Recent car break-ins and attempted thefts

Hi all - just a reminder to not leave valuables in your cars -
especially at night - as it tempts car prowlers. Last week our
neighbor's car across from us had two windows smashed in the night.
Unsure if the jerks found anything valuable - but it is never fun to
come out to that in the am!

Saturday night at around 10:30 - 11:00 (this is all second hand info)
Carolyn Sakoda at 2352 20th Ave. nearly had her car ripped off. The
perps were nabbed thank goodness - so hopefully we won't see much more
of that (our fingers are crossed). Remember you can get a discounted
club for your car through Seattle City Neighborhoods: just contact Kay
Godefroy at kay@sngi.org or go to http://www.sngi.org/theclub.html.

Happy Halloween to everyone - let's all be safe and on the look out for
trouble makers!

To post to the blog email: beaconcrimewatch.leeshaw@blogger.com

Take care! L.

ALERT - ATTEMPTED CHILD ABDUCTIONS

Dear Neighbor:

As you may have heard or seen in local news reports, there have been
several attempted child abductions in King County in the past few days.
In each case, the brave child victims took the right steps in not
talking with the strangers, in drawing attention to their situations, in
successfully getting away from the suspects and in reporting the
incidents.

We ask you to be alert and vigilant. If you see or have any information
that could lead to the apprehension of any of these suspects, please
contact the South Precinct at 206.386.1850.

We ask that you stress the importance of Stranger Danger to the children
in your life. Take what steps you can to ensure their safety, even if it
means adjusting your work schedule if necessary to ensure they are not
walking alone between home and school.

Thank You.
Mark Solomon
SPD South Precinct Crime Prevention
206.386.9766

October 5, 2005 newsletter

Dear Community Friends:

Laundry Room Burglaries

One of the trends we saw over the summer was a sharp increase in apartment building laundry room burglaries. Since May 2005, there have been nearly 40 of these laundry room break-ins. The perpetrator would gain access to the laundry room in a number of ways, often by exerting
force on a door or window. Once inside, the perpetrator would vandalize the machines to get the coin boxes. In many cases, the hoses and cords of the machines were also cut. The cost of the damage done to the machines far outstripped the amount of money the perpetrators got from
the machines.

The good news is that just after midnight the morning of Wednesday, September 21st, our Third Watch Officers arrested the perpetrator of these laundry room break-ins. A citizen called in about a burglary in progress. Officers responded to the scene and though the perpetrator
attempted to elude officers by hiding in a storage unit, he was apprehended. Officers knew this was the guy. Not only did he have the tools he used to cut the hoses and cords and remove the coin boxes, he also had 62 quarters in his pocket.

We appreciate the citizen who called 911 and lead us to the perpetrator. Without her, this perpetrator could still be committing burglaries and costing property owners thousands of dollars in machine replacement and repair costs. Thank You!!

We also want to acknowledge the work of the officers involved in the arrest. They were Officers C. Christman, M. Griffin, G. Osborn, M. Russey and A. Thorp. Thank You!!

Prevention Measures

Some of you live in, manage or own multi-family residences and have coin operated laundry facilities. Therefore, we thought to include some prevention steps for you to consider:
* Change the locks on the laundry room doors. In some of these burglaries, the perpetrator appeared to access the laundry rooms using a key, perhaps one acquired from a former tenant.
* Educate residents about ensuring the laundry rooms remain locked. In the incident where the perpetrator was arrested, he relayed to the officers that the laundry room door was unlocked.
* Restrict laundry room hours and double lock them after those hours with a sturdy deadbolt lock. Ensure to post the hours. * Have the resident manager make regular rounds through the laundry room.
* My personal favorite.... get rid of the coin-operated machines all together. Put in regular machines, still have them in a lockable room and tack on an additional $10-20 a month rent to cover the expense. This would be more cost effective than repairing or replacing $500 washers and dryers over and over because someone trashed them to get a couple of bucks work of change.

Vehicle Anti Theft Device Available at a Discounted Price

Seattle Neighborhood Group (SNG) has partnered with Safeco Insurance to purchase a large number of vehicle anti-theft devices - The Club. If you live in a Seattle Zip Code, you can contact SNG and purchase The Club from them at a reduced cost. Two sizes are available and there is a limit of two per household. Contact 206.323.9666 or email kay@sngi.org for details.

Take Care and Stay Safe!

Mark Solomon, SPD South Precinct Crime Prevention

September 21, 2005 SPD Newsletter - UPDATE on TAGGER Graffiti and the SPD picnic on S. Myrtle

Dear Community Friends:

Tagger Graffiti
Tagger graffiti represents the majority of the graffiti on our streets
today. It is not an isolated act of vandalism, but rather the visual
marker of a worldwide youth oriented anti-social subculture. It is a
subculture that says, "This is art, I can paint or write my graffiti
wherever I want and you can't stop me." Many taggers are involved in
other forms of youth-at-risk behavior, such as truancy, theft and drug
use (usually alcohol or marijuana). Often they experience problems at
home, school or with the law. Their behavior may even become compulsive
or addictive. The majority of tagging occurs between the hours of
midnight and six in the morning. Taggers justify what they do by calling
their graffiti an art, but going out at night alone or with others to
write, paint, scratch or etch their tag on someone else's property is
youth-atrisk behavior and a crime. In Seattle, it is estimated that
millions of dollars are spent each year to paint out or remove graffiti.

Taggers are usually male, between the ages of ten and the late twenties.
They are from all social, racial and economical classes. Many taggers
are skateboarders. They may not live in the community in which they tag.
Half of the taggers arrested or identified in Seattle live in outlying
areas such as Everett, Kirkland, Bellevue or Tacoma. Taggers from Los
Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose, California have been identified
doing graffiti in Seattle. The conditions that reduce or stop this
destructive behavior involve:
* Painting out or removing graffiti quickly
* Immediate substantial consequences for the tagger's behavior
* Improving the tagger's self-esteem.

Long-term efforts by communities and families to expand a youth's
positive skills, talent and motivation help reduce tagging.
Eight Ways You Can Personally Take Control Of Graffiti In Your
Neighborhood:
1. If you see graffiti vandalism in progress, call 911. Do not attempt
to apprehend the suspect yourself.
2. When graffiti appears on your home or apartment building, make a
police report. Call the Seattle Police Department's non-emergency
number, 206-625-5011.3. After police document the graffiti vandalism,
remove or paint over it immediately. This will help prevent more
graffiti. For FREE paint, call 206-386-4093.
4. Ask merchants in your neighborhood to remove graffiti from their
buildings. Thank those who remove it quickly.
5. Call the Graffiti Hot Line 206-684-7587 to report graffiti on public
or private property.
6. Volunteer to paint out graffiti in your neighborhood. Call
206-386-9746 for assistance.
7. Volunteer for the Adopt-A-Street program. Call 206-684-7647.
8. Work with your chamber of commerce, community council, church or
service group to make graffiti concerns known to the media, lawmakers
and the courts. In the past, writing letters to the court and being
present for sentencing of the tagger has been very effective. Special
thanks to Capt. Wanda Thompson (Ret.), Sgt. John Heneghan, Det. Rod
Hardin,Sue Honaker and Heather McAuliffe for their work in putting this
information together.

Picnic At The Precinct
We're hosting a community picnic and invite you all to attend. Please
join us this coming Saturday, September 24, 2005 1:00 - 4:00 pm, at the
South Precinct - 3001 S. Myrtle ST. Meet your local police officers,
neighbors and community-based organizations. We will have fun activities
for the whole family, great food, entertainment and precinct tours. You
can win gift baskets, SPD memorabilia and gift certificates to local
businesses. We hope to see you there!

Department of Corrections/Community Informational Forum

Community Forum
Rainier Community Center
4600 38th Avenue South
Seattle, WA
September 22, 2005
6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
* Meet DOC staff
* Hear about DOC programs
* Learn about offenders releasing to the community
* Contribute ideas
A panel of community members and DOC staff will each have five
minutes to present information on what they do, followed by a three
minute question and answer period.
The public is invited.
Refreshments will be served.
MEET HEAR LEARN CONTRIBUTE

September 7, 2005 Newsletter from Mark Solomon

September 7, 2005

Dear Community Friends:

In the past week, our nation has experienced the worst natural disaster in our nation’s history. Hurricane Katrina has left thousands displaced, devastated and dead. Many of us have friends and relations in the Gulf Coast  area that have been affected by the hurricane. I know first hand, having just found out that my family members, Aunt Ella, cousin Peter, et al, are safe and well.

 

As Mayor Nickels wrote in a message to all City employees, “We continue to hear from the relief organizations that cash donations are preferred. As evacuees move around the country and relief work continues in the Gulf Coast, cash allows for the greatest flexibility in meeting the needs of those displaced by the hurricane.

“The City of Seattle will be sponsoring a Day of Giving next week, on Thursday, September 15, between 10 a.m.-4 p.m. There will be giving stations throughout the city.” More details will be forthcoming. We all feel a sense of wanting to do something to help. At the precinct, officers and civilian employees alike have gathered funds and clothing to send to the Gulf region to help the evacuees. There are a number of ways we all can help. We encourage you to do what you can. Relief agencies include: www.redcross.org: call 1-800-HELP-NOW or visit www.seattleredcross.org. At least 91 percent of earmarked donations will be used for hurricane relief services. The Red Cross will also be assisting any evacuees who come to Washington State and they also are helping connect families who have been separated by the disaster.

 

www.secondharvest.org - "America's Food Bank" has pledged to use 100% of earmarked donations for hurricane relief services.

www.nwmedicalteams.org - NW Medical Teams are supporting the affected areas; 96% of their donations benefit their relief services.

www.mercycorps.org - Their focus will be to assist families who have been displaced and/or lost their homes to Katrina; 92% of their donations benefit their relief services.

 

www.habitat.org - Habitat for Humanity International will be helping to provide assistance and rebuilding opportunities in New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast.

If you have housing, clothing, non-perishable food, or other goods and services that you would like to offer, the State of Washington has set up a hotline and information clearinghouse. They are also encouraging donations to the Washington Cares Fund, in collaboration with Washington Mutual. You can give at any WaMu branch office. Call the Operation Evergreen Community Support Line at 1-800-941-2930 for more information.

 

Personal Preparedness

This past week has shown us that preparedness is critical. While we in the Puget Sound region may never experience a hurricane, there are other natural disasters we have experienced, such as tornados and severe wind, snow and ice storms. There is one thing important to note about the above disasters: we knew they were coming and had

at least some warning. There is one natural disaster to which we are susceptible that provides little or no warning: earthquakes.

The City has the Seattle Disaster Aid and Response Team (SDART) program. We provide information and education to prepare for and assist each other in the event of a

natural disaster. Please, call me at 206-386-9766 to schedule an emergency preparedness meeting. For more about emergency preparedness, visit: www.seattleredcross.org,www.seattle.gov/emergency_mgt/ or www.ready.gov

 

Take Care and Stay Safe!

Mark Solomon

South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator

 

CATALYSIS®

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This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential, are the property of Catalysis Corporation, and are intended only for the individual named. If you are not the named addressee, your access to and use or distribution of this email and its attachments is unauthorized and you may not use, disseminate, distribute, copy or make any other use of it. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender.

 

Community News Letter from Mark Solomon

August 25, 2005
Dear Community Friends:
General Noise Complaints
Seattle Police receive numerous noise
complaints on a daily basis. The City has many
diverse neighborhoods; commercial, residential
and those zoned for mixed use. Therefore, a
level of tolerance is expected. If the noise is
illegal, as defined here, police may intervene.
I
llegal Noise
Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) ordinance
25.08.505 states that property under one’s
possession cannot be knowingly used for a
residential disturbance. By city ordinance, it is
unlawful to knowingly cause, make or allow
unreasonable noise which disturbs another and
to refuse or intentionally fail to cease when
ordered to do so by a police officer.
“Unreasonable Noise” includes loud, raucous,
frequent, repetitive, or continuous sounds made
by: animals; horns or sirens other than
emergency equipment; motor vehicles being
repaired, tested, etc.; musical instruments or
sound amplifiers; and human voices, amplified
or unamplified. These restrictions apply
between the hours of 10pm - 7am Sunday
through Thursday; 11pm - 7am Friday and
Saturday.
What You Can Do
For an immediate noise problem, we suggest
you initially try contacting the person(s)
responsible for the noise. Often, people are
unaware of the discomfort they are causing
others and if you talk to them about it, that may
solve the issue.
However, if you feel uneasy contacting the
person(s), or if he/she has been uncooperative,
call our non-emergency line 625-5011 for
assistance.
I
f the noise stops prior to the
officer’s arrival, call us back to let us
know. This frees up the officers
responding to that complaint to go to other calls
for service that may be holding. Ask the
operator for the event number and note it for
future reference. Your complaint will be
documented in the computer.
If the noise is a constant, chronic issue, you
should mobilize your Block Watch support
system to start documenting the disruptive
behaviors. Keep a log to note the date, time,
location, type of noise, whether police were
called, attempts to talk with the person(s)
responsible, etc. These logs are powerful tools
that can be used to educate the offending
person(s). Often when people see the severity
of the problem and the nuisance they have
created for the neighborhood, their behaviors
change in a positive fashion.
If the offending parties don’t change behaviors,
then you and your neighbors have the option of
pursing civil nuisance action. How to take civil
action against a nuisance problem or property
will be discussed in an upcoming newsletter.
Police Priorities
Police respond to situations that impact the
safety and well being of people first. Please
keep in mind that a noise complaint is a lower
priority call than crimes against persons or
property, such as an assault or burglary. As a
result, it may be awhile before an officer can
respond, and often by then the noise has
ended. In order to issue a noise violation, the
officer has to hear the noise him/herself. This is
why we encourage you to talk with the offender,
log the activity, and consider civil action as a
potential remedy if all else fails.
Take Care and Stay Safe!
Mark Solomon
South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator