WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Four reader reports – including words of thanks

| Crime | West Seattle news

Four reader reports to share this afternoon:

STOLEN CAR: Matt‘s brother’s car was stolen today on 34th SW: “It was a green 1996 Honda Accord. Lic # AUK3613. The car is from Victoria B.C. and has a ‘Honda City Victoria’ license plate outline. It also has a ‘Sub Pop’ sticker on left side of the back bumper.” Call 911 if you see it.

STOLEN BICYCLE: From Chris:

My bike was stolen from our secured entry garage in the Alaska Junction (44th, between Alaska and Edmunds). Reported to SPD (2017-13425), and on bikeindex.com. I don’t know when the theft occurred, but I believe it was sometime between (Tuesday) night and (Wednesday) afternoon.

Bike is a 2015 Marin Lombard Elite 52cm (like this, except I had wrapped my handlebars in teal tape).

CAR PROWL FRUSTRATION: From John:

My wife’s car had the side window broken on Monday late afternoon, Lincoln Park South lot.

She’d semi-hidden a small backpack with a laptop, so that’s history. She just walked through that same parking lot this afternoon and noted four more fresh piles of shattered window glass – in addition to hers from Monday.

The SPD officer who took her report was sympathetic but resigned to this never-ending nuisance. I’d like to think that some special enforcement could be done in West Seattle where car prowls are endemic, like Lincoln Park’s middle and south parking lots. I’d think a few arrests here and there could slow the pace of this crime and perhaps even result in the criminals reconsidering their acting with impunity in the usual locations.

It just doesn’t seem like this cool community should have to put up with petty crime running rampant.

There have been arrests – but one challenge police and prosecutors have identified is that car prowling by itself is a misdemeanor and so that doesn’t necessarily keep the suspect behind bars for long unless there are other factors in the case, such as an arrest warrant already out for them.

PACKAGE-THEFT VICTIM’S THANKS: From Nathan:

I just want to say thank you to one of my excellent, anonymous, neighbors. Today I came home from work to find an opened package on my porch. The contents were on top of the package, and a note said it was found nearby, shredded and the contents strewn about. It was signed, “your neighbor on 48th”. This was near Hanford and 47th. Apparently the would-be thief didn’t think the $8 ethernet cable jacks I ordered could be traded for heroin or crack. The nice gesture of my neighbor restored some faith in humanity …

Bonnie January 12, 2017 (3:56 pm)

I was at the Fauntleroy Y Monday night and FOUR cars had the windows smashed in and stuff grabbed while I was there (6pm-ish). Happened to a car right next to mine.

WSB January 12, 2017 (4:05 pm)

That was in an earlier Crime Watch this week.

realitysetin January 12, 2017 (4:16 pm)

I would love to see these crimes to stop as much as everyone else but let’s be realistic about this…

For one if it is the homeless doing these crimes (and I’m not saying it is or drug addicts and again I’m saying it is) if caught and arrested all that would do is give the homeless a hot meal and a warm place to sleep until arraigned and released and 2, if it’s a drug addict the same thing except that 1 or 2 days in jail it would drive them crazy and give them even more motive to go steal something again for drugs. A drug addict will not go straight in the 1 or 2 days they are incarcerated they must want to go straight and ask for the help. I’m sorry but it is true.

sw January 12, 2017 (5:06 pm)

Valid points.

It also stands to reason that the car prowls in the Lincoln Park lots will continue until people stop leaving things in their cars.

candrewb January 12, 2017 (8:07 pm)

Nathan, not to diminish your neighbors actions or make myself part of the story, just know a lot of us would do that for our neighbors.

Bisker16 January 12, 2017 (9:52 pm)

Sw is right, you rarely hear ‘my car got broken into even though there was nothing in there’ sorry it happened but good reminder to not leave even a kleenex in your car.

WSB January 12, 2017 (10:12 pm)

That’s not true. We hear it all the time – vehicles broken into, rummaged through, even with nothing to be taken. Happened to both our cars, for example, with nothing but a charging cord (in the newer one) in there to be taken. (Those are more valuable than you’d think … cost $30 to replace. So, we don’t even leave that in there any more.) Car prowlers break into vehicles on spec, not just the ones where they think they see something. But what SW said is still correct in a sense: In general, there are still enough people who leave valuables in cars that the percentages are worth it to the thieves. If absolutely every vehicle was absolutely devoid of stealable items, after a while word would get around and the thieves would finds something more worth their while – or, at least, would try to.
- sw January 13, 2017 (8:24 am)
  
  Perhaps the users of Lincoln Park should organize a parking lot patrol. Sign up for shifts to walk the lots before or after you do your activity in the park. For example, if you run in the park from 1-2pm, then sign up for a shift from 2-2:30 to walk the parking lot and provide a watchful presence. Patrol members could wear orange vests and carry air horns to alert others in case of trouble. If a there was a consistent visible and audible presence, perhaps that would help to curb the behavior.

face less January 14, 2017 (10:53 pm)

I agree with the statements above. Lincoln park is a target of thiefs looking to break in for their crack/herione habits. The city has done nothing to curb bad behavior. I would like to see cameras installed and also agree that perhaps putting patrol folks in the parking lot to patrol it and signal when a car is broken into. I also believe we should set up a rehab on one of our islands so that we can send the drug addicts over to the island and have them go through rehab to get off drugs. No punishment – just pure help. We have to do something to curb the breaking/thefts within WS.

concerned January 17, 2017 (9:50 am)

…public streets there are cameras, intersections, cameras…. stadiums, cameras. Why can’t the city provide CAMERAS for public parks? This may not eliminate the problem, but might at least be a deterrent.

Mary January 17, 2017 (2:07 pm)

I like the Idea of patrols in the parking lots.. Exercise is exercise .. verdad?

It is getting too much, all over . The thief can be in and out in 1 minute.

The parking lots could be great places for the police to write their reports… Or a few part time jobs for teens or retired , parking lot patrol… Do you think if enough of us want it , we could get it into the parks department budget ?

Sorry, comment time is over.