City Program. Crime Analyst, Michelle Roy
reported on local crime statistics, pointing out that burglaries and thefts had
increased in Federal Way since the beginning of 2013. More specifically, Marine Hills was
victimized with 8 incidents in January alone.
Thanks to the growing number of Marine Hills’ residents (275 to date)
that have registered for the Safe City program, we are effectively reducing
crime in the neighborhood and providing valuable leads to the Federal Way Police
Department. Marine Hills’ residents are doing an amazing job of calling 911 to
report suspicious activity and sharing information on
www.safecityfw.com. Local news and media
reported on the recent incidents and even aired surveillance video of the
package thief, which led to a positive ID and warrant being issued. Since the beginning of the year,
several arrests have been made in connection with burglaries, thefts, and drug
related crimes in Marine Hills thanks to proactive participation and reporting
by our own neighbors. Commander Chris Norman also gave a presentation on the
Safe City camera network. High power
digital cameras have become an effective tool for monitoring suspicious activity
and following up on reported crimes in Federal Way. The cameras are placed throughout the
city and monitored by credentialed volunteers and also directly by police
officers who have access to the camera feeds from their cars. When suspicious
activity is called in to 911, the responding officer can immediately check the
live camera feed in the area as well as review what was captured by the DVR. The
Marine Hills Architectural Control Committee has been working diligently on a
plan to have Safe City Cameras installed at our 3 entrances. Based on a majority show of hands
vote at the Safe City meeting, Marine Hills’ neighbors voted in favor of funding
the cameras with a onetime donation per household. The total cost of installing the
cameras is $32,523. A separate
enclosure is provided in this mailing with additional details and a request for
funds. The goal is to have the cameras funded by July 31st and fully installed
by Mid-Fall 2013.
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Enclosed is my donation of $________
($135.00 or more) to join with others to help fund this important project. Your Name:
____________________________
p
I would like my donation to be recognized in the Courier
Covenant newsletter.
pI would prefer my donation remain anonymous
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