West Seattle Crime Watch: Car break-in

| Crime | West Seattle news

Out of the WSB inbox, from Amy:

We live on 37th Ave SW near the Hanford St intersection [map] and wanted to alert other West Seattle residences that our car was broken into, sometime early this morning, we believe. They stole our Garmin unit as well as an MP3 player.

As we hear time and time again at West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meetings (next one, 3/17, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct), these thieves are particularly keen on GPS’s, so even if you take yours inside at night but leave suction cups visible in the car, your car may be an attractive target.

onceachef March 9, 2009 (5:34 pm)

Just so people know…there are GPS “services” out there that work through your cell phone…and most cell phones (brands and models) were adaptable to this service. I’m not advertising any names but as I was job hunting today I came across a company that does this…there’s probably a few or more of them in the Seattle area. It (the service) ran about $10/month and less if you get a year’s subscription. This way you can find your way near and far and not have extra (thief attracting) equipment in your car….just a thought.

Diane March 9, 2009 (6:22 pm)

I’m at 37th & Hinds, very close; not sure if it’s because my car is so old & crappy, with an old tape deck, certainly nothing of value to steal; or just lucky so far; only attacks on my car, lots of bird poop, so I avoid parking under power lines/trees
~
I don’t even know what a Garmin is

Michael March 9, 2009 (6:37 pm)

At this point, anyone who still leaves their GPS in their car might as well leave cash on the street at night. I can’t believe people still do that.

Bobabooey March 9, 2009 (6:50 pm)

hey once a chef – your not supposed to be using a cell phone while driving, remember? your comment wreaks of advertising. The more appropriate solution is… just take the crap out of your car when get home….Hello!

Ron March 9, 2009 (6:54 pm)

When you live on a well traveled street or one that has easy access it seems that you are even more vulnerable. These thieves like a quick escape. One can’t be too careful, and as the economy get’s worse so will theft increase. Sorry about your loss.

Amy March 9, 2009 (8:06 pm)

Yep Michael, our bad decision to leave the GPS device in the car last night but it happened and we paid the price. That’s why I’m sharing our mistake with the rest of the neighborhood. The warning was for people who might be getting lazy about leaving valuables in their car to NOT get lazy about it and take things inside. Of course around here things aren’t necessarily safe inside your home either.

WSB March 9, 2009 (8:14 pm)

And as seen in an earlier Crime Watch report, even what’s bolted to the ground outside your house (mailbox in Fauntleroy) isn’t safe either. We again very much appreciate Amy and others who share reports so everyone else is alerted – we parse police reports at the precinct too but those sometimes take a few days to work through the system, so a “this happened to us last night/this morning” can only come directly from the people involved … TR