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Everett police highlight community referrals, technology and partnerships in renewed youth violence strategy
Summary
City staff and the police department told the Community Health and Safety Council Committee that Everett is pursuing a ‘‘whole-of-city’’ approach to youth violence that pairs targeted enforcement with referrals to community partners and expanded use of technology; staff also said a civil penalty graffiti ordinance is being drafted for council.
Deputy Chief Hendrickson of the Everett Police Department and city staff briefed the Community Health and Safety Council Committee on the city’s renewed approach to youth violence prevention, emphasizing a mix of focused enforcement, community referrals and technology to interrupt cycles of retaliation.
The committee heard that Mayor Franklin issued a directive renewing the city’s focus on youth safety; staff traced the city’s work back to a 2018 mayoral directive on gang reduction and juvenile violence. Jennifer, a city staff member who introduced the briefing, said the mayor convened schools, community partners and youth to help shape the directive.
Nut graf: The police described an approach that pairs a violent crime unit and major crimes detectives to rapidly identify and arrest suspected shooters while shifting many prevention and case‑management duties to community providers who have better access to high‑risk youth.
Deputy Chief Hendrickson said the department favors a “balanced approach” on juvenile crime: “By no means do we think we should throw kids in the jail and throw away the key,” he said. He added that officers pursue suspects aggressively but seek interventions that stop retaliation cycles. Hendrickson described a pattern the department has tracked since about 2017 in which “1 act of violence will lead to 4, 5, 7 more shootings” because of retaliatory escalation.
Police staff described operational changes meant to reduce unnecessary stops and focus investigative work. Hendrickson said the department has integrated its violent crime unit with major crimes detectives so investigators can be on scenes quickly and use technology to identify suspects, reducing investigative stops that can “reinforce mistrust.” He said those tools allow the department to “focus our enforcement efforts, reduce the number of investigative stops, [and] increase the number of probable cause stops.”
Committee members were given juvenile‑crime data. Hendrickson said overall violent crime and property crime in Everett are down about 30 percent compared with 2019 levels, and that juveniles are currently less likely to be victims of crime than in the previous five years. He said the department remains concerned about a persistent level of juvenile gang‑related and firearm crimes that increased last year and remain steady in projections for the current year.
Staff described several community partnerships as central to prevention work. The department has made electronic referrals to organizations including the Latino Civic Alliance, the Madres, the Access Project, the YMCA and the Boys & Girls Club. Hendrickson said the city joined the Latino Civic Alliance’s program in February and has made 12 referrals so far; of those 12, four youths “have graduated,” two obtained jobs and one left the state; one referral dropped out and the remainder are still engaged.
Jennifer and Hendrickson stressed that referrals typically include services for the juvenile’s family, not only the youth, and that some partner organizations have faced funding cuts the city is trying to help replace. Staff also noted the continuing role of school resource officers in the Mukilteo and Everett School Districts, saying both districts recently requested more officers and the city currently has the staffing to place them.
Council member Tuohy and others asked for statistics and follow‑up; Deputy Chief Hendrickson and Jennifer said they would provide additional data. Jennifer noted that legal staff are preparing an ordinance to allow civil penalties for illegal graffiti—intended to let the city recover clean‑up costs for multifamily buildings and businesses—and expected to bring it to council within a “3 to 5 week” timeline, possibly sooner.
Ending: Committee members did not take formal action at the meeting; staff said they will return with follow‑up data and that next month’s committee agenda may include a housing‑related briefing focused on homelessness and services.
