Burien business owners see uptick in crime; want city to act

BURIEN, Wash. — Burien’s business community says it has had enough of vandalism, car thefts, even a church break-in — and they want the city to act.

These business owners say they have been dealing with this problem for the last 18 months. Of course, much of that time has been in the midst of a pandemic.

The people who organized this group own businesses in the area known as Olde Burien.

But they are far from alone in their frustrations.

One must look beyond the surface on this beautiful spring Saturday to see what 81 business owners say they are dealing with in this century-old city.

“And it’s not just here,” said chef Anthony Hayes. “It’s different streets. It’s different areas of Burien, you know.”

Hayes opened Classic Eats in the heart of Olde Burien four and a half years ago. He says his business hasn’t really skipped a beat during the worldwide pandemic.

“It’s going really well,” said a smiling Hayes. “We’ve been thriving throughout this whole virus.”

But just outside his door, he says he finds daily evidence that crime is an ever-present issue.

“I mean the crime rate has definitely spiked up a little bit around here,” said Hayes. “We have a huge homeless population; and throughout the alleys, vandalization, thievery.”

“The numbers don’t show that; they don’t bear that out,” insists King County Sheriff’s Captain Troy Smithmeyer.

Indeed, Capt. Smithmeyer says violent crime is down. He does concede that property crimes are rising, but insists they mirror communities across the county.

Still, the owners’ letter is focusing attention on increasing emphasis on patrols.

“And so it’s going to be seven days a week,” said Capt. Smithmeyer. “It’s not going to be every day. But it will be during these ... various hours where we think we have the most activity, especially early in the morning and later in the evening.”

Burien City Councilmember Kevin Schilling sees that as just the start.

“Certainly we need more of a presence,” says Schilling. “And I think one solution to that is working to reimagine our public safety work, which is more a mix of human services with police.”

Those additional patrols Captain Smithmeyer talked about will last until June.

He says they will then assess to see if the patrols are working.

He says the funding will come from the overtime budget only, so they won’t affect the regular patrols already in effect to keep the city safe.

Cox Media Group