West Seattle Crime Watch: See what’s happening where

Relatively quiet weekend – no major incidents – but we do have reader reports to share in West Seattle Crime Watch today, and we’ve checked the Seattle Police map for current trends, noting for starters that burglaries are still running above average:

The map shows 23 burglaries reported in West Seattle since last Monday. That’s compared to 24 the previous week, and up from last October, which SPD online stats say averaged 18 a week. Eighteen is also the weekly average this year, through August, the most recent month for which SPD has published monthly stats. To see addresses, go to the map and click on any icon, which will tell you the street/block number and when it was reported.

Ahead – a stolen-vehicle report plus a look at the map/numbers for how that category of crime is trending in West Seattle right now, as well as other reader reports on car break-ins, mail theft, and two likely stolen items found:

STOLEN TRUCK: Just heard from the owner (who didn’t want to be identified) this morning; the theft happened one week ago:

My truck was stolen from behind my house under its carport on Monday night October 14th sometime after 8:00 pm from the alley behind 56th Ave SW, two blocks down from Alki Beach. Please look out for a purple 1995 Nissan 4×4 pickup with a black canopy and call Seattle Police if you see it parked/abandoned anywhere! I reported the theft the next morning with (SPD).

The SPD map shows 11 West Seattle auto thefts reported since last Monday (October 14th):

Checking the map for the previous week’s time frame, that’s a drop – 14 were reported a week earlier.
CAR BREAK-INS: From Jennifer in the 6600 block of Holly Place (map):

I woke this morning to find my car door ajar, glove box broken, stereo controls for my aftermarket and very old 6-cd changer ripped out and contents of my car scattered. My car was locked and nothing of any real value was in it. It was parked under our street light and bedroom window.

And from Gaelen:

My truck was broken into on Thursday night about 11:00 pm on Marine View Drive SW between 110th and 112th. [map] Looks like they were looking for the quick grab of cash and change; but unfortunately they got my wallet with my I.D. and cards. Canceled cards but now have to go through the pain of getting it all again.

MAIL THEFT: From a resident who didn’t want to be identified:

We live 1 block north east of Morgan Junction. During the first week of October, we had some mail (a package- including a check) stolen from our doorstep. We have contacted the police and they have a case number. If you live in the area, and have lost any mail/packages recently, please contact the police.

STOLEN SIGN: If your Alki restaurant/pub lost an A-board in the past few days, check with SPD – a resident found one (no establishment name on it, just the promotion) in an Alki dumpster and turned it over to police.

FOUND SKATEBOARD: Possibly stolen? Alan found one near Don Armeni last Wednesday, “a Santa Cruz longboard, very new looking, found in the grass area between the street and sidewalk next to the boat launch.” Comment below if it might be yours.

G October 21, 2013 (1:37 pm)

Burglary/property crime rates per capita are much, MUCH higher in Seattle compared with the national average. The stats are jaw-dropping.

WSB October 21, 2013 (1:43 pm)

Got a link for that? I’m running out on a story and can’t research.

Sharon October 21, 2013 (1:46 pm)

Purple Nissan parked on 45th one block east of Lincoln park been there about a week.I have never seen it in the neighborhood before.It has a canopy on it.

PSPS October 21, 2013 (2:10 pm)

Here are some FBI stats for 2012:
.
Seattle
POP: 626,865
Burglaries: 6,523
Rate per 100K: 1,040
.
National
POP: 313,914,040
Burglaries: 2,103,787
Rate per 100K: 670
.
Portland
POP: 598,037
Burglaries: 4,471
Rate per 100K: 747
.
Denver
POP: 628,545
Burglaries: 5,129
Rate per 100K: 816

G October 21, 2013 (2:11 pm)

http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/wa/seattle/crime

Oddly, crime rates are going down in big cities like LA and New York. Seattle’s property crime rate is twice as high as LA.

gp October 21, 2013 (3:08 pm)

skateboard returned to owner.

G October 21, 2013 (3:10 pm)

Thank, PSPS.

sandy October 21, 2013 (3:18 pm)

Our daughter’s truck was broken into last week while in the big parking lot at Lincoln Park in broad daylight when there were many other cars parked there. She and our grandson and their dog were taking a quick walk through the park and when they got back an hour or so later, the window had been broken, her computer, his Ipad, purse,money, files etc were gone. A kind samaritan found the purse and a Park employee found the backpack, so she got some things returned…lesson: don’t leave anything of value behind in your vehicle!

WSB October 21, 2013 (3:31 pm)

Sorry to hear about that, Sandy. Parks and police have said that’s the main crime problem at Lincoln Park – car prowls – nothing should be left in the car there or elsewhere, ever. One recent report was from people who thought they were doing the right thing by stashing purses in the trunk before going for a walk. Nope – the thieves were obviously somewhere nearby watching.

enough October 21, 2013 (3:50 pm)

Sharon – you can file a request for parking enforcement to take a look into whether it is stolen, etc, at the link below. It’s quick and easy:

http://seattle-p1csrprodcwi.motorolasolutions.com/ServiceRequest.mvc/SRIntakeStep2?id=PDAVSVS&templateid=&guid=30005b8b5ec14763a35fbecaa1b3324f&srID=

kas October 21, 2013 (4:12 pm)

Purple Nissan may actually be on 46th (not 45th as listed above), between Thistle and Fauntleroy Pl SW. Saw it while out walking, tried calling SPD non-emergency # but couldn’t keep holding. License begins with B650..S. Don’t want to list the whole thing in case this is not the stolen vehicle. Good luck!

Chris October 21, 2013 (4:33 pm)

Lincoln Park parking lot. Can’t think of an easier place to do a sting. They are watching u and u or a friend with a stun gun and 911 on speed dial are watching them. Don’t even need to stun them, just follow em the cops show up.

Do this few times and see how long it takes for the thieves to find a new place to thieve. Neighborhood watch for real.

Concerned October 21, 2013 (4:54 pm)

An average of 18 burglaries per week (72 per month) seems insanely high to me. Seems at that rate, everyone in West Seattle is bound to get hit sooner or later.

Wet Head October 21, 2013 (5:29 pm)

Burglaries? I need new glasses. I thought they were marijuana dispensaries.

pupsarebest October 21, 2013 (9:05 pm)

Chris, I like your idea of a sting, but how about that being taken care of by the SPD with plainclothes officers and unmarked vehicles?
Probably not enough money in the budget, I suppose.
I may just change my daily routine of walking my dog at Lincoln Park based on these dismal statistics.
Concerned, you are right, that rate seems incredibly high, and really does make it seem like we all are just waiting our turn to “win” the burglary lottery.

Blunt truth October 21, 2013 (9:25 pm)

Property crime is high is Seattle because collectively we are so anti-gun. There’s no deterrent. I think when people think there’s a possibility that someone may be home and armed, they think twice about robbing homes.

Dylan October 21, 2013 (10:02 pm)

Wow, look at those stats. Maybe I’ll move back to Southern California. I’ve never had anything bad like this happen other than having a bicycle stolen (which wasn’t secured) until I moved up here. In west Seattle I’ve had my motorcycle stolen and car broken into within months of each other. Or maybe it’s just West Seattle that’s bad.

WSB October 21, 2013 (10:23 pm)

Anyone who wants to look up other metro areas can find the numbers in this section of the FBI’s comprehensive 2012 crime report:
.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/tables/6tabledatadecpdf/table-6
.
The report also has an extensive section warning against “rankings.”
.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/resource-pages/caution-against-ranking/cautionagainstranking

BP October 21, 2013 (11:22 pm)

Blaming it on not enough guns? HA! Then why are they targeting homes and cars when people aren’t there? Makes no sense.

The car break-ins happen because people keep leaving valuables in their cars despite knowing better. And the cops do NOTHING to stop it. Nothing. I reported my car break in and was told to hang up and report it online. And my auto insurance refused to cover the items not permanently installed and renters wouldn’t cover things in my car… Literally, no one cared. I had to replace my window, fill in an online police report that no one ever followed up on, and shut up. It is not a victimless crime but the lack of any police response at all was discouraging. That is why they break into cars. Easy money and no consequences.

Some sting operations in known hot spots would go a long way towards getting the brazen frequent fliers and instill a little bit of trust in the public that the police actually care. Then we’d need some judges with backbones to make examples of these scum… I have my doubts.

Lola October 22, 2013 (4:35 am)

My son wanted me to come watch their game of dodge ball one day after swimming at Coleman Pool, (I always park down by Lowman) when I went to watch the game I even took my bag with wet towel and swimming suit with me as I did not want to come back to a broken in car.

Tim October 22, 2013 (6:44 am)

Would there be any legal repercussion if a civilian were to set up their own “sting” operation? It would be great to team up as a community and pull something like that off.. My only concern is being on the right side of the law if there was a physical altercation in that scenario.

fionaenzo October 22, 2013 (6:56 am)

It will take a concerted effort by west seattleites to patrol the lincoln park parking lots. The tinted windows really make it hard to see who’s hanging out in their vehicle monitoring folks’ comings and goings. I do make eye contact, when possible, with people who look like they aren’t there to “enjoy” the park.
And underscoring advice above, please stop leaving valuables in your vehicles! Or anything like shopping bags that look like they might contain valuables. . I flatten my bags and put them on the dash when i leave – no mystery. Leaving valuables in one car encourages them to keep breaking into cars for the jackpot. It’s a hassle but that is our half of the equation to try to reduce these crimes.

MAS October 22, 2013 (7:50 am)

@Blunt truth – So, places like Corpus Christi TX, where citizens are packing should have almost NO crime, right? The FBI stats would seem to bear that out — for burglary, but oddly they actually have HIGHER per capita violent crime (again, using the stats from the FBI) Maybe the more guns equals less crime only works for property?

Nick October 22, 2013 (8:13 am)

Got hit last night on 14th ave sw. They tossed my car and got a phone charger, razor, and a prescription which I rely on. They definitely need to do a sting or bait cars I feel like there are only a small group of people doing these crimes and police are doing little to combat these crimes. Where the hell is the proactive policing

Brian October 22, 2013 (8:52 am)

I just want to quote this because it represents the biggest trainwreck of a thought process I’ve ever seen:

“Lincoln Park parking lot. Can’t think of an easier place to do a sting. They are watching u and u or a friend with a stun gun and 911 on speed dial are watching them. Don’t even need to stun them, just follow em the cops show up.

Do this few times and see how long it takes for the thieves to find a new place to thieve. Neighborhood watch for real.”

Please don’t do this. EMS is already really busy in Seattle.

j October 22, 2013 (9:17 am)

I would love to know more about the burglary on Southern … very close to home. Anyone?

WSB October 22, 2013 (9:26 am)

J – if no one reading this answers, I *think* the report is available online. I can’t look it up for an hour or so because we’re running out on a story but will check upon return – TR

wetone October 22, 2013 (2:35 pm)

Filling out a police report online is a joke! Way to long and ask for info that has nothing to do with the issues you want to fill the report out for. Myself and I’m sure many others end up not reporting many crimes for this reason. I also waited on the non-emergency phone# and never got through, ended up getting a recording to call back later. What a joke of a system, but a great way to the crime statistics down.

Bee October 22, 2013 (6:24 pm)

The tinted windows were mentioned above. That brings up a question. We thought it was illegal to have a certain amount of tint on the windows. It seems more and more cars now have tinted windows & who knows if you have a gun pointed at you or what is going on. It is quite unsettling & wondering if in fact it is illegal why the police are not cracking down on this. Thanks.

Jeff October 22, 2013 (6:51 pm)

A few thoughts:

Police resources are not infinite and are prioritized based on some type of cost-benefit matrix.

Taking the law into your own hands outside of one’s residence is a low probability endeavor; don’t challenge an adversary with nothing to lose.

Be proactively vigilant. Don’t leave anything to chance. Report suspicious activity. Document and photograph suspicious activity, and your belongings.

CarProwl Victim October 23, 2013 (12:50 am)

Had a car prowl last night and that’s the third time in the last few months in the area off Holden by Home Depot. They didn’t get anything this time because I didn’t have anything in the car except office supplies and apparently they aren’t interested in that. Previously they got coins from the ashtray and some sunglasses. Both cars are remote access and none of the windows were broken or anything else. So it appears that they have remotes and are using them to gain access. I did make a report in person just so that the information would be included in the stats.

It seems to me that our police cannot seem to actually catch criminals and prevent crime, i.e., massive increase in burglaries and huge surge in violence downtown, but they manage to semi-regularly harass, beat up and otherwise treat horribly people who are not committing crimes.

But it also astonishes me that people think they can leave things like computers, Ipads, phones, wallets, purses and the like in their cars – visible to the world – and think that they won’t be burgled. It doesn’t make what the crooks do ok – it’s still awful and sleazy and petty, but why make it easy for them? And don’t be surprised that it happens when you leave out an open invitation to thievery. The person who said he/she doesn’t even leave shopping bags in the car is right on. I sometimes forget to make it clear that those are empty in my car and I figure that I am tempting fate when I unintentionally leave bags visible to tempt the crooks.

Bridge October 24, 2013 (12:49 am)

Couple of weeks ago SPD caught a car prowler in the SW Holden/ NAVOS area ~ 11pm, yeeeeeeeeeeeeehey 1 down for now…..Let’s continue to be vigilant, report, record, protect our community.

tuantyone October 24, 2013 (10:36 pm)

My parents house was actually broken into on Monday and my car including my parents stuff taken. Please contact SPD if you find a slate-blue Infiniti G37 LIC#144-ZWO.

WSB October 24, 2013 (10:40 pm)

Tuanty – if you e-mail us a bit more information we can post in the next Crime Watch report, which will be seen more than this comment on a story that’s a couple days old – and I’m sorry to hear about what happened. editor@westseattleblog.com – we don’t need names or specific addresses, but vicinity and anything else you’d want people to watch for besides the car … TR

Laura October 27, 2013 (11:44 pm)

I don’t know if this is helpful but I literally think like a burglar when trying to protect my cars and home. Keeping the car cleaned out is a great start but not 100%. These people even resort to stealing car seats, pathetic yes and very inconvenient. I lock up my home and cars like Fort Knox. I consider the person who wants to steal my stuff as having a job and that is to steal from others so my job is to unfortunately make it as difficult as possible. So far so good. Homes on either side of me and across from me have been burgled in the past however the opportunities were there for the taking. It is nice to think the police can handle it all but the reality is this is not Mayberry.

Sorry, comment time is over.