West Seattle, Washington
23 Wednesday
Burglary is down, but not out, in the Southwest Precinct jurisdiction (West Seattle and South Park). So the last West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting of the year got in-depth advice on how to make homes as burglary-resistant as possible.
First, those in attendance Tuesday night got an update from precinct leadership. Operations Lt. Steve Strand said burglaries are down eight percent this year compared to last, but had a spike a few weeks back. He acknowledged that many people are catching prowlers or thieves on security video and sharing that with neighbors, but not reporting it to police, so if they get a call such as “hey, that guy who’s been prowling (a specific area) is here now,” they have no idea what you’re talking about – so report everything to them too.
Also in precinct updates: Police met earlier in the day with the new Westwood Village Business Block Watch … The Anti-Crime Team had been out looking for a “prolific three-county auto thief” and “almost had him” when a chase and crash ensued; an attendee asked why the suspect’s photo couldn’t be distributed so everyone could be on the lookout, and precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis explained they didn’t want to tip their target about the search … Davis also noted that “shots fired” incident are down this year, 32 so far.
One community concern was brought up – drug dealing near Solstice Park. Capt. Davis invited the resident to call him and get a “long-term project” started. That sort of exchange is what the WSCPCC meeting is all about – come to this meeting, get your questions answered, “this is why we do this.” They’d like to see better turnout, too (Tuesday was single-digit, not counting precinct/police personnel).
One reminder: Drug Take-Back Day is next Saturday, October 26th – 10 am-2 pm as usual. Bring your unwanted/expired prescription medication to the precinct (2300 SW Webster).
BURGLARY PREVENTION: Detective Jon Flores spoke first. He’s in his 12th year with SPD, all in Southwest Precinct, previously patrol and Community Police Team. Here’s what should happen if you’ve been burglarized:
-Report it. Even if it’s something like, your neighbor’s out of town and you think they’ve been broken into.
-Leave the scene undisturbed. Police will be searching for fingerprint evidence, DNA evidence. “When our officers are there, we need it to be as undisturbed a possible.”
-Video is a big deal. Not that it’s going to prevent you from being victimized but it’s a “great tool for identification.” Check with neighbors whose cameras might have caught the suspct – officers will canvass but might not get to everyone.
-Case gets assigned to burglary/theft unit. When it arrives on his desk, he’ll review – evidence? fingerprints? video?
Something you can do now just in case:
-Document serial numbers. It might help police recover stolen property. Highly recommend – model numbers, photos of valuables like jewelry. That too might help them find it.
Print cards – or items with prints – go into evidence. Not a guarantee it’s going to lead to a match but they get examined. Can you get prints from, say, a candy wrapper? asked WSCPC president Richard Miller. Generally no, says Flores, adding that 206-233-2623 is the SW Burglary Unit, if you have a tip. Got video of someone behaving suspiciously? Doesn’t necessarily have to be a confirmed crime for SPD to possibly be interested in it.
Also: Cases labeled “inactive” don’t mean closed forever. Cases can be fluid. May be reopened.king cou
And then – Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner and her North Precinct counterpart Mary Amberg took over. Here’s the slide deck from their presentation (or here in PDF):
Highlights:
9:49 PM: Not a lot of details on this but in case you are seeing/hearing the police activity around 35th/Roxbury – a robbery was reported at the commercial building on the northeast corner. A K9 team is helping with the search. No other info so far.
12:05 AM: We haven’t heard anything further, aside from a description that this was a “strong-arm robbery” at one of the businesses; we’ll pursue the police report when available Monday.
1:18 PM: There’s a big police response right now in the Luna Park area after a reported robbery, and a K9 team is joining the search. We are still getting details but there was a report of a car theft as part of this. More to come …
1:25 PM: The search has expanded to include the greenbelt northwest of Avalon/Spokane. Only a partial description of the suspects – “three unknown-race males in their 20s,” one in a gray hoodie, one in a black hoodie, one with a red jacket. Multiple K9 teams are involved now.
2 PM: No one reported in custody yet. Police are talking to various people involved and still trying to sort out exactly what happened and where.
2:08 PM: In our photo above, that’s the recovered stolen vehicle (stopped by a flat tire), uphill in the Avalon/Spokane area, about to be towed. Police tell us this all began in North Delridge; it’s now being described as having started as a “home invasion” robbery, but they continue to sort out the circumstances.
If you haven’t already seen Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner‘s latest newsletter, here it is, focusing on property crime:
As noted at the end of the newsletter, which you also can read here in PDF, you’re invited to several events ahead with local police involvement. First one is Tuesday, October 15, at 7 pm, when the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council convenes at the precinct (2300 SW Webster) for its next meeting, including a presentation on preventing home burglaries.
The photo is from Pam, one of a half-dozen-plus people who have messaged us wondering about the yellow tape at the former Fire Station 37 (privately owned since the city sold the landmarked property seven years ago). The tape’s been there a few days, as we told a texter last night, but then when police cars were spotted there as well at midday today, sparking a rush of other inquiries, we asked SPD. Today’s response was to check out possible trespassing, we’re told. No one located. (That doesn’t explain the tape, but it has many possible uses, more often “hazard” than “crime.”)
Lot of questions about a police response at an apartment building on SW Avalon Way near 35th. We went over to ask. It was a domestic-violence situation, police told us. Seattle Fire was called in to help them gain entry to a unit – that’s why SFD was there but no callout was shown on the Real-Time 911 log. (added) One person was arrested.
The photo and report are from SPD Blotter:
Family members of a 91-year-old man with dementia contacted police last month expressing concern about him after he began threatening to shoot anyone that came to his home. The family members knew he had firearms in the house and were very concerned that he might harm himself or others.
A Crisis Response Unit officer took the lead and petitioned the King County Superior Court for an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO). The order was granted. The order was served last week and the man voluntarily turned over eighteen firearms from inside his West Seattle home. The firearms were submitted into evidence for safekeeping.
For more information about Extreme Risk Protection Orders, go to seattle.gov/police/need-help/erpo.
Back in January, ERPOs were explained at a meeting of the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council.
Thanks to everybody who asked about a police response at 40th/Edmunds around 4:30 am. Here’s what we’ve been able to find out: It involved a cell phone stolen in the West Precinct area earlier in the morning. Police say the suspect, a 28-year-old woman, tried to flee, but was taken into custody. Another 28-year-old woman was also arrested in connection with the case. The jail register shows both are being held for investigation of assault; one has arrest warrants for failure to appear in other cases including DUI, property destruction, and reckless driving.
4:26 PM: Two West Seattle Crime Watch cases to report:
PROWLING SUSPECTS ARRESTED: Thanks to everybody who texted about a police/fire response in an alley near 46th and Edmunds this afternoon. We went over to check it out; police told us they responded to a report of two people prowling back yards, and after they found both suspects, learned they both had arrest warrants. No further details available yet, and we’re still trying to find out about the SFD component of the call; a neighbor said someone was taken away by private ambulance.
ANOTHER DRUG RAID: Posted on SPD Blotter this afternoon:
SPD investigators seized a handgun and large amounts of cash, meth, cocaine, pills, and heroin after serving a warrant at a West Seattle home on Saturday.
Around 5:30 PM on Saturday, members of the West Precinct Anti-Crime Team and SPD Narcotics Unit, with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration, served a warrant at the apartment of a 52-year-old man in the 900 block of SW Holden Street.
There, police found 1,455 grams of methamphetamine, 53 grams of cocaine, 41 grams of oxycodone pills and 229 grams of black tar heroin, which was in the suspect’s freezer.
Police also found a 9mm handgun and $39,000 in cash in the home.
Officers seized the gun, cash, and narcotics, and provided food and water for a cat in the apartment before securing the unit and leaving the scene.
The 52-year-old suspect — who was arrested for domestic violence the day before police served a warrant at his apartment and is also on federal probation — is currently being held at the King County Jail.
We’re checking on the suspect’s status.
4:45 PM UPDATE: The suspect, 52-year-old Donald C. Scholoff, remains in jail and is already charged in the domestic-violence case. Charging documents say that last Friday, he tried to strangle his girlfriend, and then she tried to flee on a bicycle, he drove a car after her and smashed it into her bike; she leaped off it just in time. The documents say the “federal probation” is for a drug-dealing conviction in 2016 and also note that he has a record including robbery, theft, and drug convictions.
An unusual note from the court documents: Prosecutors wrote in the charging papers that they disagreed with District Court Judge Pro Tem Catherine McDowell‘s original decision to set bail at $50,000; they wanted it three times higher. No indication if that happened, but the jail register now shows Scholoff is being held without bail.
Three notes tonight in West Seattle Crime Watch:
GUNFIRE REPORT INVESTIGATED: We just went over to South Delridge to investigate a report of police investigating possible drive-by gunfire. We found officers near 16th and Cambridge; they told us they had not found any evidence of gunfire so far – no shell casings, property damage, and/or victim(s). ADDED: A texter, however, reported three casings. We’ll check for the report in the morning.
DRUG SUSPECT OUT: Thanks to the tipster who spotted this even before we made our nightly jail-register check. One day after being charged, High Point drug suspect Richard S. Schaan is out of jail. He posted bond tonight on $50,000 bail.
WEEKEND MYSTERY SOLVED: On Saturday night, we got a few tips about police searching parts of Gatewood and Sunrise Heights with a K9 team. We spotted them on SW Thistle but despite driving several blocks in areas where the tipsters had seen police, we never found the original scene.
No related call turned up on Tweets by Beat, either. But an emailed question on Sunday finally revealed the original scene, and we were able to find out from SPD today that it was a case of domestic violence – those are usually kept off the public logs. The suspect they were seeking was finally found and arrested in White Center and booked into jail.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The meeting room at the Southwest Precinct was full almost to overflowing this morning as more than 50 people, accompanied by their very patient dogs, showed up for the Paws on Patrol launch.
The precinct’s Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner observed that she hadn’t seen the room that full in a long time. Assisted by her North Precinct counterpart Mary Amberg, Danner revealed to attendees what Paws on Patrol is all about.
It’s essentially a riff on Block Watch … Bark Watch, if you will. It’s based on a national program called Dog Walker Watch. The premise is simple: If you have a dog, you’re out walking it daily, no matter what the weather. So you might be first to spot neighborhood crime in progress. Pay attention while you’re out with your pup – don’t be head-down staring on your phone: “When you are walking, we really want you to be aware.”
Much of the presentation – which was accompanied by an outdoor resource fair involving local pet-related providers – involved training on how to deduce what’s suspicious (“you know your neighborhood best (and know) “what’s not normal”), and when to call 911.
“95 percent of all police arrests are the direct result of a citizen 911 call,” Danner noted. As has been repeated over and over and over at community meetings we’ve covered in the past 12 years, if it’s happening now, CALL 911. Don’t call the non-emergency number. You’re not “bothering” police. If the calltaker answering 911 determines what you’re calling about is not an emergency, they’ll transfer you. And if what you’re calling out turns out not to be a crime, “it’s OK to be wrong.”
Not only can you be a crime spotter, you can be a crime preventer, Danner said – the program is intended to let criminals know, “dog walkers DO REPORT suspicious activity.”
As the dogs continued patiently keeping watch, their people heard other advice and reminders, such as judging people by their behavior, not their appearance – and go with your “gut feelings”; if you think something is wrong, it may well be. Keep watch for suspicious situations involving vehicles as well as people – parked in an unusual location, full of what might be stolen property, etc.
If you feel safe doing it, you can speak to suspicious-seeming people, attendees were advised – say hello. And if they’re at your door and you don’t want them there, added Community Police Team Officer Nic Plemel. tell them to leave your property; if they don’t, call police, because then they’re trespassing.
A few more 911 tips – be succinct, calm, and clear; let the operator ask the questions; if you want to talk to the officer, tell them proactively you want contact. (That’s not required; you can also be anonymous.) If you are out and don’t know the exact address of something/somewhere you’re calling about, just look for the nearest street number as a reference. And don’t hang up until they tell you it’s OK too – they are dispatching officers even as they speak with callers, and might need to ask you more questions.
(Side note – 911 is the topic at the precinct next Tuesday, at the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting – 6:30 pm September 24th.)
Those in attendance today got special SPD-logo tags for their dogs.
If you couldn’t be there, Danner tells us, you’ll have another chance; another meeting will be scheduled at a TBA date. Questions? jennifer.danner@seattle.gov is how to reach her.
(Added: Reader photo from early this morning)
We got a few questions today about what appeared to be a warrant service in High Point early this morning. Tonight this SPD post confirms that’s indeed what it was:
Major Crimes Task Force Detectives are making our neighborhoods safer by seizing heroin, methampheatmine, and fentanyl from a suspected drug dealer.
During the course of an ongoing criminal investigation, and with the assistance of SWAT officers, Major Crimes Task Force detectives served a search warrant this morning in the 6300 block of 34th Avenue SW.
Officers arrested their target, a 47-year-old man, and booked him into King County Jail.
In addition to securing a bottle of liquid fentanyl, detectives collected 64.7 grams of heroin and 5.7 grams of methamphetamine.
This remains an active and ongoing criminal investigation.
The suspect remains in jail. We’re looking into his record.
Thanks for the tip. Police are on upper Fauntleroy Way across from the ferry dock, awaiting the Medical Examiner, after a man was found dead on a bench in what’s known as “Captain’s Park.” A neighbor told us it first looked like he was taking a nap – and then a passerby realized otherwise, so 911 was called. SFD verified the death and tells us the man was “about 60.” Police did find ID on him but the officer at the scene had no further comment. We don’t have any other details except that it’s not being treated as a crime scene.
Thanks for the tips/questions about that big police response at 44th/Edmunds in The Junction. We went over to see what it was about. Person in crisis trying to block traffic, including a Metro bus, police say. The person is in custody and an ambulance was called to take him to the hospital for evaluation.
For the second time in a week, Mayor Jenny Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best were in West Seattle this afternoon. They chose Delridge Community Center as the location for a wide-ranging budget announcement involving everything from police retention to human services. Above, our video; the event was followed by two news releases published on the city website. This one is about plans to improve police retention/hiring (based on recommendations in this report), this one is about money to be spent on “new investments in community safety and building opportunity for young people (to) focus on alternatives to arrest and incarceration at every step of the system, from interactions with law enforcement, to diversion programs before a court filing, to reentry assistance after involvement in the criminal legal system.”
So why make these announcements in West Seattle (as you can hear in our video, we asked the chief what’s in the plans for the Southwest Precinct, and the reply was not ultra-specific)? Some community members were invited to be there in support, including Lora Radford from the West Seattle Junction Association, which has launched the city’s first Business Block Watch.
Meantime, the chief and mayor are continuing their budget-announcement tour tomorrow, when they’ll be joined by Fire Chief Harold Scoggins at Fire Station 2 downtown.
Police have found at least one shell casing, according to radio communication, while investigating reports of gunfire heard on Puget Ridge. They briefly closed SW Dawson at/near 18th for the investigation but just announced it’s reopening. One person near 19th/Brandon tells us they “heard what sounded like 5 rapid gunshots.” No reports of anyone being injured..
The results of the newest annual Seattle Public Safety Survey – conducted by Seattle University for SPD – are out. Top concerns of respondents are listed citywide, by precinct, and by “microcommunity” (aka neighborhood with a community group that has participated in development of policing plans). Here are the Southwest Precinct-area highlights:
The survey summary says 706 people in the Southwest Precinct area – West Seattle and South Park – completed the survey; demographically, the summary notes, “Compared to Seattle demographics, survey respondents [from this precinct area] were disproportionately more likely to be non-minority and female.” The report summarizes:
The top public safety concerns for the Southwest Precinct are Car Prowls, Lack of Police Capacity, Property Crime- General, Residential Burglary, and Auto Theft.
Southwest Precinct slightly differs from the citywide top public safety concerns, which were Car Prowls, Lack of Police Capacity, Homelessness, Property Crime, and Residential Burglary; for residents in the Southwest Precinct, Auto Theft was a top public safety concern over Homelessness, which was a top public safety concern in the citywide findings.
The most prominent themes residents in the Southwest Precinct commented on in their narrative responses were Lack of Police Capacity, Homelessness is a Public Safety, and Public Health Issue, Crime- Public Order, Crime- Property, and Crime- Traffic/Pedestrian/Bike/Transit. In comparison with the citywide themes, which were Homelessness, Lack of Police Capacity, Public Order Crime, Property Crime, and Police being Prevented from Doing their Job, themes prioritized by residents in the Southwest Precinct were Crime- Traffic/Pedestrian/Bike/Transit, which was a concern over the citywide theme (that) police are being prevented from doing their jobs. At the micro-community level, top public safety concerns, prominent themes, and perceptions of public safety are similar to the precinct as a whole. However, some micro-communities differ from the others (e.g. unsafe driving/speeding in Alki, littering/dumping and gang activity in South Park).
You can read the entire report here.
Just sent by Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner, another of the occasional notifications that a Level 3 sex offender has moved into a local neighborhood:
In an effort to keep you informed, and in our constant attempts to reduce future victimization, we want to let you know about one level 3 sex offender that has recently moved into a Southwest Precinct neighborhood.
Joaquin Garcia, a 38 year old Hispanic Male, is a level 3 registered sex offender who has recently moved to the 1800 Block of SW Dawson St. Mr. Garcia is currently under Department of Corrections supervision.
To learn more about this offender and for additional safety tips please visit the website at www.waspc.org and search by his name. [Editor’s note: Here’s a direct link to the page with his photo and background information.]
To register to receive an email alert whenever a published offender registers within one mile of your desired addresses, go to this website.
Level 3 sex offenders pose the highest risk to re-offend. It is normal to feel upset, angry and worried about a registered sex offender living in your community. The Community Notification Act of 1990 requires sex offenders to register in the community where they live. The law also allows local law enforcement to make the public aware about Level 2 and Level 3 offenders. Since these offenders have completed their sentences, they are free to live where they wish. Experts believe sex offenders are less likely to re-offend if they live and work in an environment free of harassment. Any actions taken against the listed sex offenders could result in arrest and prosecution as it is against the law to use this information in any way to threaten, intimidate or harass registered sex offenders. The SPD Sex offender detectives will check on these offenders every 3 months to verify our information.
The single most effective means of protecting your child is communication with your child. They have to feel comfortable discussing sensitive matters with you. Teach your children that they should not be asked to touch anyone in the bathing suit areas of their body or allow anyone to touch them in those areas. Teach them types of situations to avoid. It is not good enough to tell a child to avoid strangers. Please remember that children are most often molested by someone they or their parents know.
Other questions? This FAQ might help.
(Saturday photo, sent by Kenneth)
We found out more today about a case of line-cutting that led to an arrest on the Fauntleroy ferry dock Saturday afternoon. WSF spokesperson Ian Sterling says it started around 2 pm with someone who got cut off reacting very intensely. A third person a few cars back, according to the police report, drew a gun to try to defuse the situation. That didn’t really help. A tollbooth attendant called police, and ultimately the person who drew the gun was arrested; the line-cutter apparently left the scene. No injuries reported; the ferry at the dock at the time was slightly delayed because the captain opted to hold off until everything was sorted out. Sterling tells us that August is peak time for line-cutting complaints, which have been on the rise in general – the state’s special hotline for ferry-line cutting had 2,000 calls in 2017, 2,400 last year, and is on pace to likely exceed that this year. Mukilteo and Edmonds generally bring in the most complaints – for example, 39 last August in Fauntleroy, compared to about 200 in Mukilteo. You can report line-cutting to 877-764-HERO – it’s a $139 fine.
P.S. Back to Saturday’s case – records show the 68-year-old man was arrested for investigation of “use of a weapon to intimidate,” and that after two days in jail, he’s being released today.
Thanks to Chuck Edgin for the photo taken as police, including SWAT officers, wrapped up an arrest operation at 35th SW/SW Holly about an hour ago. Officers advised dispatchers afterward that it was a “warrant arrest” and that if anyone in the area reported hearing an explosion (as did Chuck), it was related to their operation. We haven’t yet been able to find out what the suspect was being sought for.
A 32-year-old man is in jail today after a resident caught him trying to climb into his patio near California/Charlestown late last night. We requested and obtained the report, which says police got the call around 11:23 pm. Police arrived to find the victim following the suspect, with a baseball bat, southbound on California. Officers detained both until they sorted out what had happened. The victim explained that his dog alerted him to noise on the back patio; he said he walked out to find the suspect halfway over the fence. First he grabbed “a pellet gun resembling a rifle” and pointed it at the suspect, who he said dared him to shoot and then threatened to burn the house down. The suspect kept yelling and took off. When stopped, he claimed to police that he had had “a rough day,” had been in the alley collecting trash, and was just trying to get back to California SW to head toward Morgan Junction. Once the suspect was under arrest, the report says, investigating officers noted that the victim’s patio does not connect to California SW. The suspect was booked into the King County Jail on suspicion of criminal trespassing. Records show this is his third arrest in less than two months; the other two were for allegedly harassing/threatening people outside their homes in Morgan Junction, and the second report says he is a known troublemaker in that area.
ORIGINAL THURSDAY REPORT: In the spirit of Block Watch, you might call this Bark Watch. Seattle Police Southwest Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Jennifer Danner sent this announcement that they are launching a new program called Paws on Patrol:
You can help prevent crime while you are walking your dog!
Paws on Patrol encourages dog walkers to serve as extra eyes and ears for the Seattle Police Department.
This program trains pet owners to prevent crime, as well as recognize and report suspicious activity.
Get a free SPD Paws on Patrol dog tag when you join (while supplies last)!
The SW Precinct will be hosting the Paws on Patrol launch event on Saturday, September 21st at 10 am.
So if you are interested – save the date!
ADDED FRIDAY: A clarification from CPC Danner: “I have received a lot of inquiries about Paws on Patrol (yay!). Thank you everyone for your interest! Just wanted to clarify- at this time there is no link to join, please plan to attend the launch event on Saturday, September 21st, to join! I will send out more details as we get closer to the event!” This will be the first precinct to test the program, by the way. And yes, you AND your dog will be welcome at the September 21st meeting.
(WSB photo)
2:38 PM: Thanks for the tip about that big Seattle Police response near High Point Community Center. We subsequently went over to find out what’s happening. Police say the white car is stolen and they’ve taken one person into custody. That person’s being checked for possible injuries because the car was involved in a collision (our crew says it has extensive rear-end damage). A K9 team is on the way to help search for evidence after, according to a radio exchange, “a magazine” was reportedly found in the car.
2:45 PM: Seattle Parks just tweeted that HPCC is in lockdown because of this.
3:42 PM: Parks says the lockdown is over.
ADDED WEDNESDAY: A few more details, and a photo of the magazine, from SPD:
A parking enforcement officer was on patrol at 35 Avenue (SW) and SW Morgan Street at 2 PM when they spotted an occupied stolen vehicle parked nearby.
As patrol officers flooded the area, the vehicle’s occupant piloted the white Jetta out of the area, nearly striking a firetruck and running a stop sign in the process. The driver continued to speed away until he lost control and rolled the vehicle down a hill.
Police took the man into custody and following a search of the car recovered a handgun magazine. A K-9 was brought in to search for a firearm but none was located.
Officers booked the man into King County Jail for possession of a stolen vehicle and firearms violation because he is a convicted felon and prevented from having a handgun magazine.
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