Fed up with crime, Lynnwood kids push for their own watch program

Published 11:31 pm Sunday, November 25, 2007

LYNNWOOD — Graffiti on the buildings, prowlers in the parking lot, holes kicked in the laundry room walls.

Fed up with the damage they were seeing, a group of kids at a Lynnwood apartment complex decided enough was enough.

Dozens of children at the Oxford Square Apartments in Lynnwood have signed up for Kids Patrol, a group similar to neighborhood watch focused on keeping a lid on crime and mischief.

Through Kids Patrol, children who act responsibly and report wrongdoing to authorities can earn such prizes as fast-food items, books and CD players, donated by local residents and businesses.

A group of kids at the apartment complex in the 4800 block of 200th Street SW came up with the idea for Kids Patrol after spotting new graffiti on a nearby building.

“We thought there should be more police around here, or more security,” said Juan Espinoza, 11, one of the boys who helped come up with the idea.

“(Kids Patrol) is helping our community,” he said.

Dozens of children packed the apartment office recently for a Kids Patrol kickoff party. They ate cookies, chips and burritos, and they stood in line for free bike helmets donated by the Kiwanis Club of Lynnwood.

Lynnwood police officer Alan Correa talked to the children about the importance of making good choices.

“If everyone in the whole wide world treated each other with respect, then would I even have to be a police officer?” Correa asked his young audience.

“No!” They shouted back.

Jessica Compton, one of the apartment managers, beamed as she watched the children listening to Correa. Many of them were already wearing their shiny new bike helmets.

Compton wore a cast on her right forearm. Less than two weeks ago, someone mugged her not even a block away.

Despite the mugging, “I feel like I live in a relatively safe area,” Compton said. “I just want it to be safe for the kids, too.”

The Oxford Park Apartments is in an area where police often respond to reports of vandalism and car prowls, Lynnwood Police Department spokeswoman Shannon Sessions said. The apartment complex has been proactive in the past by joining the city’s Crime-Free Multi-Housing Program.

Sessions was visiting the complex in September when apartment managers told her about their plans for starting Kids Patrol. They called her back in October and asked her to meet with them to brainstorm more ideas.

“I give them all the credit,” said Sessions. “It’s a way to keep kids accountable for themselves. They have a lot of kids in this community, and they’ll take much better care of it if they’re a part of it.”

Oxford Square manager Ginny Barlow said vandalism at the apartment complex was more common when she moved there in November 2006. Getting to know the children at the complex has already helped reduce crime, Barlow said.

She hopes Kids Patrol has an even bigger impact.

“It will give them something to do other than just be out there being in trouble,” Barlow said. “We’re hoping it will show them what can happen if you take responsibility.”

Reporter Scott Pesznecker can be reached at 425-339-3436 or at spesznecker@heraldnet.com.