Drug deal up tick on corner of Bayview and 20th & SPD newsletter

Keep an eye out for this one: Seen 12:05am. Silver Honda with rack on top license# 844 RQN parked in front of Monika and Andre's house. Young Black male hanging out on the street corner between Jennifer's and your house, waiting for someone (drugs?). Owner of car in front??? Called 911 and reported suspicious activity in KNOWN DRUG AREA. Said they were sending an officer.



NEWSLETTER
Dear Community Friends –

Summertime Security Tips
We often see an increase in residential burglary and theft in the warm weather months. At times, we leave our windows open for ventilation when we are not home. In a vast number of summertime burglaries, the burglar gains entry through an opened or unlocked door or window. We also see an increase in theft of personal property, because there is a tendency to leave items unattended at parks. Here are some summer safety tips

Close And Lock Windows; Limit How Far They Can Be Opened
When you are away from home, close and lock your doors and windows. 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 to far. Call me for a free home security survey where I can go over these options with you in further detail (206.386.9766).

Lock Your Doors
I have seen reports of someone stepping out to the store for a short bit and leaving their doors visibly opened. They returned to find someone had burglarized the home. Anytime you leave your home, close and lock your doors. Let’s not make it easy for the burglar.

Working In The Yard
When working in the yard in the back of the home, do not leave the front door open and/or unlocked. Just recently a neighbor left her front door open while she worked in her back yard. She saw a man walk by the front of the house a couple of times. The man saw her, he also saw the open door. He helped himself to what he could while the neighbor was still in the yard.

If you have a garage or storage unit that is out of your line of sight while you are working in the yard, be mindful of what are you showing in plain view to anyone who may be walking or driving by.

Secure Your Tools
Gardening tools, lawnmowers, other yard tools, ladders… all tend to be stolen more in warm weather months. Make sure you lock them up in the garage, shed, etc.

Secure Bicycles
I’ve noticed a large number of bicycles being stolen in past summers. Locking these up with a bike chain - or storing them inside - can help prevent theft.

Do Not Leave Pets Or Children Unattended In Vehicles
There are far too many reports of pets or children dying because they were left unattended in a hot vehicle with the windows rolled up. Don’t leave children unattended in cars, even for a short time. If you leave a pet in a car, roll the windows down enough for ventilation and provide a dish of water. Better to leave the pet at home rather than in a sweltering car.

Fireworks
There are no legal fireworks in the City of Seattle. The Seattle Police Department strives to enforce the City of Seattle’s 1993 fireworks ban. Anyone caught using fireworks of any kind can be fined up to $500 and sentenced to 180 days in jail. Celebrate July 4th by watching the public fireworks displays instead, rather than risk a fine from the City or injury from the fireworks.

Have a great summer and enjoy the warm weather and all the community festivals our city has to offer.

Until Next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!

Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention

Night Out 2006 is Tuesday, August 1st

Check out the website: www.seattle.gov/police/Nightout

This year the Seattle Police Department is honored to partner with Verizon Wireless' HopeLine Program for this year's Night Out. HopeLine began in 1995 with a commitment to provide voicemail boxes and emergency wireless phones to victims of domestic violence living in shelters. In 2001 it branched out into recycling and re-using donated phones. By the end of 2005 HopeLine had collected more than 2.5 million phones and donated more than $1 million to organizations engaged in raising awareness and prevention of domestic violence.

For those that would like to participate in the HopeLine Program for Night Out 2006 by donating old phones and accessories, the Seattle Police Department is asking blocks to designate one person who will be responsible for getting all the donations they collect to their local precinct. For those blocks that would like to make this a centerpiece of their Night Out celebration, donation boxes will be available at the precincts two weeks prior to Night Out.

If you would like additional information or would like to volunteer for this program contact Dana Lockhart at (206) 615-0890.

May 25, 2006 Newsletter

Dear Community Friends –

Marijuana Grow Operations

In the last seven months, the South Precinct Anti-Crime Team has served 12 marijuana grow operation search warrants in Southeast Seattle. Locations of these marijuana grow farms have been in the Rainier Beach, South Beacon Hill, Columbia City and Cheasty Blvd areas. The street value of the seized marijuana:
$11,000,000.00. Yes, $11 million.

Regardless of how you feel about marijuana, marijuana grow operations are not benign. They have negative impacts on the areas in which they operate. We know there are many more out there. You can help us find, identify and remove them and the adverse impact they cause in our communities.

Grow Operation Characteristics
• Grow operations are usually rental properties. They may be in clusters, with 3-4 grow farms operated by the same people within a short distance of each other, often in the same general neighborhood.
• The property owner/renter is most likely absent. Most grow operators do not live in the home where the grow operation is located. You are not going to see a lot of activity at the house. Someone will show up periodically for short amounts of time to tend the marijuana, but then they will leave. They do not stay long and you‘ll rarely see them bring in groceries or other personal supplies. This is not a universal rule, however: there have been times when the people have lived in the same location as the grow farm.
• Growers often steal electricity by diverting the power at the meter.
• The grow operations use an inordinate amount of electricity for lights, heaters and fans. Monthly electric bills that reach into the thousands of dollars are not uncommon and a good indicator of a





grow operation.
• Usually the entire crop is harvested all at once. Whereas you may have only seen one person enter the house for short periods of time, at harvest time there will be multiple people and multiple vehicles and it will be the only time they are seen at that location.
• Loading/unloading of equipment and plants is most likely done late at night.

Telltale Signs of a Grow Operation
Here are some of the signs that we look for:
• Odor of Marijuana: Pungent earthy herbal or skunk-like odor, usually in the late evening or early morning. Indoor marijuana grow farms need to be vented and this is usually done late night/early morning hours vs. midday so as to not attract attention.
• Condensation on the windows.
• Covered windows from the inside. Usually covered with regular blinds or curtains where false walls are created on the inside. In this case the blinds/curtains never open.
• Sound of venting fans.
• Lights appear as if they are on timers (coming on the same time everyday): growers making the house appear lived in.

What We Need From You
If any of the above describes a home in your neighborhood, take another closer look. The signs are not limited to the above indicators and not all the telltale signs need to be there for you to report it. If it’s suspicious, report it! Let us know what activity you see (or odors you smell) and describe your suspicions.

Each precinct’s Anti-Crime Team will act on information received regarding marijuana grows in their area. In the South Precinct, call our precinct’s Anti-Crime Team at 206-386-1878. You can remain anonymous.

Until Next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!

Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention

April 27, 2006 Community Newsletter from the SPD

Dear Community Friends –

Neighborhood Revitalization

Our last newsletter gave you information about different Earth Day events and things you and your neighbors could do to make your neighborhood appear cared for. Further, we discussed how the appearance of a neighborhood affects the crime in that neighborhood. In essence, we discussed the “Broken Window” theory. Made popular by the work of James Q. Wilson and George Kelling, the Broken Window theory maintains that there is a strong relationship between order/maintenance issues in a geographic area and the level of crime that occurs in that area. If a neighborhood looks as though no one is caring for it, (abandoned cars, broken windows, graffiti, trash), then it becomes a magnet for increasing levels of anti-social behavior.

Neighborhoods that are cohesive and respond quickly to small changes in their environment have a reduced risk of larger crime problems developing. Neighborhoods can and have turned things around. Some successful strategies are:
• Prompt removal of abandoned vehicles.
• Fast clean up of illegally dumped items, litter and spilled garbage.
• Immediate paint out of graffiti (within 48 hours).
• Providing positive activities for teens to gather so they don’t “hang out” on the corner.
• Fresh paint on buildings.
• Keeping sidewalks and gutters clean.
• Continual maintenance of vacant properties.

Following up on those themes, we wanted to let you know about a program whereby neighborhood groups can apply for funding to undertake neighborhood revitalization efforts.

Strong Neighborhood Action Program (SNAP) Grants

The SNAP grant is a program of the NW Insurance Council (formerly the Washington Insurance Council), a Seattle and Tacoma Weed & Seed partner since 1995.

SNAP provides grants to neighborhood groups in federally designated Weed & Seed neighborhoods in the Seattle-Tacoma area. The program empowers communities to create change by taking a leadership role in the development and implementation of neighborhood restoration and community building projects.

NW Insurance Council awards $75,000 per year in SNAP grants to neighborhood groups for a variety of community initiated projects designed to increase safety, reduce crime and improve the quality of life in Weed & Seed neighborhoods. Grants are for neighborhood restoration and community building projects. The strongest applications address both areas, and apply the “broken window” theory in reducing crime.

The timeline for applications is:
• Preliminary Project Descriptions are due May 31st
• Final Applications are due July 31st.
Applicant groups must have Bylaws or Articles of incorporation. The applicant's Bylaws or Articles of Incorporation are due at the time of the Preliminary Project Description. Determination regarding eligibility will be made prior to the applicant being asked to submit a final proposal.

If you have questions about the SNAP grant application process or would like to discuss project ideas, contact Caryn Badgett, Grants Director of the NW Insurance Council at (206) 624-3330 or 1-800-664-4942 or email at caryn.badgett@nwinsurance.org.

Until Next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!

Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention

Police search for rape suspect near Beacon Hill (4/13/06)

Police search for rape suspect near Beacon Hill

Seattle Times staff
Seattle police are searching for a man who reportedly raped a woman
today in a wooded area southeast of the Interstate 90-Interstate 5
interchange.
Two plain-clothed police detectives were driving in the area about 10:20
this morning when the woman ran up to them and said she had just been
raped. She said the assailant, in his 40s, had held a silver handgun to
her head. The woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center for
treatment.
Police have been searching in an area known as The Jungle, a densely
wooded strip of land at the base of Beacon Hill.

April 12, 2006 - community newsletter post

Dear Community Friends –

Spring Clean 2006

It’s time again for community, school and business volunteers to sign up for Spring Clean, Seattle’s premier cleanup event. Seattle’s 20th Annual Spring Clean runs April 1st – June 4th 2006. Past Spring Clean activities included painting out graffiti, picking up litter and illegally dumped materials, stenciling storm drains, cleaning school yards, removing invasive plants in watersheds and planting trees.


The City of Seattle supports these neighborhood efforts with bags, free disposal, tools, and help with project design, publicity, and recruitment. Spring Clean information, including neighborhood cleanup activities and sign-up packets, is available by calling 206.233.7187 or visiting http://www.seattle.gov/util.


Spring Clean in Southeast

While there are many events happening throughout the city, we want to bring your attention to a few happening in Southeast Seattle this Saturday, April 15, 2006:


Hillman City – meet at 9:00 am at VelDyke Realty, 5500 Rainier Ave S. Mayor Nickels will be in attendance at 9:30am to address those gathered. Bring work gloves. Snacks and tools will be provided. For more information, contact Diane Skwiercz, 725-5791.


Rainier & Othello – Meet at 9:30am at the Shell station at Rainier Ave S. and S. Othello Street. Bring work gloves, shovels, trash pickup tools, and snacks. Contact Mona Lee, 721-5672 for more information.


Rainier Beach – meet at 9:00 am at the Henderson Plaza of the Mapes Creek Walkway (across the street from Rainier Beach High School). For more information, contact Barb Biondo 323-9671.


Additionally, the Sunnyview Heights Triangle neighborhood is hosting a neighborhood work party on Saturday, April 22, 2006. They are gathering at 9am at the intersection of 39th Ave S. & Carkeek Dr. S. Contact Chris Morrow, 723-8179, for more details.

Why It Is Important

In my career as a Crime Prevention Coordinator, I have come to notice a few things. One of them is this: Neighborhoods that look like people care tend to have less crime than those neighborhoods that give the appearance that people don’t care. Take a moment to think about our communities and what they look like. In those areas where it seems people don’t care, how “safe” do you feel? When you think of a “bad” part of town, how does that part of town look to you? Now think about parts of our community where you feel safe. How do they look? Where do you think criminals are more likely to want to hang out: in an area where people are out and about, engaged in their community and likely to report suspicious or illegal activity, or; in an area that is graffiti-ridden, trash is strewn around, vegetation is overgrown, abandoned cars line the streets, and no one interacts with each other or reports anything to anyone? In the latter neighborhood, what message is being sent?


It doesn’t matter if the neighborhood – or block – is in Columbia City, Phinney Ridge or Madison Valley. What matters is that people who live and work there show they actively care about their community. They do that by picking up litter (and by not littering themselves), removing graffiti as soon as possible, maintaining their properties, and removing abandoned vehicles.


This is only a partial list of things people can do to show they care about their community. You can show you care by participating in one of the planned Spring Clean events, or you can get together with your neighbors and do your own.


As I have previously written, “Neighborhoods have the level of crime that they tolerate.” How a neighborhood looks shows the level of care of those in the neighborhood. It also sends the message as to how much crime they will tolerate. What message do you want to send? Think about it.


Until Next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!


Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention

March 29, 2006 newsletter from the SPD

Dear Community Friends;

Emergency Preparedness In Southeast

This past Monday's Seattle Times contained an article titled "Ready for Disaster? Not Yet." (Seattle Times, March 27, 2006, Section B1). Thisarticle highlighted residential emergency preparedness in certain neighborhoods.

The Seattle Disaster Aid and Response Team (SDART) program has been the city's principle vehicle to educate residents about emergency preparedness. The program informs neighbors how to mitigate the effects of a disaster - such as an earthquake - and how to form response teams with other neighbors to help survive and cope with the aftermath of the disaster.

Of the approximately 460 neighborhood disaster response teams in the City, most are in North Seattle, in some of our more affluent communities. In Southeast Seattle, very few residents are involved in
the SDART program. This article implies that South Seattle residents are not as prepared to deal with emergencies as the rest of the city.

I don't know about you, but I take this as a personal challenge.

If you are on the distribution list for this email, you most likely are participating in block watch. If you already have a block watch, forming a neighborhood disaster response plan with neighbors is a natural extension of what you are already doing. If your block watch hasn't done this yet, then let's get together and make it happen.

It is not difficult and it is not daunting. It does require that you get together with your neighbors. Block Watch asks you to watch out for each other and keep an eye out for suspicious activity.

Forming a neighborhood disaster response team requires that you agree to assist each other during and following a disaster. Emergency preparedness also requires that you do something for yourself and your family. If your block is not ready to form disaster response teams, then start with individual and family preparedness.
* Look at how you can mitigate the effects of a disaster at home.
* Develop a communication plan so that in the event of an emergency, every member of your household knows how to get in touch with each other if they are separated.
* Put together an emergency kit with food, water, clothing, and other supplies that can sustain you for 72 hours in the event you lose power, your water supply is disrupted, or you need to evacuate your home.

Emergency Preparedness Resources

The following websites offer extremely helpful information about idividual, family and workplace emergency preparedness:

seattle.gov/emergency_mgt/www.ready.gov

www.seattleredcross.org

The Red Cross also has materials available in languages other than English. These can be downloaded in PDF format and printed out for distribution to your neighbors that may not have English as their
primary language.

The Times' article threw down a challenge to all of us who live and work i Southeast Seattle. Let's answer that challenge and show the rest of the city the organized strength of our communities, that Southeast is indeed "Ready for Disaster." Let's get started. Call me at
206.386.9766.

Until next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!

Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention

Rooster Has New Home

It's official! The rooster has a new home! He lives in Covington with a nice animal rescue lady who was so kind to even come and pick him up. He was underweight, but otherwise super healthy considering he's lived outdoors with no real shelter for over a year. She was happy that we contacted her and now he'll live with other chickens, roosters and even some goats and donkeys.

Thanks all for your patience ~

Lee