Unwanted night visitor - second incident

Hi all -- I live with Rachel (who posted on December 17th, 2005) -- we live on 19th between College & Bayview.

Yesterday (Saturday), someone repeatedly rang our doorbell around 2:30 in the afternoon. They disappeared by the time I got to the door. I didn't think anything of it at the time.

But then at 4am (Sunday) another disturbance: someone ringing our doorbell over and over, yelling and banging at our door. We didn't see anyone -- again, they disappeared before we got there -- but we called 911 right away. After the call, I stepped outside and saw the woman with white hair banging and kicking the door at 2340 19th (the yellow house that just became a rental last year). She was screaming "unlock the door!" and "let me in!" We called 911 again with an update on her location.

Police responded right away. (Thank you SPD.) Through the front window, we could see an officer standing inside, talking with a couple seated on a couch. Around 5am, a taxi arrived. The police escorted the white-haired woman as she loaded a bunch of stuff into the taxi. The taxi took off, and we walked out to talk with the officer.

I didn't catch the officer's name, but he was very friendly, courteous, professional. He explained that the couple that lives in that house had a fight, and he locked her out. After discussion with the police, it was decided that she should leave the house immediately. ("But she'll probably be back soon," he added.) He said she obviously "has mental issues," quite possibly schizophrenia, but the police can't have her committed because she's not a direct threat to herself or anyone else at this point in time.

 

Direct threat or not, it's not easy to just shrug off someone yelling and banging on my door in the middle of the night. If anyone knows the phone number for the landlord of that rental, we'd love to let them know how their tenants are affecting the neighborhood.

 

--

Darin

 

January 18, 2006

Dear Community Friends:

Reporting Crime to the Police

One of the cornerstones of the critical things law enforcement needs to know - and the cornerstone of Block Watch – is reporting suspicious activity to police and informing each other of the activity as well. So when do you call 9-1-1, and what can you expect when you call? Here’s a run-down.

Call 9-1-1 when:
· When you have a Police, Fire or Medical emergency.
· To report a crime that is in progress, or has just occurred.
· There is a situation that could, or does, pose a danger to life, property, or both.
· There is suspicious activity involving a Person(s), or Vehicle, that appears criminal in intent.
Please Note: Seattle Police 9-1-1 operators have immediate access to interpreters, who can assist them in communicating with callers, and TTY machines at every station. Also, If you are reporting an emergency occurring in another city (i.e. you are talking with a family member in Everett and they start having a heart attack) call 9-1-1 and to be transferred to the appropriate jurisdiction.
9-1-1 calls from pay phones and cell phones are free.

The Seattle Police Non Emergency Line: (206) 625-5011
Reasons for calling the non-emergency number include, but are not limited to the following:
· You want to report a nuisance, such as a noise or parking complaint.
· To report a non-emergency crime, one that did not just occur, and the suspect(s) are not in the immediate area.
· You have questions about something suspicious occurring in your neighborhood, and you are not sure it is criminal activity.





What To Expect When You Call:
Try to remain patient and calm while the 9-1-1 operator asks you questions. They are trained to ask specific questions to quickly determine what is wrong and what type of assistance to send. Please stay on the line until the operator tells you to hang up.

What Police Need To Know
Be prepared to answer these questions:
· Is it an emergency? Using the previous definitions, if the situation is not an emergency, please tell that to the operator up front.
· Your EXACT location: This may not always be the same as where the activity is occurring, but from where you are calling.
· The location of the activity: If you don’t have an exact location, give us the best location you can (near the intersection of Smith Ave. & Jones St.)
· Time lapse: Our response can be based on whether the crime happened five minutes ago, five hours ago, or is currently in progress.
· The exact activity you are reporting
· Suspect Information: Any information you can provide clothing, height, weight, age, direction of travel, etc. will be helpful to the responding officer(s).
· Weapon information. Are there any weapons involved? What type?

Phone Reports
With some crime reporting, you may be asked if you are willing to do a phone report rather than having an officer respond. This frees the officers to respond to other emergency calls.

Note: If you need/want an officer to respond to your location, call 9-1-1 and request an officer response.

We’ll cover more about crime reporting and suspicious activity in upcoming newsletters

Take Care and Stay Safe!

Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention

January 4, 2006 - SPD Community Newletter

Happy New Year Community Friends!

Car Related Crimes - Again

Some of you have got to be tired of this subject. However, the fact remains that we still have a very high degree of car related crimes in our area. We face three main car related crimes:
· Auto theft - someone steals your car
· Auto accessory theft – someone steals something that belongs to the car (stereo, wheels/rims)
· Car Prowl – someone steals something from the car (briefcase, cell phone, etc.)

Most car related crimes are preventable! Our own behavior contributes to the crime. Here are some examples.

Example #1: I pop into a convenience store to get a cup of coffee. I shut off the engine, get out of my car and lock the doors. The car that I pulled in next to has keys in the ignition and the engine running while the vehicle owner is getting their cup of coffee. Auto theft is one of the most frequent crimes in the Seattle metro area, so why make it easy for someone by leaving the keys in the car and the engine running? By the way, leaving an unattended vehicle running is a crime.

Example #2: Nice neighborhood with nice houses with nice garages and nice cars parked on the street instead of in the nice garage. Why? There’s no room in the garage for the car because it’s full of stuff. We make room in the garage for a $300 lawn mower, but leave our $25,000 car parked on the street. Make room in the garage for both. It’s a new year – make the resolution to clean out the garage to make room for your vehicle.

Example #3: I receive a lot of emails from people who have been the victim of a car prowl. I feel frustrated because people continue to leave items of value visible in their vehicles.


We hear the rationales “I was only away from the car for a few minutes;” “I spend most of my time in my car which is why most of my stuff is in there;” “I parked right out in front of my house;” “How could this happen, I live in a safe neighborhood;” and so on. Criminals do not care about your rationale or where you live: they only care about the stuff you left in your car.

If I’m a criminal and you have a purse, cell phone, briefcase, laptop, etc., laying there for me to take, I’m gonna take ‘em. If I don’t see anything of value visible in the car, I’m going to the next car. I’m lazy - that’s why I’m a criminal. I’m not going to waste my time and risk getting caught in the off chance that there might be something in the car. I’m going to spend my time and energy on the sure thing.

A Few Vehicle Crime Prevention Measures

· When you exit or enter your parked vehicle, stop and take a look around the area. Park in well-lit areas.
· Do not leave anything of value visible in your car. When you place purchased items in your car, place them in the trunk out of sight. Do this when you get to your car, rather than waiting until you park at your next stop.
· Never leave your car idling
· Always remove the keys, roll up the windows and lock the car.
· If you have a garage or carport, park your vehicle there rather than on the street
· If you park on the street, choose a well-lit, open space even if it means adding additional street/yard lighting & trimming back trees/bushes that block your view of your vehicle.
· Do not leave a spare or valet key in the glove box or anywhere else in the car, as it is likely to be used to steal the car.

Take Care and Stay Safe!

Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention