“Should the City of Kirkland provide animal control services?”
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Last week’s poll results: “Are the penalties for vehicular-homicide DUI high enough after the state changed them to a maximum of 8.5 years in prison?” Yes: 15% No: 85%
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REPORTER
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● QUOTE OF NOTE:
“When you open a small business you feel like everyone is nickel and diming you. Being a part of (the Chamber) gives you a voice,“ said Bruce Wynn, the new executive director of the Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce.
EDITORIAL
Vote for the Best of Kirkland 2012
K
irkland is home to some fine restaurants, booming businesses and sensational schools. There are also many great spots in Kirkland to take a date, get your hair or nails done, clothes dry-cleaned and other activities. We would like you to share your favorite spots with us as the Reporter launches its 3rd annual “Best of Kirkland 2012”contest. Please look for the contest ballot in next week’s (March 30) issue. The purpose of the contest is to salute entrepreneurs, officials and organizations that help make Kirkland the Northwest gem that it is. Participants may nominate their favorites in more than 40 categories, including best service, shopping, food, living and most unique business. Complete your entry online at www.KirklandReporter.com by clicking on the “Best of Kirkland”link, or mail/bring in your completed entry to the Kirkland Reporter: 11630 Slater Ave. N.E., Suite 9, Kirkland, WA, 98034. One entry per household. Nominees must be a business of Kirkland to be eligible. Also, please be sure to fill as many categories as possible as entries must have at least 20 categories completed to be counted. So start thinking about the best of the best in Kirkland and send us your ballots by 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 25!
Construction chaos Several readers have contacted the Reporter in recent weeks regarding all of the construction projects that have cropped up across the city. One faithful reader, Bernie Krane, requested for us to publish a
regular section that lists some of these projects, so residents know what to watch out for concerning street closures and other traffic impacts. As a result, the Reporter will publish a regular section called “Construction Corner.”Please look for this week’s section on page 11. Thank you, Bernie, for your suggestion.
● L E T T E R S . . . Y O U R O P I N I O N C O U N T S : To submit an item or photo: email letters@kirklandreporter.com;
mail attn: Letters, Kirkland Reporter, 11630 Slater Ave. N.E., Suite 8/9, Kirkland, Washington, 98034; fax 425.822.0141. Letters may be edited for style, clarity and length.
Child abuse impacts all communities
A
s a police officer, I have responded to all types of crimes during my 24 years with the Kirkland Police Department, from violent crime to domestic disturbances and all types of emergency situations. However, there’s no question that crimes involving child victims are the most distressing for an officer. I vividly remember responding as a young patrol officer to a complaint of loud music coming from an apartment. My partner and I looked through the unlatched door of the apartment and we found a bruised, dirty and frightened toddler. There was no adult in sight. At first we thought she had been abandoned in this filthy apartment, littered with drug paraphernalia and empty liquor bottles, but we discovered her father passed out in the bedroom. With the help of one of our always prepared teddy bears, we wrapped the toddler in a blanket, and took her to the safety of our station. Child Protective Services placed her in a foster home until she could be reunited with her mother, from whom she had been abducted on the East Coast several
months before. The police officers paid for the mother’s flight and expenses since she had no financial resources to make the trip. The image of that little girl has stuck with me for more than 22 years. Her physical wounds eventually healed, but what about the consequences of the psychological abuse and extreme neglect she experienced? Did those ever heal? It’s cases like this “noise complaint” that make me want to speak out. Child abuse and neglect happen in every community – even Kirkland – and this problem impacts all of us, directly and indirectly, by draining short and long-term public resources. The suffering those child victims experience at the hands of abusers produces lifelong scars. While most abused kids do not grow up to be criminals, research indicates that abused children are almost 30 percent more likely to commit violent crimes as adults. Law enforcement agencies have resources to respond to child safety threats. Examples of these are Kirkland’s Family Violence Unit and Domestic Abuse Response Team, but these are only after-thefact tools available to us once a tragedy has already occurred. Eric Olsen
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Question of the week:
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COMMENTARY
KIRKLAND
OPINION
[4] March 23, 2012
Child abuse presents a shortterm cost to taxpayers, primarily due to the cost of arrest, investigation, prosecution, and incarceration of the perpetrator. Since many abused children require health care and child welfare services, enormous costs are transferred to the health and human services system. Some of these include emergency room care, trauma care and foster care placement. Fortunately, we know how to prevent the scourge of child abuse. Research shows that certain intensive, high quality home visiting programs can significantly reduce child abuse and neglect. One program, the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), pairs first-time, low-income young women with a registered nurse who provides coaching and information from pregnancy until the child’s second birthday. Long-term studies show that children whose mothers were randomly selected to participate in the program were half as likely to be abused or neglected than those whose mothers did not receive the home visits. Children who did not participate in the program had more than twice as many criminal convictions by age 19 as those in families who received the visits. One study credits the NFP program with significantly fewer cases
of childhood injury and child mortality and improved child health among families who participated. Finding money for these services is challenging during tight fiscal times, but doing nothing to intervene is more expensive because it leads to more criminal justice and social service costs. In fact, researchers at the Washington State Institute for Public Policy found that NFP saved taxpayers $21,000 for every family served. In King County, a team of the NFP nurses work with first time, low-income mothers throughout the county, including the Eastside. We are also fortunate to have other home visiting programs serving Kirkland through Friends of Youth. We can and must do better by our kids, and I’m proud to join others in speaking out during Child Abuse Prevention Month. I hope all Kirkland residents join me in committing to support the prevention of child abuse and neglect in our community — not just during April, but every day forward until all of our kids are safe. For more information, visit Friends of Youth at www.friendsofyouth.org and Nurse-Family Partnership of King County at www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/personal/NFP.aspx
Eric Olsen is chief of the Kirkland Police Department. Contact Kirkland Police at 425-587-3400.