PRESS RELEASE: Public Safety - We Are Reaching a Tipping Point

Please click here to see the results from our recent Public Safety Survey conducted in 2019.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 10.14.19

Contact: Rod Kauffman, President
The Building Owners and Managers Association Seattle King County (BOMA)
206-622-8924 ext. 104
rkauffman@bomaseattle.org

PUBLIC SAFETY: WE ARE REACHING A TIPPING POINT

NEW PUBLIC SAFETY SURVEY RELEASED TODAY BY THE BUILDING OWNERS AND MANAGERS SEATTLE KING COUNTY (BOMA)

Given the mounting concerns of its members regarding public safety challenges, primarily in the Seattle Commercial Core, BOMA engaged EMC Research to assist them with a survey of the owners and managers of commercial properties in King County. The survey was initiated to gather verifiable data from the management teams of over 100 office buildings regarding the impact that crime and other safety incidents are having on tenants, employees, vendors and visitors to their buildings.

Key findings include that most owners/managers are experiencing significant safety and security impacts and almost all say the problem is worse now than it was 3-5 years ago, most owners/managers are more concerned than 5 years ago about the safety of everyone at their properties, and property owners/managers are significantly under reporting safety incidents to law enforcement because they don’t think it makes a difference. Even though 60% say they experience 7 or more incidents a month, only 20% report that many incidents. Additional key findings can be found in the attached report, which was prepared by EMC Research.

“We performed the survey because our members were voicing greater and greater frustration and concerns about the safety of their employees, tenants, vendors and visitors along with an ever-growing need to increase security and cleaning personnel on their properties,” said Rod Kauffman, President of BOMA. “We now have specific information, not just anecdotal, about the true impacts on our members and the commercial real estate industry. The information we gathered is alarming, incidents involving intimidation, property damage, and refusal to leave our members’ properties are a regular and growing occurrence. Kauffman also stated, “I am concerned that we are reaching a tipping point. We cannot afford to wait to deal more consistently and effectively with crime.”

Helping provide stable shelter and support services has been a priority for BOMA and its members who have contributed over $450,000 in cash, discounted construction services and materials and donated items to the Ryther Child Center, the Downtown Emergency Services Center, the Eastside Men’s Shelter, and The Sophia Way Women’s Shelter since 2003.

The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Seattle King County is a professional trade association with 2,000 members from 275 firms who either own or manage over 100 million square feet of commercial real estate or provide goods and services to the industry. BOMA Seattle King County was established in 1912.