Incoming police chief comes clean
With Seattle Police Chief John Diaz retiring at the end of May, his interim replacement Chief Jim Pugel will take the helm. In an unexpected move, Pugel voluntarily released an SPD training video he was part of created in 1986 that made fun of homeless people living under the Viaduct with a song called “Under the Viaduct” to the tune of “Under the Boardwalk.” The video is available for viewing at www.spdblotter.seattle.gov. In his apology, Pugel said, in part, “I regret my participation and have professionally apologized for my role in it. I do so now publicly, I am truly sorry.” The video was deemed offensive by SPD command at the time it was made and ordered destroyed, but a master copy was kept in their video unit. Pugel said he has volunteered for homeless causes many times since that video was made and, “As a police department, we have much work to do to strengthen our relationships in the community. Sometimes that means addressing an ugly piece of our history.”
Safe capers fall short
A woman living on the 3200 block of S.W. 100th St. came home on April 21 after being away for work for a few days to find her home had been broken into. As she perused the crime scene she noticed something strange: small, muddy tire tracks leading from the broken window used as an access point to her bedroom. In her room, the victim found two of her wheelbarrows (“previously in her backyard” as the reporting officer wrote) with a large heavy safe nearby. It appeared the unknown suspects tried to wheel their loot away, but couldn’t quite muster the strength. Instead, the unsavory characters stole jewelry and knocked a picture of the woman’s grandchild to the ground. A fingerprint dusting was unsuccessful in pulling clear prints.
Chipping away
An unknown burglar broke into a S.W. Juneau St. home in the early evening hours of April 16 by slowly whittling away at the wooden door until the deadbolt was exposed and could be disengaged. The reporting officer said the secluded location of the door would have allowed the thief to spend ample time with his or her nontraditional technique.
House alarm works as advertised
While house alarms sometimes get a bad rap for being ineffective in truly reducing the risk of a burglary, an alarm did its job well on April 22. Police said someone tried to break into a home on the 9400 block of 8th Ave. S.W. shortly after 11 a.m. The victim was at work and received a call from an alarm company employee who said her hallway monitor was going off, but the sound monitor was not picking up any footsteps inside. The unknown burglar broke into a kitchen window that had the alarm company’s logo on it, using a window punch tool to break the glass and gain entry. Responding officers said it appeared the crook tripped the hallway alarm and fled the scene immediately as nothing appeared to be missing or disturbed.
Past neighbor suspected
Someone ransacked a house on the 3900 block of S.W. Bradford St. during the day on April 21, stealing several pieces of high-quality jewelry including gold rings with emeralds, diamonds and pearls and gold-encrusted watches. Two M-96 Swedish Mauser rifles were also stolen. A neighbor of the victim told police he saw an old neighbor, known as a drug user who no longer lived in the area, wandering about the block that day.
Crimes reported from April 21 – 25
Robberies by block: None to report
Burglaries by block: 7700 27th Ave. S.W., 9400 12th Ave. S.W., 9400 7th Ave. S.W., 9400 8th Ave. S.W., 3900 S.W. Bradford St., 3200 S.W. 100th St., 3200 Alki Ave. S.W., 2600 42nd Ave. S.W., 1300 Harbor Ave. S.W., 8900 California Ave. S.W., 2600 42nd Ave. S.W., 6300 29th Ave. S.W., 8400 41st Ave. S.W.
Car prowls by block: 5600 Delridge Way S.W., 4000 S.W. Thistle St., 2800 S.W. Bataan St.
Vehicle thefts by block: 6600 Fauntleroy Way S.W., 4000 S.W. Thistle St., 4000 32nd Ave. S.W., 8100 6th Ave. S.W.
