If the weather is warm in West Seattle on a Friday and Saturday night there will likely be more uniformed police patrolling Alki than usual. The Junction and High Point areas could see the same on any given weekend night.

That is the word from Mayor Mike McGinn and Seattle Police’s top brass from a press conference held at Don Armeni Park in West Seattle on June 6.

While the conference was held on Alki for the picturesque backdrop, the news is for all of Seattle: the SPD Citywide Late Night Emphasis Public Safety Emphasis will start up on June 10 and run through an undetermined date in September. Up to 25 non-911 bound SPD officers (comprised of SWAT, anti-crime and traffic officers) will be available on Friday and Saturday nights during the summer months to increase police presence where the nightlife is thriving. This is the second year for the program.

“I’ve heard from people that run our restaurants and entertainment venues that keeping Seattle a diverse, vibrant and safe nightlife destination is beneficial to everyone; citizens, neighborhoods and businesses,” Mayor McGinn said.

“Whether you are visiting a neighborhood restaurant, going downtown or just want to get out of your neighborhood you have a right to feel safe,” he added.

The program, as described by the Mayor and SPD Chief Diaz, will use only “on-duty resources” for the emphasis patrols (meaning no overtime expenses or additional forces), a component of the program highlighted because of budget concerns for the city.

Chief Diaz described increased patrols in nighttime hotspots as providing “high visibility, welcoming people down into the various areas and making sure people are safe.” He said the program was “incredibly successful” last year, citing a decrease in late night shootings and the less verifiable reasoning that increased uniform police presence deters crime and increases nighttime revelers’ feeling of safety.

Where the SPD will decide to increase their presence throughout the city will depend on real-time information and historical trends, according to SPD Assistant Chief Mike Sanford. So, West Seattle might see more officers on Alki on Friday night and the emphasis could shift to downtown on Saturday.

Southwest Precinct Advisory Council Chair Pete Spalding also addressed the crowd of Seattle media and provided his take on the benefits to West Seattle.

“I know first hand that their can be a degree of neighborhood competition for our limited police resources,” Spalding said. “I have to say that I am very pleased that the (SPD) has found a way to not only commit additional officers to uniform patrol on Friday and Saturday nights but that some of these patrols will be occurring right here in West Seattle at Alki and High Point, to mention two very highly visible locations.”

Here is the press release from the city:

Mayor McGinn and Seattle Police Unveil Citywide Late Night Public Safety Emphasis 2011

City will promote uniformed police visibility in areas with high concentrations of people enjoying Friday and Saturday nightlife opportunities

SEATTLE – Today, Mayor Mike McGinn, Police Chief John Diaz, Assistant Chief Mike Sanford and Southwest Precinct Advisory Council Chair Pete Spalding were at West Seattle’s Don Armeni Park to announce the return of the Citywide Late Night Public Safety Emphasis. The emphasis calls for the redeployment of on-duty Seattle Police officers throughout the city to promote uniformed police visibility in areas with high concentrations of people enjoying Friday and Saturday nightlife opportunities.

This emphasis fits within the goals set forth with the Seattle Nightlife Initiative, which include increasing public safety, growing the local economy and improving urban vibrancy. People travel from all over Puget Sound to Seattle to visit restaurants, theaters, shopping centers and nightclubs. They bring with them their entertainment dollars keeping our local businesses strong and providing valuable tax dollars to fund important city programs that serve all Seattle residents.

The Late Night Public Safety Emphasis is simply a recalibration of priorities that puts more uniformed officers on the streets without sacrificing any existing missions within the police department. Police personnel assigned to the program will be taken from other non-uniformed on-duty resources – specifically Anti-Crime Teams, Traffic and SWAT. The end result is more uniformed officers on the streets deterring crime and promoting public safety in areas with high concentrations of people enjoying Friday and Saturday nightlife opportunities. It is flexible and scalable for every neighborhood in the city.

On any given Friday or Saturday night, the additional 15-25 uniformed officers will be patrolling designated nightlife zones, usually in two different precincts at any given time. During the course of the summer, each precinct will get a fair share of these resources. Having additional patrols in areas where people gather makes sense. People feel safer when they see uniformed officers on patrol.

Mayor McGinn says, “I’ve visited many Seattle neighborhoods since becoming mayor and if there is one thing that is universal regardless of where they live, people want to feel safe in their communities. I’ve heard from the folks that run our restaurants and entertainment venues that keeping Seattle a diverse, vibrant and safe nightlife destination is beneficial to everyone – citizens, neighborhoods and businesses. So we’re taking action – the Late Night Public Safety Emphasis is a cost effective, smart way to achieve both of these goals”.

Chief Diaz says, “This is about redeploying existing assets so that the right people are in the right place at the right time. This will be done without sacrificing any existing missions within the police department. This is the type of effort needed when the city has fewer dollars to spend than in the past.”

The emphasis will begin this weekend and run until sometime in September.