West Seattle Crime Watch: Car theft; “suspicious transaction”

| Crime | West Seattle news

Two Crime Watch notes this midday – a car theft and a “suspicious transaction” – read on:

First, from Bill:

Our car was stolen out of our driveway last night. 46th & Monroe [map] – near Lincoln Park. … ’02 Toyota Sequoia. Beige. In very good shape. Taken from our driveway sometime between midnight and 7 am. Tracks in our yard (they drove off the edge of our driveway) suggest they headed south on 46th.

Then from Dan, whose subject for this e-mail was “suspicious transaction”:

My gf and i arrived home tonight near 35th and Alaska [map] to see an unfamiliar truck with NY state plates pull up and park in front of our house. We’ve lived here long enough to know the neighbors and the usual cars in the area, so we after watching out the front window less than 10 minutes, our suspicions were confirmed when another car drove up for a deal to be made. A male passenger from the NY truck got out, got into the other car for a minute, then got out, and returned to the truck. Both cars casually drove away. hardly the stuff of crime novels, but undesirables nonetheless. SPD didn’t seem too interested as we couldn’t report much. NY plate EML xxxx. dark blue chevy trailblazer ~2001. the “buyer” was in a ~1998 Olds intrigue sedan, white or silver. didn’t get the plate. just in case other Junction neighbors are having a problem…

quiz March 17, 2010 (1:28 pm)

I find it irritating that SPD encourages people to report any suspicious behavior yet they’re un-interested when you do.

WSB March 17, 2010 (1:33 pm)

Capt. Kessler (precinct commander) brought that up at the Chamber of Commerce meeting last week (held at the precinct) and as I wrote in my story, he wants to hear from people who have this happen to them. Call the precinct and ask for his office. Supposedly lots fewer complaints than there used to be but they acknowledge there’s still work to be done. – TR

SomeGuy March 17, 2010 (1:44 pm)

A few years ago I called SPD to report a stolen car dumped on our street and you would have thought I was a suspect.
…
Me: “There’s a stolen car parked on our street.”
Dispatcher: “What makes you think it is stolen?”
Me: “It’s been there three days, none of my neighbors know anything about it, the windows are smashed and the stereo is gone.”
…..
Responding officer: “You the guy who called in the stolen car.”
Me: “Yes.”
Officer: “What makes you think is stolen?”
Me: (rolls eyes)

sam March 17, 2010 (2:13 pm)

curious- what time of day (“tonight”) was the suspicious transaction? 8 pm? 11 pm, 1 am?

so, if SPD didn’t care about Dan’s suspicions, is there no report # to call them about ?

someguy- I heard a story on ‘this american life’ that was very similar- a guy and girlfriend called in a suspicious car that was parked on the street (a dead end street) and no neighbors recognized the car or knew why it was there. the police didn’t care or want to investigate.

so after a few more days, they opened the car door to look for identification in the purse that was sitting on the car seat (the car door was unlocked), in case it belonged to a missing person or something. then, the police came to talk to them. turned out it was a ‘bait car’ but the cops didn’t tell them that when the guy called it in as suspicious.

Aim March 17, 2010 (2:24 pm)

A couple of weeks ago we had a VERY suspicious door knocker two days in a row. First one knocked, and when we answered “who is it” he was very aggressive, saying he was from Qwest and that we needed to let him in to check our lines. We don’t have a landline, and we told him to go away (did NOT tell him we don’t have a land line.) He continued to insist “you need to let me in” and finally left when we threatened to call the police.
.
Second issue, a few days later, middle of the day, knock on the door. My husband asked “who is it” and the man ran away with his head down so we couldn’t see his face from the windows.
.
Because we’ve had a rash of break-ins in our area we called the non-emergency number both times (as the knockers were already long gone.) The officer who answered could not possibly have cared less, and simply said “don’t answer the door, and let your neighbors know.”
.
I’ve gotten to the point where I’m not confident that if I call and complain, anything will change. They tell us to report this stuff, especially in the wake of a rash of issues in our area, and yet when we try they won’t take a report.

mark March 17, 2010 (2:44 pm)

I have called SPD 3 times in the past year

1. My fence was tagged, response time 3 hours
2. Suspicious car driving around and around and around the block at 2am. I fell asleep after 45 minutes, no clue if they ever bother to check it out
3. Lost child at 6am. It took 10 minutes to show up

Now, I can totally understand #1, very very low priority, #2 I would have liked a drive by in like 15 minutes and #3 was a little disturbing since I am not sure what could have been a higher priority at 6am.

OP March 17, 2010 (3:24 pm)

We had a nonemergency issue last night and the police just needed a little prompting. Let me explain. A car towing a boat has been sitting in our ‘hood for close to a month now. It wasn’t a bother until the car alarm started going off. We figured the person didn’t live near any of us, so we collectively called the police. Yup, peppered them with calls—about 3-4. (Okay, we lightly spiced them with calls.) Anyway, it worked. The car, with the alarm still honking, along with the boat and trailer, was gone by 8pm. And to the guy who parked his truck and boat illegally in our ‘hood (car thieves don’t set car alarms), your car and boat are in the impound. Enjoy paying the fine to get them out! ;)

coffee March 17, 2010 (4:01 pm)

Didn’t the new mayor want to be made aware of some of these problem issues? Has anyone contacted his office?

Bill March 17, 2010 (4:15 pm)

My wife mentioned the stolen car to a friend who lives up the hill from us (42nd & Thistle area). Friend said “that’s odd, I saw a car that looks just like yours on the street when I left for work this morning.” I checked it out and, sure enough, it was ours.

No visible damage (yes – the car was inadvertently left unlocked; no – it won’t happen again). Fortunately nothing of value was in the car. They rifled through the glove box and console storage. I found my daughter’s YMCA card in the bushes 20′ away from where they parked it.

The officer said it appeared they “stuck something in the ignition”, but I popped the key in and it started right up. I asked if this was pattern behavior. He said yes, though was surprised it was left so close to our house (less than 1/2 mile). He thinks maybe they saw a police car and got spooked.

And… apologies to the folks on 42nd who may have seen me suspiciously walking up and down the street with our dog (looking for strewn belongings) while I waited an hour+ for the officer to arrive.

Happy ending. Though incredibly unsettling.

WSB March 17, 2010 (4:27 pm)

Thanks for the update, Bill. Nice … that’s barely a block from WSB HQ. As police say, it can happen anywhere. I hope nobody on that block had their car stolen – that is often what officers say happens, the stolen car is driven till it runs out of gas or something else makes it inconvenient, the thief/ves hop out and take the next one, leaving the other one at the scene of the new theft … TR

Brian March 17, 2010 (5:56 pm)

My car (on Graham) was stolen last year. I found it one day later three blocks away! Car was locked on my end and there was no sign of damage. I only looked for it because my girlfriend’s car was stolen about 6 months prior. Her car was stolen from a friend’s house, then left in front of a home 6 blocks away (this event happened in Crown Hill). The sheriff who responded to the original Crown Hill theft predicted it would be found in a week somewhere close. He said that cars are regularly stolen for simple transportation: go to a party, go to a buy or a sale. Both our cars now have “the club.” Not foolproof, but it may shift the attention to an easier target. I found a deal on the club in a WSB story (TR can you find the link/organization?)

dale March 17, 2010 (6:43 pm)

They must have had a key to your vehicle otherwise they could have a blank fob from a dealer (difficult without ID) and then reprogrammed it, here how:

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=212679&highlight=fob+programming

HolyKow March 18, 2010 (11:18 am)

From Mark:

‘3. Lost child at 6am. It took 10 minutes to show up

#3 was a little disturbing since I am not sure what could have been a higher priority at 6am.’

If you get any police response at all for just about anything in 10 minutes, then you are at or below the averages. You need to adjust your expectations to reality. You could report seeing OBL at the Thriftway and it would still take them 7-15 minutes to show up. It is just how it works. From report to 911 to dispatch to travel time of the nearest officer (minus traffic and time of day congestion and less cops due to budget restrictions on overtime and number of officers) They do not have transporters, they will not be there in 60 seconds or less. If a cop happens to be around the corner, yeah, they will be there in 2 shakes, but even with sirens and lights, time is time.

Give these guys a break. They are doing the best with what they have.

Travis March 18, 2010 (1:00 pm)

People dump cars all the time, that aren’t necessarily stolen. We get, at least, two a year on our street. After a week or so we call it in and its gone in a day or two. The officer asked you why you think the car was stolen because he’s asking you for information, not because he’s being sarcastic. A parked car is a parking enforcement issue not a crime issue.
Judging by the amount of people that jump on the whining band wagon, in the comments section of crime watch, I can only imagine the amount of calls they must get for the most trivial things.
An abandoned car, whether stolen or not, is not a priority.
In case you are wondering why it takes them so long to show up, consider how many people are calling them about things like this, constantly. To serve and protect. Not to jump and get that ugly “stolen” car off your street so you dont have to look at it anymore.
The police dont do enough, SDOT doesn’t do enough…while I sit in my chair and complain complain complain.
I suggest trying to get more enjoyment out of life.

Born To Be Mild March 18, 2010 (4:02 pm)

I’d recommend attending the Community Police Academy to get an idea of what is involved in law enforcement. I know the feeling of calling in about stolen property and the slow response. But then go on a ride along and see what it takes to find and apprehend one of these suspects that we’re all so concerned about. I saw a car prowler identified, pursued, and captured. There are a lot of people involved in making an arrest like this. No, I don’t expect an immediate response to my missing pressure washer anymore.

jason March 18, 2010 (8:23 pm)

i live around 35 and willow,last nite we came home around 10,two guys one blond with a camo jacket&other had a black jacket and black back pack walked past us my girls got out went in,i watched the guys walk down alley and case a garage when they made there move i ran down there asked them what they were doing,they said trash picking,yea right,i am a ex con with multiple feloneys,i took my coat off told them we are tired of getting ripted off around here,they took off,i didnt call the police,but scared the…outof them,i told whos garge what happend,he called police,while i was yelling at them for a good 3 min,no one around paid any attention???we all need to pay more attention to our block

world b. free March 27, 2010 (3:10 pm)

We need to let people have the piece of mind to communicate with fellow citizens.Welcome your new neighbors as you would have them welcome you.Stop the negative hype! A car stopping and 2 people talking is a good thing,some A-hole knocking repeatedly @ your isn,t

Phil April 1, 2010 (5:01 am)

I have a neighbor that has been intimidating/threatening, this has been going on for a long time, not really sure what he’s issue is with me however I’m 100% sure that I have not done anything to this people. So several months ago, I finally called 911, I explained the situation to the operator and then she said “right now, I really don’t have any reason to send an officer” and gave me a number to call instead (I guess I would have to be dead before she sends an officer, right?) Any thoughts on this (ie: how to handle this). Would welcome your comments, Thank you