Burglars heading north?

The burglars who repeatedly hit neighborhoods in Gatewood (where neighborhood leaders say no fewer than six city/police officials showed up for a meeting the other night, wow!) may be heading north, according to e-mail we just received from somebody on the north part of the peninsula. Click ahead to read it:

I wanted to let you know that there appears to be a problem with burglaries in our neighborhood, similar and perhaps connected to those in the Gatewood hill area. The suspects’ car was identified, and the police know who one of them is.

The detective on the case … said he thinks these may be the same suspects from other burglaries in West Seattle. Sounds like maybe those in Gatewood. There is a warrant out for the arrest of the driver but they haven’t caught either guy yet and I’m not sure how much they know about the second suspect yet.

Needless to say, our neighborhood is quite shaken by this and we’re keeping a very vigilant eye out. The two were driving a maroon colored van but I think they’ve dumped that since it’s been traced back to them. The driver is 19, white, and the other guy is probably early twenties, mixed race, with kind of loose dreadlocks. Both are about 6 feet tall, 200 pounds.

I don’t know how much of this you can publish but it seems that if the police can’t get these guys at least we can warn our neighbors to be on the lookout for them.

misty June 8, 2007 (2:03 pm)

Specifically, which “northern” neighborhood is being referred to in this posting? Thanks!

WSB June 8, 2007 (3:15 pm)

The person who sent us the note was very concerned about being too specific – we have a followup question out to them about how specific they would mind us being, but in the short run, we thought it was important enough to tell everyone to be on the lookout for that particular vehicle. Stand by for more.

misty June 8, 2007 (3:24 pm)

Yes, I understand their concerns and I thank them (and you) for the posting. We’ll be on the look out here in the junction!

K June 8, 2007 (6:17 pm)

We are over on 46th Ave SW and someone just came to our door to sell something. We didn’t answer. I heard him at the neighbors house asking questions about their home. Sounds fishy and a bit like the MO of these guys. Just an fyi.

Wes June 8, 2007 (7:54 pm)

My neighbors on 45th got their bike stolen yesterday evening, from their carport, which is locked and the bike was under a cover. Keep an eye out! Time to go to craigslist for that CCD security camera

flipjack June 9, 2007 (9:54 am)

Time to buy that shotgun.

Ms_F June 9, 2007 (3:47 pm)

Our neighbor (in North Admiral) had someone come to their door during the day asking about their security system. Hah! Right. A lot of people come door-to-door here. I have finally put out a sign near our doorbell that says “No soliciting of ANY kind. If we don’t know you, we WON’T be answering the door. Please respect our right to privacy.” That way it’s not necessarily a tip-off as to whether we are home or not. It has worked on a couple of occasions so far. I hate to be un-neighborly, but that’s how it has to be these days.

Luckie June 10, 2007 (10:48 am)

We’re in Admiral, and the “security system guy” came to our door too. He was asking questions about whether our security system alerted the police or not, whether we thought any of our neighbors could use a security system, etc. Unbelieveable. We have small ADT signs on our doors and ground-floor windows–I wonder if he was probing to see if we actually use, or actually have, an ADT system….

MLJ June 11, 2007 (3:21 pm)

Someone needs to take a photo of these guys while they’re standing at the door.

A June 15, 2007 (11:31 pm)

If it’s the same guys who burglarized our place, I have their DNA. They bled on our furniture when entering. I’ve called to arrange turning it over, but the SPD seems to have lost interest. Sadly, ours was even classified as a hate crime.

9-1-1 REFUSED to dispatch when our neighbor discovered it and called. He called us, we called on the way home and they said “call back when you get there.” We called again when we got home – three hours and four MORE calls later (each time “don’t touch anything, don’t close your door, don’t go in, they may still be in there…”) They finally showed up – it was dark at that point and the officer made fun of me for finding fingerprints he hadn’t bothered to check for.

While I’ve also had some excellent experiences with the officers in our area, I’ve felt entirely blown off in this one. They don’t seem too worried about solving this string. Seriously, pick up the DNA at least. When they’re eventually caught they can be slapped with the hate crime charge too.

Needless to say, I’m not so confident that 911 will bother to dispatch if I’m ever in an emergency situation again.

B June 18, 2007 (10:14 am)

Unlike on television where DNA testing is instant, in the real world it is expensive and a limited resource. It takes weeks to months to process DNA evidence. The cost and scarcity means it is mainly used for serious (i.e. violent) crimes. The same is somewhat true for fingerprints. Do you really think the police are going to send a crime scene unit to your house because your TV got stolen (speaking hypothetically, not to this particular victim)?

Sadly, being burglarized is just part of living in an urban area. One should do one’s best to keep one’s home secure and keep an eye out for suspicious behavior, but don’t expect some big police response when it happens to you anyway. The police are way too busy dealing with more urgent matters like armed robberies, domestic violence, injury traffic accidents, etc.

I’ve been burglarized three times in 20 years. I know the strong feelings of violation and vulnerability one feels afterward. But you’re just one of dozens of burglary calls SPD reponds to every single day. Thus the mismatch between your expectations and their actions.

A June 18, 2007 (1:05 pm)

This was categorized as a hate crime, not a “simple burglary” – as stated in the comment, and made clear in the 911 calls. It was extremely violent, and involved a lot more than “a tv being stolen.” I am not posting details in order to protect my family’s safety, but rest assured there is good reason to pick up the DNA. I am fully aware of what’s involved in DNA testing, and also that they can’t just blindly test. HOWEVER, if suspects are apprehended for the burglaries in the area, it’s a nice bonus to have the DNA on hand to possibly tie them to a violent hate crime, dontchathink?

J June 18, 2007 (5:55 pm)

We were a part of the Gatewood spree that recently hit and I totally understand your frustration in getting the attention of the police. Our neighborhood saw a huge increase in home burglaries and the police took notice.

One of the previous posts/comments about DNA and finger print testing really urks me. I understand police resources and the need to allocate them appropriately, but doesn’t it make sense that since the police know 2 individuals are part of more than 10 burglaries that resources be allocated to this in a effort to avoid having to send officers to all of these homes to take police reports. Solving one crime to prevent 10 others = hhmmm?

Our neighborhood continues to monitor what is happening on our streets and we encourage all of you to get to know your neighbors and report anything that seems suspicious to the police.

And for the record, it had been reported that the suspects drove a maroon mini van and one guy was white with blondish curly hair, while the other guy was possibly mixed race with short brown hair, both in mid to late 20’s.

J June 18, 2007 (6:05 pm)

We lost $3,000 worth of property and have spent more than $1,000 on new security measures. I am sure the other 10 or so houses are in the same situation.
With $10,000+ in damage and loss, when is it no longer “just a burglary”?

Sorry, comment time is over.