Dear Community Friends,
We wanted to make you aware of a recent incident. On July 9, 2008 at approximately 7:40pm, a 60-year-old resident from the 9800 block of 61st Ave S was assaulted in front of his home. The victim had been watering plants in the traffic circle on his street. Three females in a vehicle and the victim became engaged in a verbal argument. The argument escalated and shortly thereafter, another vehicle stopped and a passenger (a male in his 20s) got out and struck the victim, causing the victim to fall to the ground. The victim was taken to Harborview with life threatening injuries. The suspect left the scene and is being sought by police.
Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator
Mark Solomon
SPD Crime Prevention, South Precinct
206.386.9766
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
South Precinct Email Community Newsletter - July 7th
Burglaries
I had been gone about four hours and when I returned home one day following an appointment. As I entered and looked at how my dining room table was out of place and the cabinet drawers were open, I thought, “I didn’t leave it like this, did I?” As I looked in my office area and found things off the shelves and on the floor, I thought, “How did this happen?” It wasn’t until I went in the bedroom and found that the jewelry boxes had been upended on the bed that I realized I had been burglarized. Forced entry through a locked rear door inside a locked fenced in yard. They stole jewelry, a laptop, my digital cable box, digital camera, cash, DVDs… and they took food out of my freezer.
It Can Happen To Anybody: Don’t Blame Yourself
I understand that queasy feeling that surfaces when you realize that your space has been violated, that someone came into your home, rifled through your dresser drawers and took your stuff. I know first hand the second-guessing, the questioning and the self-blaming. “If only I had done _____.” “Why didn’t I ______?” You have to admit, it is ironic that the crime prevention guy, the one that hammers you with home security tips, gets his place broken in to. It does go to show that; 1) it could happen to anyone, 2) If you have already taken precautions to improve home security, there may be some things you haven’t considered (the BB gun used to break the double-pane glass of the rear door was a new one for me; one that I’ve seen a few times since my burglary), and 3) further improvements could be made.
And since I know you’re wondering, I also waited 3 ½ hours for an officer to respond. The crime was not in progress, there were no witnesses, and there was no suspect information. With other things going on in the Precinct, my non-emergency call could wait.
What You Should Do: Lessons Learned And Reinforced From Me To You
1) Always lock doors and windows when away from the home.
2) Have a home security assessment to see what you can do to improve your home security. This is a free service. Learn from my professional and (recent) personal experience.
3) Take inventory of your valuable items. Make a list of the items, model number, serial number and approximate value. For items that can be engraved, put your driver’s license or state ID number.
4) For those items that cannot be engraved, take a picture of them and have a written description of the item. Do the same with jewelry and include appraisals of the items.
5) Communicate with neighbors. There had been recent burglaries in the neighborhood, so alerting neighbors when an incident occurs makes everyone aware so neighbors can be more watchful.
Night Out Against Crime 2008
Speaking of communicating with neighbors, we encourage you to participate in “Night Out Against Crime 2008” on Tuesday, August 5, 2008. Night Out is a national crime prevention event designed to heighten neighborhood awareness, increase neighborhood anti-crime efforts, and unite our communities. It is a great chance to connect neighbors and share information with each other while learning more about crime prevention.
To register your block for Night Out Against Crime 2008 on line, please use the following link: http://www.seattle.gov/police/Nightout/default.htm.
The 2008 event theme is partnership with the Emergency Management Office to promote the SNAP (Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare) program: More information about SNAP can be found at http://www.seattle.gov/emergency/programs/snap/.
Until next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!
Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator
I had been gone about four hours and when I returned home one day following an appointment. As I entered and looked at how my dining room table was out of place and the cabinet drawers were open, I thought, “I didn’t leave it like this, did I?” As I looked in my office area and found things off the shelves and on the floor, I thought, “How did this happen?” It wasn’t until I went in the bedroom and found that the jewelry boxes had been upended on the bed that I realized I had been burglarized. Forced entry through a locked rear door inside a locked fenced in yard. They stole jewelry, a laptop, my digital cable box, digital camera, cash, DVDs… and they took food out of my freezer.
It Can Happen To Anybody: Don’t Blame Yourself
I understand that queasy feeling that surfaces when you realize that your space has been violated, that someone came into your home, rifled through your dresser drawers and took your stuff. I know first hand the second-guessing, the questioning and the self-blaming. “If only I had done _____.” “Why didn’t I ______?” You have to admit, it is ironic that the crime prevention guy, the one that hammers you with home security tips, gets his place broken in to. It does go to show that; 1) it could happen to anyone, 2) If you have already taken precautions to improve home security, there may be some things you haven’t considered (the BB gun used to break the double-pane glass of the rear door was a new one for me; one that I’ve seen a few times since my burglary), and 3) further improvements could be made.
And since I know you’re wondering, I also waited 3 ½ hours for an officer to respond. The crime was not in progress, there were no witnesses, and there was no suspect information. With other things going on in the Precinct, my non-emergency call could wait.
What You Should Do: Lessons Learned And Reinforced From Me To You
1) Always lock doors and windows when away from the home.
2) Have a home security assessment to see what you can do to improve your home security. This is a free service. Learn from my professional and (recent) personal experience.
3) Take inventory of your valuable items. Make a list of the items, model number, serial number and approximate value. For items that can be engraved, put your driver’s license or state ID number.
4) For those items that cannot be engraved, take a picture of them and have a written description of the item. Do the same with jewelry and include appraisals of the items.
5) Communicate with neighbors. There had been recent burglaries in the neighborhood, so alerting neighbors when an incident occurs makes everyone aware so neighbors can be more watchful.
Night Out Against Crime 2008
Speaking of communicating with neighbors, we encourage you to participate in “Night Out Against Crime 2008” on Tuesday, August 5, 2008. Night Out is a national crime prevention event designed to heighten neighborhood awareness, increase neighborhood anti-crime efforts, and unite our communities. It is a great chance to connect neighbors and share information with each other while learning more about crime prevention.
To register your block for Night Out Against Crime 2008 on line, please use the following link: http://www.seattle.gov/police/Nightout/default.htm.
The 2008 event theme is partnership with the Emergency Management Office to promote the SNAP (Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare) program: More information about SNAP can be found at http://www.seattle.gov/emergency/programs/snap/.
Until next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!
Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
COME JOIN US AT NIGHT OUT 2008!
SEATTLE NIGHT OUT 2008 is TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2008
It is that time of year again - time really flies!
This is always a fun event, so please mark your calendars!
LOCATION:
2360 20th ave. south corner of Bayview
-------
POTLUCK
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There will be a BBQ available for use, but if someone would like to roll over an additional - that would be fine too!
Chairs/folding tables are always welcome as well as saw horses or "road" barriers.
Let me know if you want invites sent so that you can hand them out to your neighbors.
Hope to see you there! More details to come - Lee Shaw
2360 20th ave. s.
206-726-5961
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Plant stealer, garden variety crook, nabs plants and more...
Hello all - it disappoints me to have to say this but we have a garden thief living amongst us. That or someone is casing our neighborhood for fresh plants to seize when no one else is looking, and driving them off to some other locale.
1. Stacy and Shelly, home owners on Bayview, in-between 20th ave. s. and 19th ave. s. had some plants stolen directly from their yard.
2. And not too long ago another neighbor nearby complained of having had both of their front and back drip hose timers ripped off!
3. Neighbors at the corner of 18th & Bayview have had plants stolen from their front yard as well - one just a few weeks ago. A few years back they had a really nice shrub stolen from out front of their house.
4. Neighbors have reported seeing some suspicious looking/behaving people on Bayview around 10-11:30 AM in the mornings (walking up and down the street) and odd night-time activity on Bayview between 14th and 17th involving a camper - but this is likely unrelated.
I don't want to have to say lock up your wheel barrows and lawn tools, but maybe a little extra vigilence is necessary? I hope that is not the case as I think our neighborhood is a terrific place to live.
Other things to keep in mind when the weather decides to warm up:
- careful when you leave windows and doors open unsupervised, may invite unwanted visitors
- careful not to leave valuables out and unattended for long periods of time
- be on the lookout for folks who linger and don't appear to be part of our neighborhood community
- report suspicious activity to your neighbor, or to the police
- keep folks near you and who know you informed of travel plans so they can look out for you while you are away
Little Reminder, early August is the night out against crime block party. More details to come...
Until next time,
Lee
2360 20th ave. s.
1. Stacy and Shelly, home owners on Bayview, in-between 20th ave. s. and 19th ave. s. had some plants stolen directly from their yard.
2. And not too long ago another neighbor nearby complained of having had both of their front and back drip hose timers ripped off!
3. Neighbors at the corner of 18th & Bayview have had plants stolen from their front yard as well - one just a few weeks ago. A few years back they had a really nice shrub stolen from out front of their house.
4. Neighbors have reported seeing some suspicious looking/behaving people on Bayview around 10-11:30 AM in the mornings (walking up and down the street) and odd night-time activity on Bayview between 14th and 17th involving a camper - but this is likely unrelated.
I don't want to have to say lock up your wheel barrows and lawn tools, but maybe a little extra vigilence is necessary? I hope that is not the case as I think our neighborhood is a terrific place to live.
Other things to keep in mind when the weather decides to warm up:
- careful when you leave windows and doors open unsupervised, may invite unwanted visitors
- careful not to leave valuables out and unattended for long periods of time
- be on the lookout for folks who linger and don't appear to be part of our neighborhood community
- report suspicious activity to your neighbor, or to the police
- keep folks near you and who know you informed of travel plans so they can look out for you while you are away
Little Reminder, early August is the night out against crime block party. More details to come...
Until next time,
Lee
2360 20th ave. s.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Groper Suspect Nabbed
Dear Community Friends,
On Thursday, May 22, Seattle Police arrested a suspect in the groping sexual assault incident of May 17, 2008. This incident was the subject of a previous Community Notification. Darin L. Bolar, AKA Darran Bolar was arrested Thursday afternoon and has been charged with Assault for the May 17th groping incident, and for Robbery for taking a cell phone belonging to one of the witnesses of the assault. While Bolar was arrested for the May 17th incident, he is currently being investigated for some of the other groping cases.
Captain Liggins, South Precinct Commander, and the men and women of the South Precinct, want to extend their thanks to you all. We want to express our gratitude to members of our community for their diligence as we’ve worked to finds this individual. Alert witnesses who came forward enabled police to identify and arrest the individual.
However, the arrest of this one individual does not mean that people should become complacent and relax their awareness. As we’ve mentioned previously, one of the complications in these cases is the reluctance of many victims to speak with detectives. If anyone reading this newsletter has been a victim of one of these incidents, or knows someone who has been a victim, we urge you to speak with the detectives in our Sexual Assault Unit. Please call at 206.684.5575.
Again, we thank you for being vigilant and assisting us in apprehending suspect Bolar. We ask for your continued assistance and vigilance. We urge you to continue to be alert and aware!
Take Care and Stay Safe!
Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator
On Thursday, May 22, Seattle Police arrested a suspect in the groping sexual assault incident of May 17, 2008. This incident was the subject of a previous Community Notification. Darin L. Bolar, AKA Darran Bolar was arrested Thursday afternoon and has been charged with Assault for the May 17th groping incident, and for Robbery for taking a cell phone belonging to one of the witnesses of the assault. While Bolar was arrested for the May 17th incident, he is currently being investigated for some of the other groping cases.
Captain Liggins, South Precinct Commander, and the men and women of the South Precinct, want to extend their thanks to you all. We want to express our gratitude to members of our community for their diligence as we’ve worked to finds this individual. Alert witnesses who came forward enabled police to identify and arrest the individual.
However, the arrest of this one individual does not mean that people should become complacent and relax their awareness. As we’ve mentioned previously, one of the complications in these cases is the reluctance of many victims to speak with detectives. If anyone reading this newsletter has been a victim of one of these incidents, or knows someone who has been a victim, we urge you to speak with the detectives in our Sexual Assault Unit. Please call at 206.684.5575.
Again, we thank you for being vigilant and assisting us in apprehending suspect Bolar. We ask for your continued assistance and vigilance. We urge you to continue to be alert and aware!
Take Care and Stay Safe!
Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator
There has been another assault by “the Groper.”
There has been another assault by “the Groper.” The incident happened Saturday, May 17th at approximately 10am on the 7500 Block of Renton Ave S. An Asian female was walking northbound on Renton Ave S with a young child, approximately two-years of age. The suspect approached the adult woman from behind. The suspect was seen groping the woman’s buttocks. The suspect backed away when the woman screamed. The scream drew the attention of several witnesses in the area. The female victim was seen running northbound with the child along Renton Ave S.
The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 40 years of age, 5-10, flesh colored shaving bumps on left side of face. Suspect vehicle is a 1994 green Jeep Cherokee.
The adult female victim has not yet come forward to speak with police about the incident. We very much need to speak with this woman. She is described as an adult Asian female, possibly in her 40’s-50’s, wearing a white top and black pants. She was walking with a 2-year-old child on Renton Ave S at about 10am on Saturday May 17th, 2008. If you know this woman, please encourage her to come forward. It is extremely important that detectives speak with her. Please contact our Sexual Assault unit at 206.684.5575.
Personal Safety Tips
• Stay alert. Scan your surroundings; make brief eye contact with those around you. Send the message that you’re aware of what’s going on around you.
• When you’re out, pay attention to the present moment.
• Trust your instincts! Don’t ignore your gut feeling or early danger signals. If a situation appears unsafe, look for avenues of escape.
• Know what you’re capable of doing. Are you capable of screaming, running or fighting? Have a plan! What would you do if you were attacked?
• If the situation or the area is a safety concern, keep someone informed of your moves. Consider carrying a cellular phone. Also consider carrying a whistle.
• Don’t take unnecessary risks. If you feel a location or a situation is unsafe – get out. If something or someone makes you feel uncomfortable, give yourself permission to do something about it. Cross the street or go into a store.
• Draw attention to yourself if you’re in a threatening situation. Yell, shout, and scream. By drawing attention to yourself, you draw attention to the attacker.
Using Public Transportation
• Know the bus or transportation schedule to minimize waiting times at the stop.
• Avoid sleeping, cleaning out your pockets, balancing checkbooks etc. If you read, look up periodically.
• If possible, sit near the front of the bus, near or within easy view of the driver.
Handbags, Other Bags, Purses & Wallets
• Before you leave home, decide what you actually need to take with you rather than automatically taking your entire handbag or wallet out of habit. For example, if you are going to the grocery store for a few items, you can carry cash, a single check, or credit/debit card, I.D. and keys in a pocket.
• Carry keys in your pocket rather than in a purse or handbag.
• Don’t leave your valuables (bags, purses, briefcases,) unattended. We often will leave them in dressing rooms, shopping carts and cars…. Always maintain positive control over your items.
Take Care and Stay Safe!
Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator
The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 40 years of age, 5-10, flesh colored shaving bumps on left side of face. Suspect vehicle is a 1994 green Jeep Cherokee.
The adult female victim has not yet come forward to speak with police about the incident. We very much need to speak with this woman. She is described as an adult Asian female, possibly in her 40’s-50’s, wearing a white top and black pants. She was walking with a 2-year-old child on Renton Ave S at about 10am on Saturday May 17th, 2008. If you know this woman, please encourage her to come forward. It is extremely important that detectives speak with her. Please contact our Sexual Assault unit at 206.684.5575.
Personal Safety Tips
• Stay alert. Scan your surroundings; make brief eye contact with those around you. Send the message that you’re aware of what’s going on around you.
• When you’re out, pay attention to the present moment.
• Trust your instincts! Don’t ignore your gut feeling or early danger signals. If a situation appears unsafe, look for avenues of escape.
• Know what you’re capable of doing. Are you capable of screaming, running or fighting? Have a plan! What would you do if you were attacked?
• If the situation or the area is a safety concern, keep someone informed of your moves. Consider carrying a cellular phone. Also consider carrying a whistle.
• Don’t take unnecessary risks. If you feel a location or a situation is unsafe – get out. If something or someone makes you feel uncomfortable, give yourself permission to do something about it. Cross the street or go into a store.
• Draw attention to yourself if you’re in a threatening situation. Yell, shout, and scream. By drawing attention to yourself, you draw attention to the attacker.
Using Public Transportation
• Know the bus or transportation schedule to minimize waiting times at the stop.
• Avoid sleeping, cleaning out your pockets, balancing checkbooks etc. If you read, look up periodically.
• If possible, sit near the front of the bus, near or within easy view of the driver.
Handbags, Other Bags, Purses & Wallets
• Before you leave home, decide what you actually need to take with you rather than automatically taking your entire handbag or wallet out of habit. For example, if you are going to the grocery store for a few items, you can carry cash, a single check, or credit/debit card, I.D. and keys in a pocket.
• Carry keys in your pocket rather than in a purse or handbag.
• Don’t leave your valuables (bags, purses, briefcases,) unattended. We often will leave them in dressing rooms, shopping carts and cars…. Always maintain positive control over your items.
Take Care and Stay Safe!
Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator
Thursday, May 22, 2008
May 20th South Precinct Update
Warm Weather Security Tips
It’s that time of year that we review home security tips for the warm weather months. We do this on a continuing basis for a few reasons:
1) A large number of burglaries and thefts occur year-round via opened and/or unlocked doors and windows. That number dramatically increases during warm weather months because windows are left open for ventilation, even when the home is unoccupied.
2) Garages and storage sheds are often left opened and unattended while we’re working in our yards.
3) Personal belongings are often left unattended while at a recreational venue or in vehicles.
We want to reiterate some safety tips to help reduce incidents of burglary and theft.
Close And Lock Windows; Limit How Far They Can Be Opened
When you are away from home, close and lock your windows. If you want to leave windows open enough for ventilation, use a dowel for sliding glass windows cut to a length that prevents the window from being opened more than four inches. For double hung windows, consider sash pins. Some windows have stops on the inside track, which prevent them from being opened too far.
Lock Your Doors
Anytime you leave your home, even if it for a very short amount of time, lock your doors. If you have deadbolt locks, please lock them.
• As always, we advise that you install 3”-4” screws on the strike plates of your exterior doors. These secure the plates to the jamb and the jamb to the framing of the door. This essentially makes the bolt from the lock going into the jamb “extend” in to the frame, making a properly locked door more secure.
Working In The Yard
When working in the yard in the back of the home, do not leave your front door open and/or unlocked. If you have a garage or storage unit that is out of your line of sight, close those doors as well. Be mindful of what are you showing in plain view to anyone who may be walking or driving by.
Do Not Leave Personal Belongings Unattended
Whether they are in a shopping cart or on a picnic blanket, always maintain positive control over your belongings. Never leave personal belongings unattended in your vehicle. Seattle has a high rate of theft of personal property from vehicles, particularly at public parks.
Bicycles
I recently toured our Evidence Unit. One thing that struck me was the number of bicycles that we have warehoused. This photo shows just one row of unclaimed bicycles that were found or recovered that we have no way of getting back to the owner. There are another four rows of bicycles just like this one. (By the way, the small figure a couple of hundred feet in the background is yours truly.) This gives you an idea as just how many orphaned bicycles we have. Again, we have no way of returning them to their rightful owners because their owners cannot be identified.
If you own a bicycle, please mark down the make, model, model number and serial number. Keep this information on an inventory sheet. Keep the inventory sheet (which should also have information of you other valuable items) with your other important papers. Take a picture of the bike. Engrave the bike with your Driver’s license or State ID card number. An engraver can be purchased from most hardware stores (Lowe’s, Ace) for about $20-$25. And please, use a cable/chain and lock and lock up your bike.
What’s going to happen to all the bikes? Some will be donated, but most will be auctioned. Property auctions are now set up on line and operate like an eBay system. Check out www.propertyroom.com. After Propertyroom.com covers their costs, the funds from the auction go towards police pension funds.
Until next time, Take Care and Stay Safe! Mark Solomon, SPD South Precinct Crime Prevention
It’s that time of year that we review home security tips for the warm weather months. We do this on a continuing basis for a few reasons:
1) A large number of burglaries and thefts occur year-round via opened and/or unlocked doors and windows. That number dramatically increases during warm weather months because windows are left open for ventilation, even when the home is unoccupied.
2) Garages and storage sheds are often left opened and unattended while we’re working in our yards.
3) Personal belongings are often left unattended while at a recreational venue or in vehicles.
We want to reiterate some safety tips to help reduce incidents of burglary and theft.
Close And Lock Windows; Limit How Far They Can Be Opened
When you are away from home, close and lock your windows. If you want to leave windows open enough for ventilation, use a dowel for sliding glass windows cut to a length that prevents the window from being opened more than four inches. For double hung windows, consider sash pins. Some windows have stops on the inside track, which prevent them from being opened too far.
Lock Your Doors
Anytime you leave your home, even if it for a very short amount of time, lock your doors. If you have deadbolt locks, please lock them.
• As always, we advise that you install 3”-4” screws on the strike plates of your exterior doors. These secure the plates to the jamb and the jamb to the framing of the door. This essentially makes the bolt from the lock going into the jamb “extend” in to the frame, making a properly locked door more secure.
Working In The Yard
When working in the yard in the back of the home, do not leave your front door open and/or unlocked. If you have a garage or storage unit that is out of your line of sight, close those doors as well. Be mindful of what are you showing in plain view to anyone who may be walking or driving by.
Do Not Leave Personal Belongings Unattended
Whether they are in a shopping cart or on a picnic blanket, always maintain positive control over your belongings. Never leave personal belongings unattended in your vehicle. Seattle has a high rate of theft of personal property from vehicles, particularly at public parks.
Bicycles
I recently toured our Evidence Unit. One thing that struck me was the number of bicycles that we have warehoused. This photo shows just one row of unclaimed bicycles that were found or recovered that we have no way of getting back to the owner. There are another four rows of bicycles just like this one. (By the way, the small figure a couple of hundred feet in the background is yours truly.) This gives you an idea as just how many orphaned bicycles we have. Again, we have no way of returning them to their rightful owners because their owners cannot be identified.
If you own a bicycle, please mark down the make, model, model number and serial number. Keep this information on an inventory sheet. Keep the inventory sheet (which should also have information of you other valuable items) with your other important papers. Take a picture of the bike. Engrave the bike with your Driver’s license or State ID card number. An engraver can be purchased from most hardware stores (Lowe’s, Ace) for about $20-$25. And please, use a cable/chain and lock and lock up your bike.
What’s going to happen to all the bikes? Some will be donated, but most will be auctioned. Property auctions are now set up on line and operate like an eBay system. Check out www.propertyroom.com. After Propertyroom.com covers their costs, the funds from the auction go towards police pension funds.
Until next time, Take Care and Stay Safe! Mark Solomon, SPD South Precinct Crime Prevention