Welcome to 2010. We hope that your New Year’s celebrations were joy-filed and safe.

FROM SPD 010609

Car Prowls
As we begin the new year, we have been reminded that crime does not take holidays. In one of our neighborhoods, it appears least 11 vehicles were prowled in one night. The bulk of the thefts appear to have occurred between 10pm on January 2nd through 4am on January 3rd. Car door windows were broken out and the cars ransacked. In a few instances, property was stolen (IPod, cash, CDs). While the bad news is that car windows were broken and need to be replaced, the good news is that majority of the car prowls, no property was taken, meaning that vehicle owners are doing a good job of not leaving items of value in their vehicles. With that said, we did have a recent car prowl where the victim had left a spare set of house keys in the glove box of his unlocked car; the car prowler found the keys and used them to enter the victim’s home, committing an early morning occupied burglary. In a separate incident, car prowlers used the automatic garage door opener from the car to gain entry into the home. These incidents show the importance of not only not leaving valuables in the car – like a laptop, GPS, I-Pod or even a duffle bag full of clothes - but also of not leaving a spare set of house keys or an unattended garage door remote in the car.
Car Prowl Prevention Measures Reminders
• Leave No Valuables in Your Car. Never leave valuables in your car. Items of little or no value to you still look inviting to a thief. Even pocket change is enough of an enticement for some thieves.
• If possible, store your car in a closed and locked garage. Make a habit of locking your garage door and car doors.
• If your car is stored in a carport or parked near your house, leave your exterior lights on throughout the night.
• If you park on the street, choose a well-lit, open space even if it means adding additional street/yard lighting & trimming back trees/bushes that block your view of your vehicle.

Residential Burglary
We also have recently seen numerous residential burglaries. These have not been concentrated in any one area; they seem to be spread throughout our neighborhoods. These have been forced entry burglaries, with usually a broken window or kicked in door to gain entry. Jewelry, laptops, gaming systems and cash are the items most often taken.
Burglary Prevention Measures Reminders
• Close And Lock Windows: Always close and lock windows whenever away from the home.
• Lock Your Doors: 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 is now secured into 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. If they see suspicious activity while you are gone, make sure they know to call 911 to report it.

Inventory Your Valuables; Engrave Where Applicable
Many of us have received new items for the Holidays. Now is a good time to take an inventory of your property. On a sheet of paper, just mark down the item name, make, model and serial numbers (as applicable) and approximate value. With jewelry, write a description of the piece and its value. Take pictures so you have a visual record that can be used for identification if the jewelry item is lost or stolen. For jewelry and important papers, consider storing them in a fire safe that can be bolted to the floor. For your electronic items (laptops, I-Pods, digital cameras, flat-screen TVs, gaming systems), we encourage you to engrave them with your driver’s license number. Engraving is a theft deterrent because the item can be identified more easily as belonging to a particular person. Engraved items are also easier to recover and return to the owner. You can purchase an engraver from any hardware store for about $25. Pass it around the neighborhood so everyone can engrave their valuables.
It doesn’t take that long to do an inventory or to engrave your property. I was able to take care of all my inventory and engraving in about an hour one Saturday afternoon. I keep the inventory list somewhere safe - and where I can also find it.

Until next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!

Captain David Emerick, South Precinct Commander Mark Solomon, Crime Prevention Coordinator

Holiday shopping on Beacon Hill! (posted for Linda on 18th Ave. S.)

Hi all - 'Tis the season.

Linda & Tom are having a holiday sale - this Sunday at 2710 18th ave. s.

It's from 2-5 on December 6th

Products include Tupperware, Fine Jewelry, Wines and Party Lite candles and spa fragrances. There will also be handmade crafts from the Embera tribes of Panama.

Join in the fun and get to know your neighbors!

Happy Holiday!

Car Prowls on Beacon Hill

Hi Neighbors - Several cars were broken into last night. Please keep valuables inside. Lock you car. Leave porch lights on. If you see suspicious folks - call the police.

There was a fellow going from door to door at about 7:00 selling "free" papers and asking for money to buy trash bags for a neighborhood cleanup.

I gave him $2 in change - not thinking he was a threat, but also not too sure about his story. If you see this guy - and get a suspicious vibe, listen to your gut. It is hard to know who did the car prowling last night for sure.

Address area: S. Bayview and 20th Ave. S.

More to follow. Thanks - Lee

South Precinct Email Community Newsletter August 7, 2009

Dear Community Friends,

You may recall that back in late June 2009, Seattle Police officers served warrants on south Seattle locations that were found to be buying laptops and other electronics stolen in residential burglaries. As a result of those warrants and the recovery of hundreds of stolen laptops, we saw a decrease in laptop thefts. However, in the past few weeks, it appears that laptop thefts from residential burglaries are on the increase. We wanted to provide you with some security tips specific for your laptop computers.

• Don’t Leave Laptops in Plain Sight. Often, our laptops sit on a table near a window and in clear view. When not in use, store the laptop away, out of plain view from the home exterior.
• Record Your Laptop Serial Number, Model Number and Approximate Value. This helps us locate stolen property when we have the serial numbers. In the event the laptop is recovered, there is a much better chance of having the property returned to you.
• Engrave Your Laptop. Using an engraving pen or etcher, etch the item with your driver’s license number, or if a company laptop engrave the company name and the last four digits of the company tax ID number. Handheld engravers are available at most hardware stores for less than $25. Also use this tool to similarly engrave your other electronics (desktop computers, DVD players, gaming systems, etc.). Property that is obviously engraved with a person’s or company ID makes that property less attractive to thieves.
• Password Protect Your Laptop. Make it more difficult for someone to access you system and the data in your files.
• Back Up Your Data. This is especially important if you use your laptop for business. Using a $20 thumb drive to save copies of your files and keeping that drive someplace safe is a better alternative than losing all that data and having to rebuild from scratch.

Below are some commercially available products you may want to consider. An Internet search on any of these terms will provide you additional information, specifications and sources for these items. While the Seattle Police Department does not endorse any one product or company over another, the writer acknowledge Computer Security Products, Inc as the source for some of the information below.

Laptop Security Cable Locks
Think of it as a bike cable for your laptop. Some of these connect to your laptop’s built in security slot and have combination or keyed locks. Just loop the cable around an immovable object and secure it to the laptop security slot. These items range in price between $20-50.

Laptop Tie Down Security Brackets
These come in many varieties. Some secure the laptop to a surface by bolting the bracket to a surface while others connect to a cable. They can secure the laptop in either an open or closed opposition depending on the type you get. The price range on these is about $100-$120.

Laptop Lockers
Laptop Lockers are safes designed to securely store laptop computers and other valuables. They can be mounted anywhere and deter theft and unwanted access. These cost around $125.

Computer Tracking Software. These “LoJack for Laptops” software tracks the location of a computer hard drive when that system accesses the Internet and notifies theft recover teams as to it’s exact location. Seattle Police recovered several laptops in the past 12 months as a result of this software.

These are just a few ideas. Check with your local computer hardware store or check the Internet for other laptop security options.

Until next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!

Captain David Emerick, South Precinct Commander Mark Solomon, Crime Prevention Coordinator

Night Out Against Crime is tomorrow from 6-9!

We are looking forward to seeing you all there for a great night out.

It is a potluck so please bring something to share. The address is 2360 20th ave. south and the corner of Bayview.

We'll have our BBQ out for use.

If you have questions feel free to call me at 206-726-5961. Hope to see you all there!

Lee

Be on the lookout - for this man of interest

Man sought in fatal South Park stabbing

Police are searching for a man who fatally stabbed one woman and left another in critical condition early Sunday in South Park.

Police ask for public's help: Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Seattle Police Department's homicide unit at 206-684-5550 or Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 1-800-222-TIPS, or send a text-message to "crimes" (274637).

South Precinct Community Notification - July 17, 2009

Community Meeting Regarding Registered Sex Offenders

The Sexual Assault Unit of the Seattle Police Department will be holding a community meeting on Thursday, July 30th at the New Holly Gathering Hall (7054 32nd Ave S., Seattle, WA 98108) from 7-9pm. The purpose of this meeting is to provide the community information regarding registered sex offenders that reside in the south Seattle community.

Please join your neighbors at this meeting. You will get information regarding community notification, how to check for registered offenders in your area, get safety and prevention information, and have an opportunity to ask questions of our sexual assault detectives.

Community Meeting Regarding Registered Sex Offenders
Thursday, July 30, 2009, 7-9pm
New Holly Gathering hall
7054 32nd Ave S Seattle
Doors open at 6:30pm; program begins at 7pm

For questions or for more information, please contact The Seattle Police Department Sexual Assault Unit at 206.684.5575. Please advise if you need interpretation services.

Captain Les Liggins, South Precinct Commander

Mark Solomon, Crime Prevention Coordinator