Question: Downtown residents are clashing with bars and venues over noise. What’s your take on Bellingham’s noise ordinance?
A: “It’s downtown. There’s going to be noise. Ultimately, we all have to live and work together, so we have to come to some resolution. A criminal (noise) infraction may solve the problem for that night, but what about tomorrow? Is that helping the neighborhood? Enforcement is the last thing we want to occur and the last thing we should do. We want to problem-solve the situation with what’s best for everyone involved. But changing the law to fit a certain situation isn’t always the best method. Maybe it’s how we deal with the law and not the law itself.”
Ramsay said he wants to see more communication between residents, business owners and police, adding that he’ll be looking into the issue more as he settles into office.
Q: During Chief Carroll’s administration, some downtown business owners became concerned that the department held too much sway over which liquor license applications were getting approved. When Carroll was in office, he had the final say on which applications the city recommended for approval or denial. Explain the department’s role in the process now.
A: Ramsay said the Washington State Liquor Control Board receives a license application, then asks for recommendations from the city. Under Ramsay, the BPD will send information about a license applicant to the city’s legal department — a change from Carroll’s administration, when final recommendations lay with Carroll alone. The legal department will make a recommendation to the liquor board.
“(BPD) looks for past (liquor) violations, calls for service of a disturbance nature and overserving issues. It’s important that the legal department give the approval (for liquor licenses). Our role is to investigate and be fact-finders.”
Q: BPD is parked in force outside The Royal on East Holly Street each weekend. How does night life affect your resources?
A: “It’s not the Royal; the Royal has good ownership. It’s just a central location, and (Horizon Bank) is closed, so we can park there. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday when the flood comes down the hill, you have to be ready to deal with those issues. When (officers) become fast-food servers — get the product out and move on to the next call — that’s not how we want to operate.”
Ramsay said officers are often strapped for time downtown, causing this kind of on-the-go service. “We want to solve problems or facilitate problem-solving,” he said, adding that he’s working to request city funding to add more officers to his staff to adequately represent the population increase in recent years.
Q: You grew up in Bellingham. How has downtown changed since you were 21?
A: “I got hired (by BPD) right out of college and was on the night shift. The rookies got downtown. I think it’s a lot nicer. We had some establishments that really didn’t care about their impact on the community.” (Ramsay, though prodded, declined to point fingers.) “Things are so much better than they used to be.”
Q: Bellingham residents and businesses often ask, “When will the police take care of the drug problems on Railroad Avenue?”
A: “As soon as society decides they don’t want drugs anymore (laughs). Though we want to do everything we can to stop sales and delivery of controlled substances, we can’t be everywhere at once. But we’re present downtown all the time, whether people can see us or not.”
