By Chris Carrel, Thinking Locally

It’s time for the final installment on my series debunking the myths of Federal Way.

This week, crime goes under the microscope.

I was surprised to learn that Federal Way has a reputation as a hotbed of criminal activity. This city has always seemed like a very safe place to live. Not only can I remember a time when we didn’t think twice about leaving our cars running (long before global warming), I can remember when we didn’t even lock our doors at night. (This is the point in the story that my kids ask me what it was like when dinosaurs roamed the Earth).

As the city has grown, crime has come with it, but it always seemed in line with a suburb this size. Regrettable, yes, but a part of urban living.

But I’ve learned that the outside perception of Federal Way is that of a crime-plagued, suburban slum. Seriously. I received an e-mail a while back from one man who was moving here with his family to take a job. He was concerned for his family because the Federal Way he knew from local television news was full of violent crime. I’ve run across Puget Sound web forums with warnings posted against moving to Federal Way because of the crime.

But perhaps there are real facts behind the TV coverage and the web postings. Had I missed something in the past 43 years? To figure it out, I went to visit Federal Way’s chief of police, Brian Wilson, to ask some questions.

The first thing you need to know about Chief Wilson is that he has a passion for the community of Federal Way, and he sees the police department as a key element of our quality of life. Wilson has been with the department since its inception and takes great pride in its officers and their service to the community. He has risen through the ranks to become chief, and he exudes a commitment to continual improvement in the force and its impact on the community.

The second most important thing you need to know about Chief Wilson is that he likes charts. The walls of the command room at the police department are covered with spreadsheets and charts showing every imaginable snapshot of crime in Federal Way. Violent crime. Car theft. Quarterly numbers. Year-to-date. I came to the right place for real answers about crime in our city.

Chief Wilson showed me the numbers on Federal Way’s crime situation, and they underscored my assumptions about Federal Way being a safe community.

Looking at crime for the two-year period from 2005 to 2006, Federal Way is consistently one of the safer communities in the area.

In violent crimes, Federal Way ranks better than most other comparable cities, with Bellevue being a predictable exception. We ranked well above our closest neighbors, Kent and Auburn. As an example, our 2006 violent crime rate stood at 3.8 per 1,000, while Kent’s stood at 6.6. The same pattern repeats itself for property crimes.

Chief Wilson will be the first to tell you that the current numbers are still too high. Yet, the point remains that relative to other communities in the area, crime is not out of hand in Federal Way.

While Federal Way is doing well, if you look at the crime statistics, Chief Wilson says, “It’s not just numbers, but problem solving.”

Looking at the wall charts, Wilson and his commanders can figure out where the problems are in the community and allocate resources to solving them. Wilson is shaping a department that is robust, flexible and responsive to the needs of the community.

I experienced that firsthand last year, when I put a call in to the department with my concerns over student safety crossing S. 312th Street near Lakota Middle School.

I got a call back from Officer Connie Shupp the next morning. She explained to me that the police couldn’t emphasize the problem area until a school safety zone was installed. She got me in touch with the appropriate city staff, and they worked to install the necessary school safety zone equipment. The day after the safety zone was installed, the emphasis patrols started. The cars began slowing down, and the students had a safer route to school. That’s community building.

Another example of the department’s community involvement is the new collaboration with the Federal Way Chamber of Commerce on the Safe City Program. Using a grant from the Target Corporation and support from the city and the Chamber, the police department will increase its ability to patrol and deter crime in the downtown shopping area. This will help protect shoppers as well as support the city’s goal of enhancing the downtown economy and its attractiveness to new businesses.

Far from being a hotbed of robbery and murder, Federal Way is one of the safer Puget Sound communities to live in.

Thanks to Chief Wilson and the men and women who wear the Federal Way Police Department uniform, our community will continue to be a safe place to live, work and play.

Chris Carrel is a lifelong Federal Way resident and executive director of the Friends of the Hylebos, a nonprofit conservation organization. Contact: chinook@hylebos.org or (253) 874-2005.