South Precinct Email Community NewsletterApril 18, 2007

Dear Community Friends,

Crime Terminology

Here¹s a summation of a number of conversations I¹ve had:
Crime Victim (CV): I¹ve been robbed!
Mark (M): Really? Tell me what happened.
CV: Well, I went to the store and someone came in through the garage and
robbed me. They took my laptop and some jewelry. In broad daylight!
M: Actually, you weren¹t robbed. You were burglarized.
CV: What? What difference does it make? Someone stole my stuff!
M: Okay, on that we can agree.

The reason I point this out is because for law enforcement, there is a
difference between Robbery, Home Invasion Robbery, Burglary, Trespass and
Theft. When you talk to law enforcement or call 911, the language you use
makes a difference. So, with that introduction out of the way, I¹m going to
give you the plain language definitions of each term.

Trespass is when someone enters physical property, not his or her own,
without permission. It could be a parking lot, a business, or somebody¹s
yard. If that person does not have permission to go there, or has not been
given implicit permission because of the type of business (a fast food
place, for example) the person is trespassing. If the person is told they
are trespassing and is asked to leave, if they refuse to leave, that person
can be arrested for trespassing.

Burglary is when someone enters physical property, not his or her own,
without permission, with the intent to commit a crime. The crime could be
to take belongings from the property (i.e. theft), or against a person
within the property (i.e. assault). This could be a residence (residential
burglary), a place of business (commercial burglary), a detached storage
shed or garage (kinda counts as residential), or even a public storage unit
or storage yard (kinda more commercial). It doesn¹t matter if force is used
to gain entry, if someone was home at the time (in the case of a residential
burglary) and it doesn¹t matter is something is stolen. The unlawful entry
of the property with intent to commit a crime is burglary. For the record,
most residential burglaries occur during the day, (when most folks are away
at work) and most commercial burglaries occur at night (when most workers
are at their residence).

Robbery is the physical taking of property from another individual by the
use of force or the implied use of force. An example would be a lady
walking down the street and someone comes up from behind, grabs her purse
off of her shoulder, and though the lady tries to hang on, the purse is
taken anyway; that is a strong-arm robbery, better known as a purse snatch.
Say a guy is walking down the street and another guy comes up to him and
says, ³give me your wallet,² while showing a knife or other weapon. That¹s
an armed robbery, whether the weapon was used or not. The physical taking
of another person¹s property through force - or implied use of force - is
robbery, whether a weapon is used or not. Use or implication of a weapon
just helps us categorize the ³type² of robbery.

Theft is when property is taken, period. Shoplift (taking something from a
store without paying for it), auto theft and auto accessory theft (car
stereo/CD player) are examples of theft. One form of theft frequently
happens when we go shopping and we leave our belongings (purse, backpack,
wallet) unattended. While we¹re busy looking on the bottom shelf for the
least expensive oatmeal, someone has taken the purse or backpack, or taken
something out of the purse or backpack (wallet, cell phone) without
permission, or knowledge, or direct threat or actual use of force. No one
implied a threat or used force to take it from you; no one entered your home
or place of business to get it; it was there and they took it. That¹s theft.

Home Invasion Robbery is a whole different kind of critter. A home invasion
robbery is when the perpetrators enter the home with the intent of finding
someone there. The perpetrators use weapons and (often) actual violence to
get the people in the home to give them money, jewelry and other belongings.
Household members in the home are often restrained, threatened and beaten,
and they are often told that if they report the crime to the police, they
will be killed. This is a scary type of occurrence. Thankfully, it is also
extremely rare, which is why it gets so much media attention when it
happens.

The term ³Home Invasion Robbery² is more of a media creation rather than an
actual crime, but the term has been widely adopted. If the perpetrators
unlawfully enter the property, the crime is primarily a burglary. However,
the introduction of guns or other dangerous weapons by the perpetrators, and
the threat or use of those weapons, allow the crime to be charged as both
burglary and robbery in many cases. If weapons are used, there is a weapons
enhancement added at sentencing (which means the suspects will do more time
if convicted), and a firearms enhancement if a gun was used ­ an automatic
five year additional sentence if convicted.

So, when you call 911 to report a crime, or you talk to police officers
about a crime, be sure as to which crime you¹re talking about. If someone
entered your residence without your permission sometime over the weekend
while you were out of town, don¹t call in saying you had a Home Invasion
Burglary. No, you had a burglary. If someone takes a shopping bag from
your car while you were in The Mall doing some more shopping, don¹t call 911
to report you were robbed. No, you had a theft.

I hope this clears things up a bit.

Until next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!
Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator

Burglar Wanted

Our neighobr Craig Thompson wants to know if anyone has seen this man. He is apparently wanted for a burglary on Island Crest Drive . If you see this man call 911 as he is wanted in connection with SPD case # 07-136189.

Recent Arsons in the South End

Dear Community Friends,

In the past week there have been 2 Arson fires of note:
- 4/2/07, approximately 11pm: 4600 Block of 43rd Ave. South. Single-family
residence. $500,000 loss, Unknown person(s) used hand held flame to ignite
combustibles on exterior of structure.
- 4/8/07, Approximately 1:45am: 5900 Block of 51st Ave. South.
Single-family residence. $400,000 loss, Unknown person(s) applied an
ignitable liquid to exterior of home and lighted the same with an open
flame.

At this time there is no solid evidence linking these two incidents.
However, there are similarities:
- Both houses were situated on corner lots with easy access to the back
yards
- The fires were started using available materials present
- The fires were started at the rear of each structure at ground level
underneath enclosed but accessible areas
- The houses were occupied at the time.
The victims in each reported no prior threats, and know of no reason they
might have been targeted. There have been no witnesses located. There is
no suspect information at this time. The Seattle Police Department
Arson/Bomb Squad is doing the follow-up investigation of both incidents. If
you have any information that may prove useful to the investigations, please
contact 206.684.8980

The following information is courtesy of the Seattle Fire Department.

Help Stop Arson
Fires started by people to hurt others or damage property are called arson.
Arson is a crime.
Help stop arson by taking the following steps:

Outside
- Lock doors and windows of your home, garage and car.
- Remove weeds and grass from around your home.
- Remove any trash, boxes or wood stored next to your home.
- Lock up gasoline or other liquids that could be used to start a fire.
- Trim bushes away from doors and windows.
- Leave outside lights on when it is dark.

Inside
- Test your smoke alarms once a month to make sure they will work in a fire.
- Make and practice a fire escape plan. Make a map showing two exits from
every room.
- Make sure windows and screens can be opened easily from the inside if
needed for escape.

If you see suspicious activity, report it to 9-1-1 while it is happening.

If you have information related to an arson fire, you can call the Arson
Alarm Hotline at

1-800-55-ARSON (1-800-552-7776). The person providing information may
remain anonymous. A reward may be provided for information that leads to an
arson conviction.

Until next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!
Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator

South Precinct Email Community Newsletter - April 4, 2007

Dear Community Friends,

Domestic Violence
This week we have seen local and national news reports that have brought the
issue of domestic violence to the forefront.

· On Monday, April 2, 32007, Rebecca Griego was shot and killed by her
ex-boyfriend, Jonathan Rowan. Griego had a restraining order against Rowan
as he had repeatedly threatened her during and after their on-and-off
relationship. He stalked and harassed her and her family. Though she had
moved and changed her phone number, Rowan continued to call her at work.
Co-workers were advised of the situation and told to watch out for him.
Even with that, Rowan went to Griego¹s place of employment at the University
of Washington, shot her as she was alone in her office, then shot himself.

· On Tuesday, April 3, 2007, Clara Riddles, of College Park, Georgia,
was fatally shot by her ex-boyfriend, Arthur Mann, at the CNN Center complex
in Atlanta. Witnesses saw Mann pulling Riddles by her hair. Riddles was
screaming, trying to wrestle free of Mann. Witnesses said Riddles appeared
to be shot at point-blank range, ³Šlike he [Mann] had the gun right on top
of her head and shot her." Mann was subsequently shot by a security
officer, is currently in a hospital in stable condition, and has been
charged with Riddles¹ murder.

Domestic violence is the ugly elephant in the room that nobody really wants
to talk about. Much domestic abuse goes unreported. The victims (or as I
prefer to refer to them as ­ the survivors) may feel shamed, trapped, or
afraid. While many of us may think, ³just leave.² Think about the above
examples. These women did everything they could. They got out, they had
retraining orders, they moved on. Unfortunately, the ex-boyfriends did not.
It is a fact that a person is far more likely to be assaulted, abused, or
raped by someone they know, have trusted or live with than they are by a
stranger. In most instances, the victims or survivors have options. There
is assistance for those who want or need it, and there is always something
that can be done.

Seattle Police Response to Domestic Violence

Seattle Police respond to domestic violence calls more than any other
person-to-person crime. A domestic violence call is dispatched with the
highest priority because of the potential for harm or death. Once at the
scene of the domestic violence call, if there is evidence of physical
assault, the abuser will be arrested, removed from the scene and charged
with domestic violence Assault. Arrest and removal of the abuser is
mandatory per Washington state law.

Further, Seattle is one of the only police departments in the country that
has a dedicated Domestic Violence Investigations unit. The detectives in
this unit consider their work ³Murder Prevention.² That should give you an
idea of how serious they take the issue.

Additionally, Seattle has a unique program called the Domestic Violence
Victim Support Team. The Victim Support Team is a partnership between
community volunteers and police. The program is designed to address the gap
in services for domestic violence victims that often occurs over the
weekend, working with the survivors from the time patrol officers respond to
a domestic violence call to the time advocates, detectives and prosecutors
make contact with the victim(s) for follow up. Victim Support Team
volunteers provide crisis intervention, safety planning, help locating
emergency resources, transportation to a safe location, and referrals to
over 100 community agencies. For more information about the Victim Support
Team, or to get involved, please call (206) 684-7721.

There are a number of state, local and national domestic violence resources.
If you know those who need assistance, good starting points are the King
County Coalition Against Domestic Violence website (www.kcadv.org
<http://www.kcadv.org/> ) or call the Washington State Domestic Violence
hotline: 1-800-562-6025.

Until next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!
Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator

Community Update March 2007

Dear Community Friends,

Home Invasion Robberies Update
As you are well aware, we’ve experienced a series of home invasion robberies in the past few months. The first one that came to our attention was the one that occurred in the Mount Baker neighborhood in late January 2007. There were also home invasion robberies in the Lakeridge area and South Beacon Hill. The good news: two suspects have been arrested and charged, and a third suspect has been identified and is currently being sought.

Eyewitness accounts from the victims of these crimes proved critical to placing these individuals at the crime scenes. South Precinct detectives were able to get identification from a photomontage, get the suspect information out to officers, and within hours of the warrant being released, SWAT officers arrested the first suspect.

Working with Bellevue PD (who identified one of the three suspects as being involved in a kidnapping, burglary and assault), and King County detectives, the second suspect was identified. He was located at a Renton pawnshop as he tried to unload property identified as stolen in the home invasion robberies. When this suspect was arrested, he had property on him from the Mount Baker home invasion robbery. When a warrant was served where this suspect was residing, additional property from the Mount Baker, Lakeridge and South Beacon Hill home invasion robberies was recovered.

The third suspect was eventually identified and a $500,000 warrant was issued for his arrest. This suspect seems to have “gone to ground”, but it’s only a matter of time before he is found, arrested and charged. After all, his name and photo are all over the news and every law enforcement agency and informant is out looking for the guy.

These arrests and eyewitnesses who picked the suspects out of a line-up have helped detectives close cases in multiple jurisdictions dating back to November 2006. These include the Bellevue case mentioned above, a West Seattle burglary, the Mount Baker, Lakeridge and South Beacon Hill home invasions robberies, and other home invasion robberies in South and West Seattle.

Many have expressed frustration, anger and fear about these robberies. We understand. There was a lot of frustration and anger about how police were responding to these crimes. Again, we understand. There are a couple of take-aways from these events that need to be highlighted.
1) Home invasion robberies are scary. Fortunately, they are very rare. It is the type of crime we fear the most, but one that happens the least.
2) Police will respond to the 911 call, they will collect evidence, the detectives will follow-up on the evidence and investigate to the best of their ability, and they will beat the bushes to close cases, using every resource they have.
3) Eyewitness information, and the willingness of witnesses and victims to come forward, were essential to getting the suspects identified, arrested and charged. If not for those people who were able to pick the suspects out of a photomontage, we would not have had any probable cause to arrest or charge any of these individuals with any crime.

These incidents stress how important it is that crimes are reported, even if an officer is not able to respond immediately. They also stress the importance paying attention to what is happening in your neighborhood so you can point out to police that which is out of the ordinary, and of people’s willingness to make a statement about the crime and identify those involved. Police don’t solve crimes alone. They don’t catch criminals alone. Police strive to do their best. But it can’t be done without you. The arrests of these home invasion robbery suspects are further proof of that. We scored a win, and while it was the detectives that did the grunt work to make it happen, it is you that facilitated that win.

Until next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!
Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator

NEW - Break in on 18th south of College

From Wade Tibke -

-----------------------
I live on 18th Ave S. just south of college. In the middle of the day (this Monday)... three dark complected males in their late teens/early 20s kicked down my front door in broad daylight. One of them stood watch out front while the other two broke down the dead bolted door and proceeded to look through drawers etc. Fortunately three neighbors heard them kick open the door (again the front door at noon)... and called the cops. The cops arrived shortly thereafter. The intruders had been scared off by the neighbors coming out... and as far as I can tell basically only took change. It's amazing how bold they must feel to attempt this. The one on lookout took off very quickly after they busted the door... and the other two ran out the back. I did not speak to the cops (they were gone when I arrived).. but apparently they told one of the neighbors they may have caught one of them. One neighbor actually spoke to the guy on outlook. He told the neighbor that he was looking for his pit bull.

People need to look out for any suspicious activity and call 911 immediately. These people obviously look out of place in the neighborhood.

Thanks,

Wade

------------------------

South Precinct Email Community Newsletter 2/7/07

Dear Community Friends,

Recent Activity
There have been several reported incidents of Home Invasion Robberies in the Seattle area. In the past two weeks, one home invasion robbery occurred in the Mount Baker neighborhood, one near Othello Park and one in the Lakeridge neighborhood just south of the city limits. The times of when these have occurred vary; two occurred in late evening hours while one occurred during early morning. One of the victims was injured during the robbery. The number of perpetrators has been 2-4 individuals, most likely males ranging in age from mid/late teens – early/mid 20s. The perpetrators were armed in two of the events. Witnesses have not been able to provide definitive suspect descriptions for any of the perpetrators and we do not know at this time if the same perpetrators committed all three robberies. In the Lakeridge robbery, the perpetrators stole the victim’s vehicle, a gray 2007 Volkswagen Jetta, (license # 595-VWS) and it has yet to be located. If you see this car, call 911 immediately. The driver and occupants are considered armed and dangerous.

In one case, the intruders gained entry by forcing open a basement window. In another, intruders knocked on the door and the victim answered and opened the door, even though he didn’t know who they were.

When someone comes to your door, we advise that you answer the door. Let the person outside the door know that someone is home. Since burglars mostly try to avoid someone being home, by letting them know you’re there you may thwart a burglary attempt. Answering the door does not mean opening the door. Always know who’s on the other side of that door before you open it. Even if you are expecting someone, take a moment to look outside and see who is there. If you do not have a peephole, either go to a side window that allows you to see who’s at the door or install one. If you don’t recognize the person, do not open the door. Talk to them through the door. Don’t worry about being rude; this is about your safety, not their feelings. By not opening the door, you keep a barrier between you and the unknown person. You are better protected and have more safety options.

Home Security – What Works
We’re continuing our theme of practical and effective security tips to help secure your home from residential burglary and to make your neighborhood less attractive to the potential burglar.

Recommendations Regarding Doors With Glass Portions:
Doors with glass panels are vulnerable. An intruder could break the glass panel, reach in and unlock the door. Consider one or more of the following options:
• Install a flip latch close to the floor out of arms reach.
• Install a floor bolt on the door, with a bolt that extends at least 1” into the floor.
• If the door has a single cylinder deadbolt – or no dead bolt - consider replacing the installing a double cylinder deadbolt lock. This would require a key to be used to open the lock from the inside as well. Remember to remove the key from the lock and store it away from the reach of the door. Note: per Seattle Fire Code, double cylinder deadbolts cannot be installed in rental properties.
• Cover the window of the door with Plexiglas or decorative grillwork that will prevent an intruder from breaking the glass and reaching in to unlock the door.
• Replace the glass portion with more durable, thicker glass.
• Replacement with a solid door that has some glass in the upper portion, but with thicker, more durable glass and smaller panes.
• Replace the door with one that is solid core with no glass upper panel.

Until next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!

Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator