STATE & LOCAL

BOMA/Seattle-King County Public Safety Survey Reveals Increasing Crime Concerns

Responding to mounting concerns from local property owners and managers about crime and public safety, BOMA/Seattle-King County launched a survey of its membership to verify anecdotal stories. More than 100 office buildings participated in the survey regarding the impact that crime and other safety incidents are having on tenants, employees, vendors and visitors to their buildings, and the results were bleak. The survey results grabbed the attention of a local news station, with 73 percent of respondents believing that public safety and security issues are worse than they were three to five years ago and a majority reporting experiencing at least seven security incidents per month.

Compounding the problem, properties are significantly under-reporting incidents to law enforcement because they don’t believe it makes a difference. “The information we gathered is alarming,” says Rod Kauffman, president of BOMA/Seattle-King County. “Incidents involving intimidation, property damage and refusal to leave our members’ properties are a regular and growing occurrence. I am concerned that we are reaching a tipping point. We cannot afford to wait to deal more consistently and effectively with crime.” The local association, which has a long track record of contributing to community support services, will next share its findings with local officials with the goal of identifying comprehensive solutions.