14 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: Car theft hits new WS arrival"

• ellenater May 20, 2009 (11:38 pm)

  What a lousy welcome to West Seattle! Sorry Robin. Hope you get your car back!

• morcaffeineplease May 21, 2009 (6:40 am)

  Robin, I had my car stolen in WS in Jan of this year, and I just got it back last week. It had been tricked out and sold, and was stolen again, and now it’s back in my garage.
  Also, two more cars in my ‘hood were vandalized this week. It’s time to put pressure on the city to increase their car prowl/theft detail. This is ridiculous. Hope your car is found soon(and drivable, unlike mine).

• rockergirl May 21, 2009 (7:33 am)

  Robin – sorry to hear about your vehicle getting stolen, hope you get it back soon.
  While I know it is a hassle to have to use a CLUB it is a wise thing to invest in if you park your vehicle outside at night (or even during the daytime.
  The Seattle Neighborhood Group (SNGI) has two sizes of vehicle anti-theft devices available at reduced cost for Seattle Residents. http://www.sngi.org/theclub.html

  PLEASE NOTE: Offer limited to a maximum of two (2) devices per address. (Only available to Seattle City zip codes)

  Get Vehicle Anti-Theft Device The Club® Order Form or Buy Online!

  Auto Theft Task Force Club – $20.00 each
  (includes sales tax plus shipping and handling) $14.35 Cost
  $4.00 S & H
  $1.65 WA tax
  $20.00 Total

  This Club® is a highly visible Yellow vinyl covered lock. Imprinted on the device is “Auto Theft Task Force”. This is for use in cars, small cab pickups and vans.

• JoanE May 21, 2009 (8:09 am)

  Hi Robin –

  Welcome to the neighborhood – we’re at 39th and Holly. Sorry about this nasty car theft; I had a similar experience in 2005 that I wanted to tell you about. My car was stolen from right in front of our house. The police actually notified us before we even discovered it was missing; some papers that were in my trunk (junk) were found the next day near Greenlake, so we searched that neighborhood as well as driving around other known car dumping grounds. Believe it or not, my car was eventually recovered at 38th and Myrtle two months later. I had just filled the gas tank and it remained full – so either the theives ‘topped off the tank’ or didn’t drive far at all. Nothing else was missing from the car – just the junk papers that were tossed initially – and no mess or debris was left in the car. My suggestion is to take a quick drive around the neighborhood. The folks who lived where my car was parked didn’t think to report an abandoned vehicle for 2 months or I would’ve had my car back MUCH sooner. I sincerely hope your car is also found to be OK.

• club May 21, 2009 (9:14 am)

  I am sorry about your car. I am glad you mentioned the club.

  I just read this post out loud to my husband who is an SPD officer with 15 years on. His immediate words were ‘Use a club!’ He said that people often argue that a club can be hack-sawed off (or sawed off through the steering wheel) – but most of the theives are juveniles looking for a crime of opportunity. They want to get in and get out.

  They don’t bring them to chop shops like you see in the movies. He has responded and heard of hundreds of car thefts in Seattle (downtown, Queen Anne, Cap Hill, West Seattle etc) and has never seen a car stolen that had a club on it. The biggest thing is to lock your car and put the club on properly. The club is a deterrent that only costs about $40.

  He adds that Seattle is one of the highest cities for car thefts. The punishment is very minimal. These guys have to be arrested and convicted 7 times for auto theft before they go to jail. And to reach a conviction the police literally have to catch them in the act. They can’t just ‘link’ them to the car they have to be caught stealing it. This is why the problem is so bad. Everyone should be using a club.

• Sasquatch May 21, 2009 (10:37 am)

  Sorry about your car getting stolen! I’ve lived on Capitol Hill and Beacon Hill and had my car stolen four times. All Subarus. Once with the club. Now I have a Subaru with an alarm system that shuts the engine off if the alarm isn’t deactivated. And the car has not been stolen. Every time the cars were stolen the Seattle police found it and there was no visible damage. However, the engine light went on when I got the car back one time and after bringing it in to the dealer they declared the engine toast and my insurance totaled out the car. So theft insurance is a good way to go. The car thief will undoubtedly abandon your car somewhere. It’s not gone forever.

• Charles May 21, 2009 (11:24 am)

  I also hope your car is recovered soon, and welcome you to West Seattle. After moving here from crime-free North Dakota I was really taken aback by the amount of crime in Seattle. Such is life in the big city. My son’s car was stolen from White Center last November and it was finally recovered in April. The perpetrators had removed the stock stereo and installed a high end CD / DVD player and Bose speakers so this actually worked out in our favor since they did no damage to the car.

• old timer May 21, 2009 (1:21 pm)

  “The perpetrators had removed the stock stereo and installed a high end CD / DVD player and Bose speakers…”
  I wonder,
  were those stereo components stolen too?
  From someone else?

• Gmoney May 21, 2009 (1:52 pm)

  Hi Robin. Sorry to welcome you with lots of crime prevention advice. Please spend the extra cash to put an alarm system in your vehicle. Choose one with a kill switch and a motion sensor. “The Club” is a waste of $40. The police never find one in a stolen car because thieves likely dispose of them after quickly removing them from the steering wheel. Sasquatch’s experience is a pretty good testimonial. Also, a motion sensor is a good prowl deterrent.

• Robin May 21, 2009 (4:15 pm)

  Thank you all for your words of encouragement and advice. It’s funny, I’ve lived in the Seattle area my entire life, and until now I’ve never heard so many stories about stolen (not just vandalized) cars. It has been a real eye opener. However, life moves on, and you can be darn sure that when I either get my car back or buy another one, I’ll be installing a more effective alarm system. It’s also reassuring to know that there are so many outstanding and active community members is WS. Stoked to be here!

• Sue May 21, 2009 (9:16 pm)

  I’ve gotten a lot of grief from people about using a Club on my car – brought it with us from NYC – because it’s “not needed” here. However, when I lived in Lynnwood in an apartment complex, every unit in our section had a car stolen except my husband and I (both our cars had Clubs). I know that someone with professional tools can still get my car. However, I also believe that car theft is usually a crime of opportunity. If they really want my car, they’ll find a way to take it. But if they want an easy steal, they’ll move on.

• Zog May 22, 2009 (3:03 pm)

  If this is occurring in front of your home, you could install this security light with a hidden digital camera + video built in. The light will deter thieves from trying to take your car, and the camera will give you the evidence on the removable memory card. It’s one of the cheaper forms of security, and is something you could probably even install on a place you are renting. You can always take it with you when you leave.

• Zog May 22, 2009 (3:06 pm)

  Whoops, wrong link, fixed.
  If this is occurring in front of your home, you could install this security light with a hidden digital camera + video built in. The light will deter thieves from trying to take your car, and the camera will give you the evidence on the removable memory card. It’s one of the cheaper forms of security, and is something you could probably even install on a place you are renting. You can always take it with you when you leave.

• Stranger guy June 3, 2009 (1:13 pm)

  I’m very sorry to hear about your misfortune.
  I wasn’t sleeping well one night and heard a noisy car pull up down the road, I got up in time to see a guy standing over my wife’s
  Accord. I ran after him in my slippers and jammies, but he got away.
  I also pulled a 15 year old kid out of it last year, he’d smashed the window and pulled out the ignition. He got away too when he reached in his pocket and I gave up chasing him….not worth it on a Sunday morning when again….I’m in my jammies & slippers……

Sorry, comment time is over.