Renton Launches Safe Place Program To Combat Hate Crimes

RENTON, WA — The Renton Police Department is launching a new program to combat hate crimes and provide a network of safe locations for victims amid a recent uptick in such incidents across King County.

Created by Seattle police officer Jim Ritter in 2015, the Safe Place program is a community partnership that invites businesses and schools to identify their properties as somewhere for people to seek safety and wait for investigators if they are targeted in a hate crime. At its inception, the program was designed to combat crimes against the LGBTQ community and has since expanded to assist victims of any hate crime.

"We know it can be difficult sometimes for victims of hate crimes or bias to come forward," said Jon Schuldt, Renton Police Chief. "If someone has been victimized by hate or bias crimes, then we want them to know that our community and police department will be there to support them."

In Seattle, more than 6,000 businesses now participate in the program, which has been adopted by more than 200 police departments across the United States and Canada.

Here's how it works:

• Renton businesses and organizations interested in participating can sign up for the Safe Place program by contacting officer Cat Citron via e-mail or by calling 206-445-5910.
• Each establishment will receive a rainbow-colored decal to display on glass doors or windows, signaling to victims that it will provide safe harbor and help notify the authorities.
• Complete details are posted on the city Renton website.

Here is what participants are expected to do:

• If a crime victim enters your premises, your staff should call 911 immediately on the victim's behalf AND
• Allow the victim to remain on your premises until police arrive.
• If the victim leaves prior to police arrival, re-contact 911 and update the operator with the victim's and/or suspect's description and direction of travel.

According to police, responding immediately to reported hate crimes is essential, to help secure witnesses for interviews and preserve any evidence for the investigation. Safe Places are also meant to help victims be less fearful in reporting such crimes, which have traditionally gone severely underreported.

In King County, hate crimes have been on the rise through the coronavirus pandemic, with 59 cases filed in 2020 and at least a dozen filed so far this year, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. The county council is considering a proposal that would form a hate crime response unit, staffed by four deputy prosecuting attorneys.