West Seattle Crime Watch: Car broken into, ransacked

From MCM :

Our car was broken into overnight last night while parked on our driveway in the Arbor Heights neighborhood, close to the intersection of 32nd Ave SW and 104th [map]. The contents of the glove box and console were tossed as well as all of our grocery bags in the back seat. Items taken included a GPS unit, various loose items and a bag of change. Made a police report first thing this morning. We have seen an increase in drug activity and petty theft on the block.

Police have said that GPS units are a target in particular – so if you have one, not only is it important to take it out of the car, but don’t even leave hints (like suction cup/s on the windshield) visible.

16 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: Car broken into, ransacked"

  • luckymom30 March 3, 2010 (3:56 pm)

    I wonder where along 104th & 102nd you are because that is way too close for my comfort hearing you were broken into.

  • MargL March 3, 2010 (4:19 pm)

    Errr… Where’s 102nd AVE SW in Arbor Heights?
    I’m at 34th AVE SW and 104th so the cross street really interests me.

    • WSB March 3, 2010 (4:56 pm)

      I’m sending a followup on that. I checked Google maps and the two do intersect though I would call the area more Shorewood than AH so I didn’t want to assume that’s where the note-sender meant – TR

  • William Brewer March 3, 2010 (6:07 pm)

    FYI. I had a perp toss a concrete cinder block through my driver’s side window on the evening of 01/01/10 on SW Dakota Street in W. Seattle. The perp ripped my Garmin GPS off the windshield (one of the rare times that I ever left it on the windshield) and tore out the unit’s dashboard plug—breaking the charger plug in the process. As a result, the unit won’t be usable once the Garmin’s internal battery wore down. How stupid is that? In all, it cost me over $800 to have the window fixed, body work done, u-drive rented, and the GPS unit replaced. I no longer have anything of value in my vehicle. I would love to put a bullet in this person. Maybe next time.

  • arborheightsdad March 3, 2010 (6:22 pm)

    We live on 40th near 102nd in Arbor Heights and I can assure you that the 2 streets do not intersect in Arbor Heights. I would, obviously, also be interested in where this happened. We keep our cars in the garage but many in our neighborhood do not.

  • Glygor March 4, 2010 (8:43 am)

    102nd SW and 104th? Where is that?

  • samson March 4, 2010 (11:14 am)

    oh crap! Sorry about your GPS as Mine was stolen almost two years ago! they didnt break into but how did they have access into my SUV to toss everything around. Sheez, it will be their turn if we do theirs!! I live on 42nd sw, its not far from you.

    William, you are right they are so stupid if they rip off from the window. the value of GPS will drop. eh! Keep your chin up!

    MCM: keep your chin!! their a$$es will be busted

  • MCM March 4, 2010 (11:59 am)

    Sorry for the mistake in cross streets – we’re at 104th and 32nd Ave SW. Typing angry always leads to mistakes.

    • WSB March 4, 2010 (12:11 pm)

      I’ll amend the story. Thanks.

  • MargL March 4, 2010 (4:50 pm)

    Oh argh – just down the hill! Is there really an increase of drugs and theft in the area? Kids hanging out behind the church or something?

  • Travis March 4, 2010 (7:54 pm)

    Cars get broken into in every neighborhood in every city, all the time.
    This does not indicate an increase in crime in West Seattle.
    William, I get that you are frustrated but you do know that if you shoot someone for breaking into your car you are going to jail too, right?
    It sure seems, from reading these comments, that people with guns are anxious for a chance to shoot someone, for any reason.

  • samson March 4, 2010 (8:27 pm)

    MargL: which church are you talking? I am only familiar with two of them in this neighborhood. Sounds like I have same issue on Arbor Heights Community church. Kids hang out as I never see before. more crimes going on? Come on! they dont have a life like us!

  • MargL March 4, 2010 (9:06 pm)

    Hillcrest Preb. also at the intersection of 104th and 32nd where the OP said the break in occurred.

    There have been a lot of basketball games going on in the church gym so kids hanging out in the parking lot, etc. but that’s probably unrelated. I know the lot to the south of the church has had issues in the past with folks hanging out, drinking beer, vandalizing the preschool toys and playhouse.

    The lot is currently for sale and there’s talk about how it’d be nice to turn it into a park instead of townhomes but the church isn’t sure it wants a park there…

  • MCM March 4, 2010 (11:46 pm)

    MargL – I wish it was just kids behind the church. We don’t know who broke into the car, but there is a rental house a few doors down that had a full SWAT team drug bust about 6 weeks ago. We had been noticing increased traffic on the block since they moved in last summer. We are not connected to any of the main roads, so the extra traffic is noticeable and there were lots of short stops, random cars at all hours of the day, and in and out traffic that just is not normal neighborhood activity. We’ve seen drug deals right out on the street, tweaked out folks walking around, and other shady activity. We and other neighbors had made multiple calls to the narcotics desk before the bust and in the last weeks. Since the bust, the folks are back in the house and we’ve seen the traffic increasing again, but instead of only car traffic, we are seeing a lot of slow drive by’s and then people walking down the block and to the house, likely parking a street down or over a block to keep a lower profile. I think the foot traffic is worse for the security of the neighborhood. I spent some time again this last week on the phone with the SPD, after the car was broken into, and they are continuing to watch the house/neighborhood and coordinate with the DEA. That’s great, but nothing beats all of the neighbors being on alert and watching out for one other’s safety and property. Is there a neighborhood association down here or a block watch? I am inspired to get more involved.

  • MargL March 5, 2010 (10:43 am)

    Arbor Heights doesn’t have a neighborhood association that I know of. A very long time ago there used to be the Arbor Heights Improvement Club. Much like the Highland Park Improvement club that’s active now.
    I haven’t seen any block watch signs here around Hillcrest church – there’s a block watch a couple blocks north on 34th and probably others in the Arbor Heights area. If you don’t see a sign on your street there probably isn’t an official block watch.
    Ben Kinlow is the guy to talk to about getting a block watch set up.
    http://www.cityofseattle.net/police/precincts/southwest/prevention.htm

  • bente March 18, 2010 (1:26 pm)

    We live on 119th and 20th SW and our car along with 2 others were broken into this week. Same story a GPS and anything else they could steal were taken. Another person within a block had the same thing occur about a month ago. I wish the police could do something more than take information over the phone and file it under “too bad”.

Sorry, comment time is over.