Shoreline Violent Crime Incidents Up in 2012, From 2011

Violent crime in 2012 in Shoreline is on pace to eclipse the number of violent incidents from last year.

As of Sept. 30, 2012, Shoreline Police report 76 incidents of murder, rape, aggravated assault and robbery. In all of 2011, 86 incidents in those categories were reported. Three months remain in 2012.

The numbers were part of a report given to the Shoreline City Council Monday night on criminal justice by city analyst John Norris and Police Chief Shawn Ledford.

Five high-profile cases stand out this year among the 76 incidents of violent crime, according to police.

•On March 10, a Shoreline woman reported that she parked her car in her driveway in the 100 block of 165th Place and opened her garage door when Charles Linnell Bluford, 38,approached her holding a gun and told her to be quiet or he would kill her, according to charging papers. The man took her wedding ring and her purse, which included her T-Mobile cell phone, and pushed her into the garage and beat and raped her, according to charging papers. Bluford is jail awaiting trial.

•On May 3, Aaron Smith, was stabbed by his ex-girlfriend, Doreen Starrish, 28, at his home on NE 190th Street. Starrish then took the couple's 7- and 3-year-old daughters, which triggered an Amber Alert. Starrish is in custody awaiting trial.

•On May 16, Joseph D. Cooley, fatally shot Shorecrest senior Tiana Montgomery and wounded Shorewood senior Darrold Edwards early in Shoreline. Both victims were acquaintances and Cooley shot them after an arugment. Cooley is in jail pending trial for murder and attempted murder.

•On Sunday, Sept. 16 about 4:05 a.m. a suspect described as a Hispanic-looking man, about 30 years old, 5-feet, 6-inches tall, and 160 pounds entered the victim's home in the North City area through an unlocked door and raped her. The suspect spoke to the victim in broken Vietnamese, which is the victim's native language. This is active, high priority investigation for King County Sheriff's detectives.

•On Sept. 27, police received a call about a disturbance at a residence in the 1600 block of 145th St. in Shoreline and before they arrived shots were fired. A man in his 40s was shot in the chest and died. Two people, a woman and man involved in the incident were detained and then released pending further investigation. 

The city's 2012 budget for criminal justice services is $12,128,325, about $1 million more than in 2011, when the expenditures totaled $11.2 million.

Some Councilmembers were interested in adding public defense services for defendants who are not being held in custody for misdemeanors. At a cost of $26,000 the amount is not included in the city's 2013 budget. It's possible it could be added to the budget, but since this would be an ongoing expense it appears unlikely at this point that will happen despite the some Councilmembers believing it would make the court run more efficiently.

The city’s criminal justice umbrella includes the following five services: police, jail, municipal court, prosecution, and public defense, according to a city staff report. The cost of providing criminal justice services has averaged approximately one third of the City’s general fund expenditures over the last eight years, which equates to an average of $10 million annually. The city contracts with the King County Sheriff's Office for police services. Shoreline is King County's largest contract city.

The 2012 Criminal Justices Budget breaks down into the following categories.

•Police: $10,506,781

•Court: $75,000*

•Jail: $1,176,596

•Prosecution: $151,320

•Public Defense: $218,628

Total: $12,128,325

*The courts figure is a net cost. Court expenditures in 2012 were budgeted at $700,000 and court revenues were budgeted at $625,000.

The Council also voted unanimously Monday, to authorize the City Manager to Execute a Construction Contract with Pellco Construction in the amount of $344,625 for the Briarcrest Safe Routes to School Project and to approve Ordinance No. 646 Amending the 2012 Budget and Fee Schedule.