SPD Community newsletter from Mark Solomon, Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator

Dear Community Friends,

Recent Burglary Arrest
On Tuesday, June 12, 2012, a witness reported seeing an adult male tampering with a window on the 4200 block of S Raymond ST. The suspect was then seen entering the residence through the window and then exiting through the front door. A description of the suspect was broadcast; while investigating officers were processing the crime scene, other responding officers were able to locate the suspect. The suspect was positively identified by the witness, arrested, and booked into King County Jail for Investigation of Burglary. We want to acknowledge the work of Officers G. Barreto, E. Beseler, C. Caron, B Eggers, R. Huserik, M. Martin, and V. Pirak. Our sincere gratitude to the alert witness who saw the suspect tampering with the window. The witness did not hesitate to call the incident in to 911 and without that call, this suspect would not have been apprehended. Your calls to 911 do make a difference.

Summer Time Safety
Although it may not seem like it, we are entering the warm weather months. We’ve already seen burglaries through open second story windows where the burglar used the homeowner’s unsecured ladder to gain entry. We’ve seen the A/C unit taken out of a window to allow a burglary to gain entry. And we’ve seen the old fashioned boot to the door.

As we usually see an increase in residential burglaries through open windows/unlocked during this time of year, we wanted to take a moment to send out security tips for the warm weather months. Please share these tips with your neighbors.

Close And Lock Windows; Limit How Far They Can Be Opened
Always close and lock windows whenever away from the home. While we understand the desire to ventilate the home when you are not there because of the heat, be aware that you make your home vulnerable and you create an opportunity for the burglar.

If you want to leave windows open enough for ventilation, but not wide enough for someone to gain entry, use a dowel for sliding glass windows cut to allow the window to open no more than 4”. Some windows have stops installed on the inside track, which help prevent the window from being opened too far. However, some of these are not very sturdy and can be opened given the right amount of force. Please consider augmenting those stops with track locks or with a simpler dowel. For double hung windows, consider sash pins to better secure the windows from being opened.

Lock Your Doors
Install good quality dead bolt locks with at least a 1” throw on all exterior doors.

Replace the existing screws in the strike plates with screws that are 3”-4” long. When a door is forced open, it is the jamb that splinters and gives, not the door. By securing the strike plates with 3”-4” long screws, you secure the jamb to the wall stud. When the deadbolt lock is engaged, the bolt goes into the jamb and the jamb is now secured to the framing of the home. This makes it much more difficult for a person to force open a properly locked door.

Working In The Yard
If working in the yard in the back of the home, do not leave your front door open and/or unlocked. If you have a garage or storage unit that is out of your line of sight, be mindful of what is in plain view to anyone who may be walking or driving by. Close those doors as well.

Secure Tools and Ladders
Secure all tools, including ladders, so they cannot be used to gain entry into your home or that of a neighbor.

If Away For An Extended Period Of Time
If you’re going to be away for an extended time, ask a friend or trusted neighbor to watch your home. If they see suspicious activity while you are gone, they will know to call 911 for you.

Have the Post Office hold your mail and hold your newspaper delivery.

Make it appear that your home is occupied. You can do this by having timers set within the home that will turn lights on and off. You may want to consider timers for your exterior lights or photocell attachments (which activate when it gets dark and go off when it becomes light).

Do Not Leave Personal Belongings Unattended
Whether they are in a shopping cart or on a picnic blanket, always maintain positive control over your belongings. Never leave personal belongings unattended in your vehicle. Seattle has a high rate of theft of personal property from vehicles, particularly at public parks.

Night Out 2012
Our Registration link for Night Out Against Crime 2012 is now active.

Please go to:
http://www.seattle.gov/police/nightout/default.htm
There are a few things to note.
Once you have registered your event, you will get email verification. You can go back in and edit and/or cancel your event later if you need to.
The Night Out invitations available on our website are in pdf and are editable and printable from there.

You can choose to add your event to a map as well. To share your event, go to: http://www.seattle.gov/police/nightout/nightoutevents.htm. It can take approximately 48 hours to populate the map.

West Seattle Block Watch Appreciation Party
The West Seattle Block Watch Captain's Network is hosting a Block Watch Captain's Appreciation Party. The Event is FREE for the Block Captain and a guest. Please see below for details and to RSVP to attend.

Block Watch Captains’ Appreciation Party
June 22, 2012, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
VFW HALL
3601 SW Alaska St. Seattle, Washington 98126
RSVP is required – http://www.planetreg.com/E412134350223137
Hosted by the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network
with partial funding by the Department of Neighborhoods.
wsblockwatchnet@gmail.com (206) 424-0040
http://wsblockwatchnet.wordpress.com

Thank you for all you do for your neighborhoods. Until next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!

Mark Solomon, Crime Prevention Coordinator, mark.solomon@seattle.gov, 206.386.9766