TUKWILA, Wash. — The Tukwila Police Department (TPD) say that they have worked with a community organization to make a neighborhood safer after noticing trash dumping and illegal activity near an elementary school.
Police say the area on S 146th St near Military Rd S. had problems that affected the community, which was home to apartment complexes that house several families.
The area was known for illegal activity, littered with trash, stolen items, items for drug use, illegal encampments, abandoned cars and a condemned building.
It is also near an elementary school, where many families told police that they didn’t feel comfortable picking up their small children from the bus stop or leaving their homes for long periods of time.
Police began working with Community Policing Through Environmental Design (CPTED) to clean up the area by removing emcampments, graffiti, and arresting people for illegal activity.
TPD says that it has removed over 30 bags of trash from the area.
They say that everyone has the right to feel safer in their neighborhoods.