West Seattle Crime Watch: In case you see these jewelry boxes…

Erin‘s home near Camp Long was burglarized, and she’s hoping you will watch for particular items in case they turn up somewhere:

I just wanted to let the community know that our house was (burglarized Wednesday) sometime between 9 am and 1:30 pm. We are on the 5200 block of 35th Ave SW. [map] They entered by kicking in the back door — pretty brazen for having the neighbors so close. Nothing enormously valuable was taken; they only took passports and birth certificates and some really cheap jewelry, which unfortunately happened to be in some precious-only-to-me jewelry boxes. They also took my late grandmother’s wedding ring.

I don’t have any hope of finding the passports or ring, but if people see the jewelry boxes, I would be really grateful to get them back. One is wooden with an inlaid violin on the lid and a key to lock it. The other is purple wood with an inlaid flower on the lid. Both are music boxes. Thank you for being such a supportive community!

12 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: In case you see these jewelry boxes..."

  • cj August 14, 2014 (9:26 am)

    I would find some place to report the stolen passports and birth certificates. They can only have taken them to sell to some one who will use them. Identity theft can lead to bad places.

  • Wil August 14, 2014 (9:27 am)

    Your passports and birth certificates are enormously valuable. Those are the seeds for identity theft. If they got any of your bills or credit cards, that’s even more data for them to misuse.

    You might consider taking steps to secure your identity at this point. Not to be alarmist, but my understanding is that once your identity has been stolen, it’s an absolute nightmare to gain the security you once had back.

  • Erin3746 August 14, 2014 (10:01 am)

    I’m the victim in this burglary. Thank you for your concern — that was the first thing I did yesterday. After calling the police, of course. What a mess!

  • wsn00b August 14, 2014 (10:31 am)

    Name and address are public information especially if you are a homeowner.

    Credit cards are replaceable and their theft is not really identity theft.

    Bank account numbers and debit cards are a little bit more painful to protect but they often come with good fraud protection if you have a decent bank. Minimize their direct use and use fully paid credit cards as a buffer/proxy to your core bank accounts.

    Other identities like a SSN card, Passports and Birth/Marriage certificates belong in a strong safe at your bank or a properly installed one at home.

    Digital protection of all these things is a totally different ballgame.

  • ocean August 14, 2014 (11:26 am)

    You can also contact the 3 big credit agencies and get have “lock” put on your accounts– we did this after Target’s (and many other stores’) security issues last winter. It cost us about $10 per person per agency, and we have to pay $10 to contact them to unlock the account for a specifically named company if we want a loan or to open a new credit card (“I’d like to unlock my account for XYZ to check my credit for a new mortgage/Visa card”) and then to immediately lock it again, but it also means that nobody can open accounts with our information!

  • payrollgirl August 14, 2014 (12:56 pm)

    Yes if you go to your bank or credit union I believe they can help you secure your credit with all the agcencies, you do not want your identity stolen becasue it is harder than heck to get it straightened out!

    Run to get help

  • SSF August 14, 2014 (4:49 pm)

    I’m not sure which side of the 5200 block you live on. But a lot of people go down the alley and then through the trees on the East Side of 35th, between the houses and Camp Long so you might look in the trees and bushes there.

  • West Seattle Transplant August 14, 2014 (6:42 pm)

    My wife and I just moved to the area a month ago and I highly recommend a security system and cloud recording cameras which we have installed ourselves. Our insurance premiums went down for having these systems installed which allows us to get more insurance coverage. Right now, If someone even walks into our yard, I get live video feeds and text/email notifications. It’s worth it and being a victim of these types of home burglaries in the past, the peace of mind knowing that I have court admissible evidence available to put these bums away is more than worth the upfront costs. We all live in a high property theft city. Don’t make it easy for them.

  • Wb August 14, 2014 (7:26 pm)

    I am so sorry. I had the same thing happen when I lived up in Greenwood–my grandmother’s jewelry was taken. I wish for the swift return of all your things. Most of all, I hope you get back your peace of mind.

  • Saweto August 15, 2014 (8:03 am)

    I’m sick of these brazen thieves. I know it’s only property, but when they break into homes or even cars they put our lives at risk should we have the misfortune of encountering them in the act. I recommend getting a firearm for home protection. If you have children be sure to get a safe and a cable lock for the slide, which renders the weapon inoperable until removed. Anyone breaking into my house and putting my family at risk should think twice.

  • GT August 15, 2014 (2:32 pm)

    @West Seattle Transplant, what live-video system are you using that alerts you via text messages?

  • Sunflower August 18, 2014 (12:53 am)

    @Saweto – This isn’t the wild west. Guns kill people. Burglars steal and usually don’t harm home owners.

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