Recent Arson Activity

Once again, there has been recent arson activity we want to bring to your attention. In the past week there have been several probable Arsons.

On Monday, 8/20/07 at about 1:30am, unknown suspect(s) set fire to the back porch of an occupied residence on the 4500 block of South Alaska St. An attempt was made to set fire to the front porch as well. The suspect(s) also entered the back yard of the neighboring house to the south and dropped burning matches onto the wooden deck attached to the rear of the house. Two previous residential arson incidents in this neighborhood are still under investigation by the Arson/Bomb Squad and have similarities to this incident. - 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 incidents. However, there are similarities: - 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. Also early Monday, 8/20/07, at approximately 12:30pm, there was a fire at an
apartment complex on the 3900 Block of S. Hudson ST. The cause of the fire
is unknown at this time, but initial indications are that the origin of the
fire was suspicious in nature. 8/21/07 at approximately 3am, Fire fighters and police responded to a possible arson on the 1900 Block of 23rd Ave S. The building was a vacant warehouse. There are no indications of anyone being injured as a result of the fire. The Seattle Police Department Arson/Bomb Squad is doing the follow-up investigation of all the above incidents. If you have any information that may prove useful to the investigations, please contact 206.684.8980.

Arson Prevention Tips
Because of this recent activity, we want to again give you Fire Prevention information courtesy of the Seattle Fire Department. 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, 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

August 10, 2007

Who Ya Gonna Call? (click image at left to see LARGER)

For immediate police response, use 911 to report any crime in progress (or one that recently occurred) or suspicious activity. Examples of what to call about include any incident in which someone is in imminent physical danger (fight disturbance, abuse or assault, robbery), burglary or other property crime that recently occurred. An easy way to think about it is this: if you want a cop to show up, Call 911.

If you don’t need immediate police response, but you want to make a report about something potentially criminal in nature, use our non-emergency number, which is 206.625.5011. Some examples: a car blocking your driveway; a property crime (burglary/car prowl that happened over the weekend while you were out of town) for which you have no evidence or witnesses; graffiti or vandalism.

But who do you call when you have an on-going neighborhood issue that is not just a crime issue? Who do you call when you’ve got a situation that calling 911 is not going to fix? Who do you call when you a question or concern about police services? You call the Community Police Team.

The Community Police Team (CPT) is a separate unit of officers in each Precinct that works on long term, on-going public safety issues. CPT members work one-on-one with neighbors, neighborhood groups, businesses and business associations. CPT Officers often partner with other City, County and State entities to affect neighborhood change. It is not uncommon for officers to work with the Department of Planning and Development regarding zoning and code enforcement issues, with Seattle Public Utilities regarding illegal dumping and graffiti clean up, with Metro Transit regarding issues at or around bus shelters, or with King County Environmental Health on abandoned properties that have become harborages for rats. You think of the agency, CPT is probably working with them on some level to positively impact the public safety of a neighborhood.

Call CPT when you have an issue in your area that cannot be resolved by contacting 911 alone. Examples include (but are definitely not limited to): abandoned vehicles; abandoned properties; nuisance properties; concerns regarding disruptive & uncivil behaviors at businesses, and everything from narcotics activity to a safety presentation for pre-schoolers.

Your South Precinct Community Police Team Officers. See the map accompanying this newsletter
• Officer Mike Alphin is the point of contact for concerns in the New Holly, Seward Park, Brighton, and Othello Park areas. 233-1540, michael.alphin@seattle.gov
• Officer Ed Haynes covers North Beacon Hill. 233-2023, ed.haynes@seattle.gov
• Officer Don Jones has Mount Baker, Genesee, Columbia City/Hillman City and the Lakewood/ Seward Park area. 233-1548, donald.jones@seattle.gov
• Officer Craig “CJ” McRae, serves the South Beacon Hill, Rainier Beach, upper Rainier Beach and Rainier View neighborhoods. 233-1543, craig.mcrae@seattle.gov
• Officer Mike Bonet works specifically with Seattle Housing Authority High-Rise properties. These include Barton Place, Center Park and Beacon Tower. 233-1545, michael.bonet@seattle.gov
• If you are not sure to whom you should speak, call the general CPT line at 386-9184.


So, if these are the people to call about some of the issues listed above, then why do neighbors call me your crime prevention guy? Stay tuned - that answer and more in our next installment.

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

National Night Out Against Crime — taking to the streets to make them safer

By Seattle Times staff

JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES

The lights were on, but no one was home.

Instead, thousands of Seattle-area residents took to the streets Tuesday evening to meet with neighbors and police during the annual National Night Out Against Crime. Neighborhoods throughout the region — and across the U.S. — marked the event with barbecues, block parties, parades and ice-cream socials designed to strengthen community spirit and develop partnerships with local law enforcement.

Participants were asked to turn on their porch lights to show solidarity.

"It presents an opportunity for people to be neighborly," said Matt Peskin, executive director of the National Association of Town Watch and organizer of the first National Night Out in 1984. "The interaction is what is the cornerstone of National Night Out. You're getting people out and talking."

Times reporters visited several National Night Out events Tuesday to capture the spirit of an event that makes friends of longtime neighbors and partners of police, and helps rekindle neighborhood unity. This is what they found:

South Rainier Avenue

Just around the block from what they called "our infamous car wash," neighbors at the block party for the Rainier-Othello Safety Organization (ROSA) watched dozens of children dig into barbecued ribs, bounce around an inflatable dragon and ride their bikes up and down the street — something they wish could happen more often.

Unfortunately, the drug dealing and prostitution that emanates from the area around the car wash on the corner of South Rainier Avenue and Othello Street, according to police, draws an unsavory crowd most evenings. Through ROSA, the neighbors are instituting regular neighborhood walks, beautifying the street and confronting the drug dealers — all to make it clear that crime is unwelcome. "We've discovered, actually, that some of the best ways to help are also the nicest ways," said Leslie Miller, who organized Tuesday's block party. "Know your neighbors. Clean up your yard."

Seattle police South Precinct Capt. Tom Byer stopped by to say hello and grab a plate of ribs. He said his officers have also been cracking down on traffic enforcement. The traffic stops make it safer to walk the streets, he said, but have also led to a number of gun seizures.

SHARE PHOTOS OF EVENT
FULL STORY

LOST BLACKBERRY

Hi neighbors -
A BlackBerry was lost while walking dogs on Wed. night – contact jlfredericks@gmail.com - or call 412-9355 if found. Thanks! L.

Humane Society for Seattle/King County offers a $5,000 REWARD

Humane Society for Seattle/King County offers a $5,000 REWARD
for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any person who organizes dog fights, participates in dog fights, promotes dog fighting,
or officiates at dog fights.

For full link/story: For http://www.seattlehumane.org/pr07-26-2007michaelvick.shtml

Free water saving shower heads

http://www.savingwater.org/inside_bathroom_showerheads.htm

South Precinct Email Community Newsletter 7.13.07

Dear Community Friends

Residential Burglary

We cannot stress enough the importance of taking steps to secure your home to prevent burglary.

As we’ve detailed in the past, we often see an increase in home burglaries during warm weather months. Windows are left open for ventilation, yet we often forget to close and lock those windows as we leave the home, which creates an opportunity for a would-be burglar to gain entry without using any force. Recent incident reports show a marked increase in the number of burglaries where the burglar entered through an opened and unlocked window.

Additionally, we’ve had those rare burglaries where an attempt or successful entry was made into the home while the residents were there. I stress that occupied burglaries are rare. Most burglars do not want to encounter anyone, which is why the majority of residential burglaries take place during the day when residents are most likely to be away from the home at work. In cases where a resident was home, the burglar may have just been in the home long enough to take a few items before fleeing; in other cases the would-be burglar fled after realizing that the home was not vacant.

You may think it’s safe to leave a window open for ventilation because of its height off the ground. This is not always the case. In a recent incident, burglars used a lawn chair from the person’s back yard to boost themselves up to the point where they could reach and further open the already opened kitchen window. In another incident, a neighbor’s ladder was used to gain entry via a second story window.

Open and unlocked windows are not the only way burglars are gaining entry into the home. Quite often, a rear door is forced open, usually by kicking it near the knob/lock.

Another thing we often see this time of year is burglaries of residences when the occupants are away on vacation or may have gone out of town for a few days. In these instances, there are telltale signs that indicate someone hasn’t been at the home in a while. These include mail and/or newspapers piling up, curtains drawn during the daytime, porch lights left on during daylight, … things that make it apparent that no one has been home in a while.

What You Can Do

Burglary, like most crime, is a crime of opportunity. Let’s eliminate those opportunities and possibly, therefore, the crime.
• Always close and lock windows whenever away from the home. 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”

. For double hung windows, consider sash pins. Some windows have stops installed on the inside track, which will also prevent the window from being opened too far. We still advise that you close and lock all windows and doors for any time you area away from your 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

. 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.
. If you’re going to be away for an extended time, ask a friend or trusted neighbor to watch your home.

. Let your trusted neighbors know that you plan to be out town so that they can watch your home for you. 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).

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



Night Out 2007 Reminder

Once again, we wanted to send you a reminder about National Night Out Against Crime 2007. It is Tuesday, August 7th. To find out more about this, please contact Kathy Kaminski, Seattle Neighborhood Group’s Weed & Seed Program Coordinator at 206.323.9671 or email at kathy@sngi.org.


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