Police officer steps on dirty needle in Baker Park

Meghan Walker Ballard

A police officer was stuck with a dirty needle while on patrol at Baker Park on Crown Hill last week.

The officer, part of the SPD’s Navigation Team, was walking through the grass at the park when he stepped on the needle, which went through the sole of his boot and stabbed his foot. He was then taken to a hospital to be examined, and is undergoing treatment to prevent HIV and hepatitis.

“The men and women of the Seattle Police Department put themselves on the line every day and one of the hazards of working in public safety is the risk of injury,” SPD Sgt. Sean Whitcomb told My Northwest. “We’re very disheartened that this officer was injured and all of us here are hoping for a speedy recovery.”

Navigation Team spokesperson Will Lemke told My Northwest that the boots officers wear are supposed to be resistant to needles, and that some officers insert steel shanks for added protection.

“This incident is the first I’ve known of on the Navigation Team and we’re taking it very seriously. We’re concerned about it,” he said.

81 thoughts to “Police officer steps on dirty needle in Baker Park”

  1. Well, your kids have to play “Spot the Needle.” But it’s good to know the city has it’s priorities in order by declaring it a “Pesticide-Free Park.”

    1. Yeah! Exactly. All of us totally normal, not mentally ill at all people immediately noticed that sinister “pesticide free” sign! All of us who are in no way barking lunatics immediately realized that never would have happened if not for all the pesticides the city is not using. Such an insightful observation which is definitely not garbage filler from someone with nothing to say who can’t shut up.

      Just kidding. Your utterly content-free useless post has contributed nothing. EXCEPT it adds to the count of food I pledge to the Ballard Food Bank, bringing the total, with the other shitposts so far today, to 125! Never could have reached this many so soon if you had spent any time at all thinking about what you were about to spew.

      Good work! Spew again!

      1. Ah good, our new “elenchos” is harassing commenters and buying food for junkies. Please go barefoot when you’re handing out those cans!
        Don’t forget there’s an OBESITY EPIDEMIC in this country. Even the very poor have a calorie surplus that would be envied in the 3rd World.

        1. Its awesome! So far we’ve got three cans of beans, one can of mandarin oranges, and a half eaten bag of Halloween candy from 2017.

          2. What on Earth do you mean? My pledge is real and those cans of food will go to the Ballard Food Bank. Why would you think otherwise?

            Thanks for your many inane, content-free posts. Your idiocy is the vital ingredient to make the magic happen. Post again!

          3. Oh, in that case put me down for 2 cans of spam, a jar of bullion cubes, a box of wine and bar of chocolate.

  2. I’m not doubting this story, but as a Registered Nurse of over 30 years, I don’t see how a needle can possibly penetrate the sole of a boot. The needles I see on the news media are always the orange capped, insulin style, that are under 1/2″ and only a hair in diameter. Was this needle a 20 gauge or larger?

  3. Why was he patrolling the park if there weren’t any homeless there?

    Why did his ‘impenetrable’ boot not protect his feet?

    How did he not see a bright orange syringe?

    this sounds like fake news.

    1. The boots are not impenetrable, especially if the needle end is sticking up, which has happened before. The cops, however, do have an option for a steel insert, but the generally don’t use them because they’re uncomfortable.

    2. Why do you get up every day when you have nothing to really accomplish? Asking why a cop does their “patrol” means you’re not very smart and you DO get your “news” from Jimmy Kibble and FB. But then again, this is Seattle, and situation ethics are the norm. So yes, let’s blame the cop here. And by all means, let’s keep as much chaos going on as we can. Without that WTF would you have to ramble on about?

  4. Perhaps we should criminalize littering dirty needles?

    Considering the life altering potential of acquiring HIV: How is this any worse than drunk driving , or someone getting shot with a gun?

    1. ALLOWING JUNKIES TO CAMP in the park is a criminal act of negligence. The Mayor and CC should be impeached and tried for public endangerment and graft.

    2. KIRO says the odds of infection from a visibly bloody needle if you are stuck immediately after it was used by an HIV infected person are 0.3%. The chances decrease drastically if the needle isn’t freshly used, isn’t dripping with bodily fluids, and drop even more if you get medical treatment. Even assuming it was used by an infected person, which is possible but also improbable. So don’t freak out.

      This is why mynorthwest and that rantz clown are not where you want to get your news. They tell you anything that might stop you from freaking out.

      Also littering is illegal. Dumping biomedical waste is serious enough to get you jail time. Dumping biomedical waste when it’s likely to cause injury is a class B felony, even if no one is actually hurt. If someone is hurt, it only gets more severe.

      So we probably don’t need to make littering needles more illegal. It’s pretty damn illegal already.

      1. I would hope most of us on this blog are aware that the chances of infection are extremely low. That doesn’t decrease the chance of anyone stuck with a used needle from worrying about it, and rightfully so. It’s fine to have statistical facts, it’s another thing entirely to predict any one person’s psyche when a potential reality comes crashing into a statistic.

      2. You should go reassure some parent next time their kid gets stuck with a needle that had previously been in a vein of one of our VCM’s. I’m sure I would go over well with them. And by the way, it is not just HIV to worry about, there is hepatitis as well.

        As for it being illegal to dump medical ways, are you serious? I have spoken with the one city employee who sole job is to pick up reported needles in our city. Yeah that’s right, ONE. She told me that you can literally shoot up and drop a needle right in front of an officer, and they will not ticket you, much lesser arrest you. In other words, they enforce that law about as aggressively as they enforce all the other laws in our city.

        1. RCW 70.105.085

          Violations—Criminal penalties.
          (1) Any person who knowingly transports, treats, stores, handles, disposes of, or exports a hazardous substance in violation of this chapter is guilty of: (a) A class B felony punishable according to chapter 9A.20 RCW if the person knows at the time that the conduct constituting the violation places another person in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury; or (b) a class C felony punishable according to chapter 9A.20 RCW if the person knows that the conduct constituting the violation places any property of another person or any natural resources owned by the state of Washington or any of its local governments in imminent danger of harm.

          (2) As used in this section: (a) “Imminent danger” means that there is a substantial likelihood that harm will be experienced within a reasonable period of time should the danger not be eliminated; and (b) “knowingly” refers to an awareness of facts, not awareness of law.

          If the SPD isn’t enforcing the law, you should take that up with Mayor Durkan or Chief Best.

          1. Uh, we’ve been doing that? You know, those of us “Nazi,” “enforce the law” types you guys are always whining about who are “criminalizing homelessness?” And the blame also lies to no small degree with Pete Holmes and Dan Satterberg.

          2. You’d rather be fed your own balls on a platter than stand up to the Mayor of the Chief of Police. P u s s y.

      3. 0.3% is also about your odds for being a victim of a “hate crime”. So stop with the equivocating already. Hepatitis is much easier to catch than HIV, but lord knows we all got the AIDS scare in school because of a certain group’s inability to wear condoms.

        1. What does hate crime law have to do with this? Did anti-hate crime laws make this cop get stuck in the foot? How?

          Getting stuck by a used needle is very bad. Nobody should litter used needles, and nobody deserves to be stuck by one. It’s a very bad thing.

          All I’m saying is, don’t freak out. It never helps to panic. Do you have no balls at all? Try to man up and have a little balls. Hey! Pretend it’s a gun crime. Pretend somebody shot 20 first graders in a school with an AR-15 and you’re reassuring everyone that guns aren’t dangerous, and AR-15’s are sporting rifles, not assault weapons. Like that. You know.

          2. Ban? Who said ban? Regulate is all, just like cars. Training, licensing, registration, insurance, mandatory safety technology. Just like with cars.

            BTW those of us who live in Washington are aware that guns kill more people than cars in this state. Good to know if you’re pretending to be one of us.

    1. Plastic straw ban. Pesticide ban. And… needles. Of course!

      It all adds up, doesn’t it? The pattern is right there. It’s right there for those with eyes to see! WAKE UP SHEEPLE THE CONTRAILS ARE DOING IT FIRST THEY TAKE YOUR STRAWS THEN THEY BAN YOUR PESTICIDES AND YOU DON’T KNOW IT BECAUSE THERE’S SO MUCH FLUORIDE IN YOUR SOY MILK!!!!!

      Tinfoil hat loony tunes. At least your babbling is racking up more food pledges for the food bank.

  6. This park is awful. The neighborhood is being over-run by drug addicts. A woman in the park sort of exposed herself (pulled down to show us her bra and jeered at us) to my and my whole family about a month ago as we walked on Mary Ave N (to go to Mad Taki’s). There were 5 RV’s or Vans parked there, and about 10 garbage cans worth of litter (the homelss type of litter where there is ripped up clothes, trash, and broken sh_t everyehere). We also passed vomit on the sidewalk.

    There was a guy in the middle of 15th – literally in the street – around midnight a few weeks ago having some type of psychotic episode, and pulled off his pants and then proceeded to hit a parked car with his pants. (called the cops on that one).

    I hate that safeway. The last time I was at the safeway some homeless couple were eating food right in the middle of the isle. They opened up a package of lunchmeat and took some bites, then just threw it in the cooler.

    1. But muh canned food drives and muh social justice.

      Durkan is too busy “resisting” to worry herself about the scumf*cks taking over the neighborhoods, and her dumbf*ck supporters are too busy having feelings and mentally masturbating about “white guilt”. Seattle is currently at “peak retard”.

      1. How’s the shack village doing, by the way? Keeping the dealers busy, and the neighbors fearful of losing their property to some junkie who needs a hit?

    3. Safeway is doing a great job in managing the store. The city needs to do a better job. Can’t take on the amount of problems in the neighborhood that becomes a problem for all businesses in the Ballard community. Many are targeting Crown Hill because our community enables it at the expense of the Safeway employee.

      1. So, are you saying there is increased safety risk for Safeway employees? That sort of thing has been a growing issue around The Commons at QFC, Bartells and Walgreen drug stores, and around Fred Meyer from the unsanctioned bum villages along the BG Trail. FM has an armed guard in the store, a patrol cart in their lot, and they gripe and groan about all the theft. When is this City Council going to begin representing business in Ballard, Crown Hill and Fremont? Isn’t that Mike O’Brien’s job too?

        1. Of course there’s increased stress and safety risks for service workers in Seattle, but naturally the CC and their monkey-brained supporters don’t care about those “peasants” because they aren’t cool tech STEM peeps:

          “Haha, why you aren’t rich? Shut up you sound like a Trumper. Move to Marysville” etc.

          It’s the standard response to any “Jane/Joe Avg” concern about any of the SCC’s moronic policies and tax scams:

          “Wow how trashy! You NEED the parks for your KIDS to play in? We just send ours to the zoo after their private schools let out; what are you POOR? Wow. Why can’t you be cool about the heroin problem and make snide remarks while vinyl shopping at age 45 like the cool kids in Seattle. We all have dogs and cats instead of kids anyway, you losers! Nobody but losers complain about taxes!” etc

          It never ends. It would be funny but they’ve really wrecked the place.

    4. Awe c’mon man, you’re not supposed to say a thing about this new accepted behavior. All sanctioned by our selected idiots in command. Being a “good Dummycrat” means you bend over, grab your ankles and accept whatever is thrown your way. It’s YOU that’s the problem. When will you get this? This resistance stuff is just so much fun though. It’s only a problem when something happens to you and your property/family.

  8. Smart Seattle Liberals:
    “Hahah omg Rust Belt and the South is full of stupid white opiate addict Republicans. GOT WHAT YOU DESERVE for voting for conservatives. Hahaha. Stupid Trumpers.”

    Also Seattle Liberals:
    “Let’s let the opiate addicts take over Seattle, make our neighborhoods look like trailers parks in West VA, and force citizens to endure and PAY FOR the consequences. It’s the right thing to do!”

  9. Try walking in my shoes
    You’ll step upon some needles
    Take an AIDS test
    Hope it’s negative
    Try walking in my shoes
    You’ll trip upon a tent home
    Be accosted for your iPhone
    If you try walking in my shoes
    See the dirty junkie millions
    Invade Ballard for the herring
    Try walking in my shoes
    Have RV’s park at your house
    Get burglarized while you’re out
    Try walking in my shoes
    Sidewalk poopers pay no real dues
    Ballard Commons has got the blues

  10. Wow this has never happened before! Should we call CNN??? I wonder what could be the cause behind such a dastardly deed? Did the Brady Bunch do an episode on how to deal with homeless junkies?! They always taught good moral lessons!! Those were the days.

  11. I think Nav Team members should get hazard pay, for all the shitheads, druggies and mental cases they have to deal with. It is just a matter of time before one of them really gets hurt.

    1. It’s not just Nav team members who’ve gotten stuck a few weeks ago a teacher got stuck on the playground at JSIS. Now she has to be tested for the next year. There are needles found there constantly.

      1. Ever notice how many negative comment votes are generated when a caring responsible person offers comment about the irresponsible sleazeball druggers and the stupid shit they do? Pretty disgusting itself.

        I’m not missing Elenchos, either. Suppose he/she actually got a job, or just picked up on a drug charge?

        1. There are tons of junkie-hugging apologists on this site. Or, they could even be as upset about the direction the Council is headed in re: homelessness and drug addiction as you are; however, they’ll downvote you for your perceived ‘alt-right’ stance, which, in their estimations is worse than actually caring about the overall city and calling for action, not hugs, as a sane response to a growing problem.

          1. Mass shooting at a synagogue and bombs mailed to Il Douche’s enemies. Can’t imagine why alt-right isn’t getting any love.

            Wait I know why: Nazis are bad.

          2. Who here is an alt-right though? I said, because we don’t toe the progressive line, we’re immediately linked with anyone vaguely alt-right scented. Kind of the way you imagine ‘our side’ (whatever that may be) sees every Progressive as some soy-chugging, junkie-hugging enabler (whether that’s the actual reality or not), so every ‘progressive’ on this site sees those who want tougher actions against the homeless as alt-right Trumpers (again, whether that’s actually true or not.)

          3. Can’t go one day without another crybaby pity party because of your shit image? Feel sorry for yourself because nobody understands? Blame the media much? Whine for sympathy because it’s so easy for the libs to make you seem like a Nazi?

            Does this sound like you at all? Yep, you might be alt-right.

          4. Ah yes, the argument of the Progressive Left. They claim to embrace the diversity rainbow, yet only see two colors: black and white.

            Progressive: all of our homeless people are hardworking, honest, down on their luck folks.
            Sane, average person: that guy right there just shot up heroin and is attempting to rape that woman.
            Progressive: you’ve a vile nazi!

            The Far Left = the New Alt-Right!

          5. Not me, I didn’t vote for the Tangerine Tornado. Although I did have to hold my nose to vote for Hillary.

          6. I’ve never heard him called the Tangerine Tornado before. Can we incorporate something about tiny hands as well? Crap, can Littlefinger’s Tangerine Tornado be my new band name?

          7. Oh Hey look another crazed progressive calls everyone a Nazi. How surprising.
            Get harassed by junkies = NAZI
            Get car prowled = NAZI
            Tired of Seattle City Council corruption = NAZI

            What in the absolute HOLY HELL do any of Seattle’s shitty, self inflicted problems have to do with the tragedy in Pittsburgh?
            HINT: It has NOTHING to do with it, which is why you brought it up. Hell, the local Jewish community is fed up with the city because their cemeteries are full of crack whores and junkie thieves now. NICE WORK

  12. For what reason would he say he was watching the recreation center if there weren’t any destitute there?

    For what reason did his ‘impervious’ boot not secure his feet?

  13. It’s much more serious than many know. And joking about it has become a community norm. The Officer was doing his job and a unexplainable event took place. For many of us who keeps Ballards quality of life clean and green this is typical. Its funny how it is easy to poke fun at it when I don’t see many trying to have a impact when it comes to our our safety. I am not alone in this. I will be thinking about this while we clean the Burke Gilman Trail with Fremont Rotary volunteers tommorow.

    1. Any of our resident virtue signaling vagrant enablers helping you, Rudy? I’m guessing no. They’d rather just hand out free tents to encourage more of them to come here for you to provide maid service to.

    2. “A(n) unexplainable event took place…”
      Really? Like ‘how could this possibly happen here in Ballard???”.
      I got news for you. Letting homeless drug users roam free in your neighborhood is a pretty compelling explanation of how this happened.

      1. Careful there, you’re starting to sound like an alt-right Trumper!
        Actually, you just sound like a citizen who’s been paying attention to the neighborhood changes, but gosh, you can’t speak truth if it goes against the Progressive talking points of:
        homeless people are harmless
        they’re all locals down on their luck
        none of them use drugs
        Why, it must be the Noids doing all these drugs and property crimes. Dangit, I misplaced my blame again! I should have been looking at those pizza-deprived Noids as the reason Ballard’s been infested with RV and tent campers. My bad! I take back everything I’ve said about the Progressives! They’re all virtuous, forward-thinking, inclusionary warriors!

  15. Did you all hear about Mike O’Brien’s heartfelt expression of sympathy and concern for the officer? And his pledge to work to make our parks safe, pleasant and useful?

    Neither did I.

    1. Most police officers can’t stand O’Brien, already. That goes from patrol, to support and administration folks, as well as senior officers right to the very top. They think he is a flaming fool, as do many of us. Can’t wait until his term is up.

      1. Why do you guys brag so hard about insubordinate cops? What are you so proud of? Cops with no professional discretion?

        “Can’t wait until his term is up.” If only they could vote against him! But they can’t, can they?

        Most cops don’t even live in Seattle. They should save their opinions for their own elected officials, out in Edmonds or Wenatchee or bumfckwherever they live. If they are so unhappy serving the people of Seattle and the officials we choose, they know where the door is.

        What’s keeping them here? They’re to like myballard trolls, who hate Seattle but have no choice, since it’s either their mom’s rent-free basement in Seattle, or tent city.

        It doesn’t make sense. UNLESS… The myballard trolls are lying! Could it be??? Lying trolls? How could a cop give a troll who never leaves his keyboard, never sets foot outdoors any off the record comments? That adds up. Liars do lie, we know that.

        1. ” Edmonds or Wenatchee or bumfckwherever”

          And here we have the Neo-Seattle Far Left UTTER CONTEMPT for all other towns in the state on FULL DISPLAY. Real nice. Was SF too expensive for you? Your elitism is at odds with your heart that bleeds for all the downtrodden, oppressed junkies. And you guys wonder why people bail on the Democrats with all this condescending crap. Newsflash, you can always move to Crapitol Hill, Cupcake.

          1. You show contempt for Seattle every day. But now all of a sudden that’s not OK? You don’t even know what you think, flake.

        2. Most police officers don’t think much of the entire Seattle City Council. Don’t take my word for it. Ask them. Really makes no difference where they live. It is where they work, and for whom they work that counts. Some say they would never live in chaotic, crime ridden, deadbeat druggie filled, Seattle. I wonder why that is?

          1. Ask them? Why? We only need them to do their job. They’re not required to like it.

    2. O’Brien isn’t running for reelection. He successfully relocated The I-5 Jungle to Ballard – for him it’s mission accomplished.

        2. Amazing how a simple question gets 12 downvotes. It’s not like I murdered the guy and danced on his corpse. Heck, that might get me some upvotes!

  16. Ballard residents – fight back!

    Let the criminal-homeless know they are not welcome. Speak out! Leave notes. Make their lives difficult. Call the police for what it’s worth

    1. Leave notes? I’m not sure reading comprehension is high on the list of any criminal vagrant. Know why? If they can’t comprehend that ‘theft of property not yours is wrong’, they probably can’t comprehend a note saying ‘leave and don’t return.’

  17. Safeway is doing a great job in managing the store. The city needs to do a better job. Can’t take on the amount of problems in the neighborhood that becomes a problem for all businesses in the Ballard community. Many are targeting Crown Hill because our community enables it at the expense of the Safeway employee.

  18. OMG what about kids with sneakers on that could get poked by needles easier than someone wearing boots ! We need to figure out something to keep our kids safe in our parks even if it means locking up all junkies to keep them out of our parks !

  19. we the public have to deal with that everyday. yes the officers are brave men. but we the public are forced to live with it. everyday. all the parks, every small spot of green in the city. this needs to be dealt with. all of this tax money, and federal moneys, year after year and nothing happens but padding the pockets of administration.
    those moneys should go for mental facilities.
    and programs to get people “off” of heroine, not setting up free locations. rewarding people for doing wrong is obviously not working. and why would one ever think it would?

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