The photo and report are from Leanne:
As I now understand, Lincoln Park is unsafe and cars are broke into here daily. A Good Samaritan helped me to clean the mess. It happened around 3:30 this afternoon. They got a leather tote, purse, iPad, etc. … but not my wallet!! Haha!!!
I was there in the south lot at 3:15 when another woman was discovering her car had been broken into. The break-in happened around 2:30, according to the timeline of people coming and going. Back window smashed, bag stolen.
It’s horrible when peoples cars get broken into, with that being said, you never read about cars getting broken into to that have absolutely nothing in them. I don’t even leave a piece of tissue in my car, if there is nothing to take, they usually move on to the next one. Again, sorry that happened.
If you want to take a walk thru Lincoln Park either park down by Loman Beach, or also park on a side street as the two lots seem to be magnets for these smash and grabs. Just a thought.
Well know scenario, yet there is absolutely no plan in place to try and reduce these incidents. Too bad, so sad. Seattle, the city where government works for those who do not work.
Rico, do you honestly think this problem is unique to Seattle? On the off chance that you’ve only ever lived here, I’ll tell you: it’s not. This is an issue everywhere, from Forks to Portland to Houston to Washington, DC. There are signs in the parking lot that say that it’s a high prowl area. Would you have them install cameras? I mean, I have no problem with that, but the voters of Washington have, again and again, showed that they are averse to cameras, fearing governmental misuse. There’s an ongoing logical inconsistency here.
On another note, sorry that people are still having stuff stolen from their cars.
No offense, but this is uninformed and inaccurate FUD.
Police cannot cover every block 24×7 unless we had like 400,000 cops. Don’t want to get prowled? Don’t leave valuables in plain site.
Because people keep insisting on mentioning it – this is NOT an argument in support of or against any specific point BUT it needs to be said to clear up another misconception: Cars DO get broken into with *nothing* in sight. Has happened to us. Some thieves will gamble that maybe there’s something under your seat, in your console, etc. – TR
Lincoln Park is becoming another homeless camp with used needles and crime. The RVs are starting to build up at the north end by the gas station.
Sad.
Police cleared out a few camps in the park about a year ago. They are coming back because they can. Unfortunately many camps have been cleared and homeless keep coming back. The camp on I90 near I5 has been occupied and cleared out 5 times between 2012-2016.
Knock on wood, I’ve never had my car broken into in Seattle. I also never leave anything in it. The car looks empty if you look in the windows.
Sadly I feel it’s a matter of time before it happens to most people. Had my car broken into 3 times in three different parts of Seattle over the past 8 years, once they stole a bag of little value filled with back to school supplies, second time only a handful of pocket change left in cup holder and third time no bags, but rummaged through kids jackets in backseat and through glove box. In Highland Park two years ago, someone decided to drive down streets busting out windows of parked vehicles for fun. Had nothing of value in car, yet my rear window was shattered. I’ve replaced 4 windows! I consider myself fairly cautious, yet unless I only go to and from home and can empty my car before every outing, I’m sure I’ll fall victim again. My husband’s old car also had one door handle broken off and another damaged by someone trying to pick it open. He never left anything in his car. Just feel there’s an increase nationally in reoccurring offenders using car prowling to feed their habits, not sure how to curb this trend.
More crime, and I’ve found dirty needles in the park. No doubt that the Homeless RV camp building up on the north side has something to do with that. Must be nice, I’m going to roll an RV down to Coleman pool since the city doesn’t seem to do anything about it.
I hate to be that “that guy” but I’ll be that guy. I’ve had my car prowled twice in West Seattle, once in a downtown garage, once in another neighborhood on the other side of the city, and other cars a handful of times in other cities and suburbs (not cities – I’m talking like real suburbs with <20k residents and population density like North Bend) in other states.
The common denominator 100% of the time — every single time — was that I left things like visible packages or bags in the car. If I don't do that, my cars have never once been prowled. It literally is a 10/10 count or so of me leaving stuff behind that is visible. Except for things like a phone cable I leave nothing visible in a car now. Not even sunglasses. It takes zero effort. Knock on wood, I haven't been prowled once since I got a bit zealous about this, going on two years so far.
I am not a fan of victim blaming but if you want to wildly eliminate car prowls don't leave stuff in the car that is visible and appealing. One time I saw a report that someone got their car busted into and an iMac stolen. Like a full on iMac just sitting there overnight, and they were upset. Yeah, I would be too. The damn things are like $1800. But if you leave a stack of 100 wrapped $100 bills on your dashboard, what outcome is to be expected?
I’ve had my car, with no visible items, broken into near the Junction so that the thieves could jimmy open the locked center console. So I guess my anecdote cancels out yours.
I am with Joe S 100%. My wife hates me but I carry it one step further, I don’t even lock the door !!! WSB, Lock the door, they will break the window. You are out a $200 window but they still got nothing. Last time they got into my truck the only thing they got was 25 empty boxes of Good & Plenty I leave in the center console. (Don’t want to be a litterbug)
We had a charging cord in the one console the night both vehicles were prowled, and I have since learned those are of relatively great value (when buying a replacement!) so don’t even leave those in a vehicle.
Agreed, I stopped leaving my car locked at night. I’ve had my car rifled through at least 3 times, and don’t leave anything of value in my car. The things that have been taken are random and odd, including a mini swiffer duster in my glove box, some $5 sunglasses, and a garage door opener that was to my mom’s house in Vancouver, WA, which was unfortunate. Mysteriously, none of my Michael Bolton CD’s have been taken.
One of the times I’ve had my car broken into (not in Washington State), the thief took the Discman, but took out the CD that was in there and left it on the seat. Hah!
I had a co-worker who drove to work from CH and parked downtown (god knows why), and would leave her car unlocked and the windows rolled down (the parking lot is covered).
Washington State has some of the highest property crime rates in the United States. So while it does and can happen everywhere, we do seem to have it more often per capita. It’s reflected in your insurance rates if you carry comprehensive insurance.
We used to rely on that trick too,leaving doors unlocked after we had one of our windows smashed in a speculative car prowl where nothing of value could be seen or taken. It worked for 7 years and two further prowls. Then one day the car was targeted by a thief who busted the ignition trying to start it unsuccessfully, we swallowed the bill for a new ignition on that one – Not cheap. Then two weeks later I’m assuming the same thief brushed up on his/her technique and the car was gone. The resulting bill when the car was eventually recovered in a destroyed beyond salvation state for impound fees and towing lot storage was astounding. Its an arms race with thieves and they’re out in force these days.
Hide your valuables BEFORE you park. Crook’s will sit and watch people put things in their trunk and fiddle around in their car “hiding” thing’s. Let’s them know they’ve got a target.
This is confirmed. Wife took her phone but ‘hid’ purse in back seat before walking the boardwalk. Tinted windows, she thought is was out of site. She came back to a smashed back window. She frantically called to cancel cards, etc. Many of the cards had already been used around the South Center Mall. The only explanation for that to happen that fast is someone was watching. Police report filed but beyond pulling security cameras they rarely catch these people. Don’t give them a reason to target you.
denden. That doesn’t work either. Have 2 friends that were tired of break-in’s so they stopped locking their car’s-which were empty of EVERYTHING. Yep-crook’s didn’t bother checking-just broke the window 1st.
I’m thinking that mid-afternoon break-ins might be the work of teens who just got out of school. My car was broken into a few years near Schmitz Park, mid-afternoon. I had nothing visible, yet they broke a window and rifled around. An expensive annoying repair. I almost witnessed a break-in at Lincoln one early winter morning. Just as we left the lot to enter the park, we heard the crash. Luckily the two men that had cased the lot for over an hour got nothing but an empty backback.(It wasn’t my car.) But that was enough warning for me. I try to never park in the lot. I leave nothing in my car ever. I wouldn’t mind security cameras.
Someone mentioned to me after their car was broke into in the north lot, to pay attention to the one particular house across the street.
Sorry, comment time is over.
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