Two West Seattle Crime Watch topics this morning – an update on a criminal case we’ve been following, and the brief notes from this month’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting.
ARBOR HEIGHTS ARREST CASE: Bail is now down to $2,500 for Alan Polevia, the repeat offender arrested after being found in the crawl space of an Arbor Heights home last week (WSB coverage here). As the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office had said would happen, Polevia went to court Wednesday to answer the charges on which he failed to appear back in March, burglary and theft charges related to a West Seattle case from last year. He pleaded not guilty, and the judge said he could be released on personal recognizance. Conditions of release include that he continue living at an apartment in the 11900 block of 16th South (map) for the duration of the case. We don’t have access to documents on the two other cases on which he was held, but the bottom line is that the jail register shows $2,500 bail still in effect related to one of them.
The Polevia case was brought up briefly by an attendee at Tuesday night’s WSCPC meeting. This time around, the meeting had no central topic, as there were no guests. Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Pierre Davis described Polevia as a “frequent flyer” whom they’ll be keeping an eye on if he gets out. Read on for other toplines:
CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL NOTES: As usual, the meeting started with Lt. Davis’s assessment of current crime trends. Property crimes have been “going up and down,” he reported, saying police are watching people who are “out of jail and (back) capering.” And they appreciate partnering with the community because “Block Watches are our bread and butter right now.” And he urged citizens to take preventive measures such as Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) – “keep up the good work … if you need us, call us.” Later it was noted that strong-arm robberies, which were reported as on the rise last meeting, and Lt. Davis said they had made some arrests along those lines too, and are trying to see what the suspects might be accountable for.
WSCPC vice president Larry Ruda reported a tire-slashing the previous night in the 8700 block of 16th SW in Highland Park.
An attendee asked what the rights are if someone is the victim of theft and spots their stolen property in a pawn shop – she said a landscaper had done that and been told by the shopkeeper to get lost. Provide the information to police, Lt. Davis said. “There is a whole system in place that allows us to do our thing.” Community Police Team Officer John Flores reiterated that reporting the theft is the most important thing you can do – make sure you know the serial numbers of the valuables you own – and then after a theft, you can check eBay, Craigslist, pawn shops, and if you think you see what’s yours and you report that to police, they can place it on investigative hold.
Other topics that came up:
*15th/Holden trouble spot: Three of the four tenants blamed for problems earlier in the year have been moved out, and the fourth one will be soon; the landlords have been working with police and getting advice on better ways to screen tenants.
*Pet theft (the recent White Center case was noted by an attendee)
*Wire theft (the recent Sound Transit-related case was noted by an attendee – here’s the latest from the feds and SPD)
*Vacant houses (if you see a problem with squatters or other nuisances, contact your Community Police Team officer – find contact info here. They can attempt contact with the owner, and if the owner won’t board it up, the city might be able to.)
*Predictive Policing – asked how it’s going, Lt. Davis said “it’s still on trial for me … you just can’t get away from good old-fashioned police work.” Nothing beats “saturating the area with officers” when needed.
*Staffing levels – there are a “few” openings right now, Lt. Davis said, but they are working to fill them every chance they get, as officers emerge from the academies, for example.
*If you’re going on vacation, make sure your mail doesn’t pile up; use timers to activate lights or even a radio at times.
The WSCPC now goes on summer semi-hiatus – no regular meeting until September. In the meantime, registration is open for Night Out block parties on August 6th – go here.
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