After two and a half years as commander of the Southwest Precinct, Captain Joseph Kessler is off to command the West Precinct. Captain Steven Paulsen, who knows West Seattle well, will take his place.

“You are getting the best,” Kessler said about Paulsen. “He knows what’s going on, he knows what the issues are and I can’t think of a better pick to be the precinct commander.”

“For me, the patrol precinct is the top job for a captain; we get to be in the middle of everything and also get to work everyday with our officers,” Kessler said of being commander.

The transition has already begun, and Captain Paulsen will be in full command within two weeks. Paulsen was Operations Lieutenant under Kessler until six months ago when he took the position of day shift commander for the West Precinct.

Looking back on his time as commander, Kessler’s memories come back time and time again to how the officers and community of West Seattle work together.

“Just in the time I’ve been here our crime rates have dropped substantially,” he said. “It all comes back to the people who live here,” he added. “When you support the officers who work here and have a mutual respect it works great.”

“We had our precinct picnic here a few weeks ago and it’s the biggest one in the city, and this isn’t the biggest population,” he said, relaying stories of sincere gratitude from the West Seattle community. “We have lots of people who thank our officers, but we don’t have an opportunity very often to thank them.”

Paulsen also appreciates that the community is vocal. “They let me know if they think we are not doing things right,” he said.

The South Park homicide from June of last year exemplifies community and police working together for Kessler.

“(The reaction to) the South Park homicide last year was an amazing thing to watch,” he said. “You had probably one of the most horrific crimes that any of us ever dealt with … the whole scene was horrible. The incredible work that was done, not just by the guys at this precinct, but by the homicide units and officers from every precinct in the city was amazing. And the way the community reacted, especially in this precinct.”

“I think of a small town where when something bad happens everyone comes together and takes care of one another, and that is the epitome of the response (to the South Park homicide).”

In an open letter to the citizens of West Seattle, Kessler wrote, “I would like to take a moment to say thank you for making my tenure at the Southwest Precinct one of the most rewarding of my career.”

“The working relationships between the officers in this precinct and the community, whether it be South Park, Highland Park, Pigeon Point or Alki, I can’t think of anyplace I have ever been where it’s better,” he said in reference to the letter.

As for the future of the Southwest Precinct, Kessler sees the force continuing to focus on home burglaries, car thefts and car prowls as the main concern. The biggest challenges facing the precinct, in his eyes, are maintaining current staffing levels in a time of budget cuts.

“The budget cuts to (King) county will have a huge impact on this precinct and West Seattle,” Kessler said.

Specifically, Kessler said cuts to the King County Sheriff’s Office, who patrol White Center, will have an effect. Whenever backup is needed in White Center, officers from the Southwest Precinct help out. If staffing levels drop significantly for the county there will be more need for aid, taking away from the officers’ precinct duties.

“It’s just been fun,” Kessler said of his time as commander for the Southwest Precinct, “that is kind of what this job is all about.”