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West Seattle Crime Watch: Search under way
November 28, 2008 4:18 pm
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 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

While checking out a major fire-unit call that didn’t pan out, WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli happened onto a sizable police search nearby. A neighbor told him someone spotted a man looking into windows of homes; no word yet of any arrests (or any actual burglaries). Christopher took the photo on SW Nevada between 26th and 30th (map).

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From the police chief: Is (public) nudity illegal in Seattle?
November 14, 2008 10:47 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle parks | West Seattle police | WS miscellaneous

Following up on the Parks Department rule proposal – which didn’t make it out of last night’s Board of Park Commissioners meeting (WSB coverage here) – SPD Blotter has posted a letter from Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske addressing the question “Is nudity illegal?” Bottom line: no easy answer.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: “Shots fired” confirmed
November 13, 2008 12:24 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Early this morning, WSB Forum members discussed hearing gunshots. We couldn’t find anything obvious on scanner/911 at the time. This morning, however, Seattle Police have posted a report on the SPD Blotter site; shots fired in the 20th/Henderson vicinity, nobody hit/hurt, but bullets pierced the wall of a home; no arrests reported so far. Just a reminder, any and all West Seattle entries from SPD Blotter are automatically posted on the WSB Crime Watch page as soon as the police department publishes them – you can check the Crime Watch page for the latest updates from SPD Blotter and WSB coverage, any time.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Is this burglary loot yours?
November 11, 2008 4:46 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

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One day after the Southwest Precinct announced arrests in the “BB Gun Burglaries” — in which BB-type guns were used to shoot out windows to enable burglars to enter — we have more information, and half a dozen photos police want you to see. Detective Ed Garcia, lead investigator in this burglary series (and others), shared six photos of recovered items that police hope to match with their rightful owners. Read on to see the other photos and the list of recovered property, and to get more information about who was arrested in the burglary spree, how, and who else is still being sought:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Arrest update; Admiral break-in
November 9, 2008 7:00 pm
|      21 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Fauntleroy | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

handcuffs_2.jpg2 reports tonight: First, SPD Blotter has posted more details on the incident that sparked the helicopter-assisted search and arrest we reported early this morning (previous WSB coverage here). Seems the 41-year-old man eventually arrested for burglarizing a home in the 4300 block of Cloverdale (map) also is suspected of trying to break into another house near Lincoln Park first. Read the details here. ADDED 8:17 PM: Just posted as a comment on our original early-morning report, Kelly tells the story firsthand:

Hi All: I was the victim in this incident. A white male broke into my house in Fauntleroy last night around 12:30. I’m a single mom, home alone with two young kids (5 and 3). The guy tried kicking in my side door and then walked around up front and kicked in my front door. That noise woke me up and I went downstairs to see what was going on… and froze on my landing as I looked down and saw this jack ass standing in my doorway. I backtracked upstairs, had a complete and total moral dilemma about what to do next: cell phone and interior lock were in my bedroom, to the right but to the left were my kids’ rooms. I headed into my bedroom, locked the door, and called 911 from my balcony. The burglar juggled on the bedroom door handle and… I don’t remember much then. The police arrived within probably 5 minutes. They had been in the neighborhood because the same person had tried to break into Colman Pool (earlier) and they were just winding up their search for him in Lincoln Park. I was lucky. The police had already identified the suspect from his truck and apparently was a level one sex offender. The guy ran with a few of my household items and the police found him a few blocks away. I was taken to that scene and identified him. It was awful and scary and shattering considering the fact I thought this neighborhood was so safe. The police were excellent and gave me a lot of good pointers for security on my house. At least next time, if it happens, I’ll be more prepared.

Thanks to Kelly for sharing her story. (continuing with original 7 pm post) Meantime, we’ve just received e-mail about an Admiral break-in this weekend, including a plea for neighbors everywhere to be more watchful — read on:Read More

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Helicopter watch: Burglary suspect sought, then arrested
November 9, 2008 12:28 am
|      23 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Fauntleroy | Helicopter | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

helicopterwatch.pngIt’s pretty much right over our house in Upper Fauntleroy. Nothing on 911 in terms of medic call. Listening to the scanner to see if we can pick up anything about who they’re looking for and why – they’re focused on a house (where, we don’t know) where radio traffic indicates they are following footprints, plus a canine is involved in the search. 8400 block has been mentioned, on or near Tillicum (east of Lincoln Park; map). 12:43 AM UPDATE: Per scanner, it was a burglary, and there is a suspect now in custody. Helicopter has just moved on.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Possible serial thief nabbed
November 5, 2008 12:01 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police | Westwood

Several Crime Watch updates just arrived in the inbox — first, Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen says a lot of great teamwork involving police and alert businesspeople may have solved a series of eyeglasses thefts:

On 11/04/08 at about 1230 hrs, SW Officer Bruce Wind observed an occupied suspicious vehicle at Westwood Village. Officer Wind checked the license plate of the vehicle. About a half hour later, Highline Eye Care Center (Westwood Village) called 911 when the employees recognized a possible suspect who robbed them last April. Highline employees provided Officer Wind with crime bulletins from Bellevue PD regarding a string of eyeglass thefts.

As Officer Wind was speaking with the Highline Eye Care employees, SW Officer Phil Rees on-viewed a complaint of an incident at West Seattle Optical (4500 blk of California SW).

Officer Wind recognized the incident and provided vehicle information to other officers. A Traffic officer spotted the vehicle in the 2600 blk of SW Genesee. Both male and female suspect were arrested. Suspected stolen property was also recovered.

Robbery detectives are following up on the case which may be tied to over 55 eyeglass theft cases in Bellevue and Auburn.

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Crime Watch: Credit-card scammer followup; another break-in
October 30, 2008 2:56 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Two West Seattle Crime Watch updates for you right now: First, a followup on yesterday’s arrest of the woman accused of using stolen credit cards for handcuffs_2.jpg$2,000 worth of purchases at local businesses. Southwest Precinct Officer Brian Ballew tells WSB that the item involved in the biggest of those purchases — a $700 fountain from West Seattle Nursery (WSB sponsor) — has been returned to the nursery today. The 53-year-old woman was booked into jail last night; as for how she got caught — Officer Ballew says she had pre-purchased some items at a local business, and before she returned for them yesterday, they and police had matched her to the investigation. Meantime, in separate Crime Watch news, we just got word of another break-in with the “method of entry” involving a BB gun – for those details and what police are saying about this apparent burglary wave, read on:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Credit-card fraud suspect arrested
October 29, 2008 5:06 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

handcuffs_2.jpgJust in from Sgt. Jeff Durden at Southwest Precinct: He says they have just arrested the woman they believe to be behind the fraudulent credit-card use we told you about two days ago; she’s being interviewed at the precinct right now and expected to be booked on felony charges later. Sgt. Durden wasn’t ready to share details of the arrest’s circumstances – but when those can be made public, we’ll bring you an updated report. He adds, “We got all the credit cards back.”

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West Seattle Crime Watch: “Burglary spree,” biz break-in, more
October 28, 2008 8:37 pm
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

3 break-in cases in the latest update — a house (in an area where neighbors have just gotten word of a “48-hour burglary spree”), a car, and a store:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Three ways to fight back
October 21, 2008 6:30 am
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 |   Crime | Neighborhoods | Safety | West Seattle police

TONIGHT: Wherever you live in West Seattle, you can get the lowdown on the latest trouble spots – and a chance to voice your concerns directly to your local police – by showing up for tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting. 7 pm – but not the usual location; it’s at Denny Middle School (30th and Thistle; here’s a map) this time.

THURSDAY: People living in the southeasternmost neighborhoods of West Seattle are also welcome at the South Delridge/White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting, which also focuses on neighborhood trouble spots and crime concerns, with King County Sheriff’s Deputies usually in attendance as well as Seattle Police, to address both jurisdictions. 6 pm Thursday, St. James Place (9421 18th SW; here’s a map).

OCTOBER 28TH: After crime concerns came up while neighbors of California Place, the mini-park at California/Hill (map), were discussing proposed park changes, it was discovered there’s no Block Watch in the general area of California Avenue between SW Walker and SW Holgate (map), and adjoining streets. So a meeting to organize one, with Southwest Precinct crime-prevention help, is set for 6:30 pm 10/28 at West Seattle (Admiral) Library. If you are interested but unable to attend, e-mail info@californiaparkplace.org to get in touch with organizers.

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Homeless encampment update: Deciding what to do next
September 28, 2008 9:59 pm
|    Comments Off on Homeless encampment update: Deciding what to do next
 |   Highland Park | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

nickelsvillesunday.jpg

We’re checking on the West Marginal/Highland Park Way encampment daily TFN. Tonight’s bottom line: A few dozen tents are still there (photo above is from just after 5 pm). We stopped by early this evening after reading a note on the “Nickelsville” announcement site saying that campers planned a meeting to talk about what to do on Wednesday, since that’s how long the state has said – so far – they’d be allowed to stay on the state land adjacent to the city plot from which they were booted Friday afternoon. Their meeting hadn’t happened by the time we stopped by, and things were pretty quiet, no TV trucks or rabblerousers in view. We’ll check again tomorrow, and we’re keeping an eye on various related websites too; the organizer who was the first person arrested on Friday, Anitra Freeman, put a short post on her blog today, pointing to an Associated Press article about an increase in tent cities around the country.

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“Nickelsville”: What’s next, and what the sweep was like
September 26, 2008 10:57 pm
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle police | West Seattle video

We haven’t been back yet tonight, but by all accounts, some of those who were camping on city land till police swept the site this afternoon are now on adjacent state land – this is still all part of the potential city jail site at Highland Park Way/West Marginal – and have a few days grace period there. At the end of this afternoon’s sweep, the city said 13 campers had taken them up on their offer of a shelter bed, and insisted they had room for everyone who wanted one. And tonight, there’s a new call from local legislators for the mayor to negotiate with advocates for the homeless. This afternoon, we reported on the sweep as it happened, and finally tonight have finished going through our video and photos to create a diary of sorts, in case you are interested in seeing more of what it was like:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Prevention Council: Gang Unit briefing
September 17, 2008 9:47 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Highland Park | Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

graffiti.jpgTimely topic at last night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council — a briefing from Sergeant Jim Dyment, who leads the Seattle Police Gang Unit. Just a day earlier, we had shared the story of the latest wave of gang-related (or at least gang-inspired) tagging in Highland Park (photo at left), so tagging came up as well as many other topics, including what kind of gang activity is most prevalent in West Seattle. Southwest Precinct reps had something to say about graffiti, too. Read on:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: The case of the located laptops
September 17, 2008 9:11 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Southwest Precinct Sgt. Jeff Durden shared this story at last night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting: The burglary unit investigated a case back in late July in which uninvited guests showed up for a party, and “three laptops and some purses” disappeared as a result. One month later, investigators got a call from a B.C.-based company called Absolute Software, described by Sgt. Durden as “a LoJack device you can purchase, software to track your laptop” in case of theft. Seems at least one of the stolen laptops had been tracked to Mitchell, South Dakota, 1,470 miles away:


View Larger Map

The address first traced to a computer-repair shop, but instead, the laptops turned out to be in an apartment above that shop – where a new tenant happened to be from Seattle. A search warrant was obtained and stolen laptops were recovered. “I’m not necessarily recommending (Absolute),” Sgt. Durden concluded, “but in this case it sure worked.” And as he pointed out (borne out by our West Seattle Crime Watch archives too), laptops are an extremely popular target for burglars and other thieves. (Still more to come from last night’s meeting, including the Gang Unit sergeant’s briefing.)

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Crime Watch followup: Details on Alki shots-fired arrests
September 16, 2008 8:54 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

You might remember the Alki incident Sunday night — shots fired, nobody hit, somebody nabbed shortly thereafter. Tonight at the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council‘s monthly meeting at the Southwest Precinct, Sgt. Jeff Durden shared a few more details — Two suspects were arrested, “white males in their 20s” in a silver Lexus with Oregon plates, armed with a Glock; Sgt. Durden added that “five shell casings” were found near Spud, but reiterated nobody hit, no property damage either. (Two more reports still to come from tonight’s meeting – the amazing tale of how a laptop theft got solved, plus Gang Unit Sgt. Jim Dyment’s guest appearance.)

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Why traffic enforcement matters (and how to reduce the need)
September 6, 2008 10:30 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

As was evidenced again in the discussion after the 35th/Juneau crash the other day (original coverage here, followup here; today’s update here), there are many things that could be done to make our roads safer. But there’s no arguing that some of the responsibility lies with all of us as drivers. To that point, Lt. Steve Paulsen at the Southwest Precinct wanted to share these thoughts (and some info):

I regularly receive a varying mix of opinions from our community in regard to value of traffic enforcement and its overall importance to public safety/saving lives.

In the last week since school has started, I have noticed an increase in traffic collisions. Most are due to speed or just not paying attention to driving, i.e. … cellphones, GPS navigation screens, DVD players, reading the paper, putting on makeup, shaving, eating…

I attend a number of community meetings from every part of our fine West Seattle community. The single most common complaint the Seattle Police Department receives from each neighborhood is traffic-related. We are fortunate to have regular assistance in West Seattle from our Traffic Section, who have City-wide responsibility in patrolling our neighborhoods to ensure traffic and pedestrian safety.

I realize that our citizens are very busy and with the advent of technology, they have become increasingly distracted while driving.

To my fellow West Seattle folks….Please slow down and pay attention when you are driving. School has started, we have children walking around…We have more people riding bicycles and motorcycles, which as you know are difficult to see at times. Anticipate each intersection, whether controlled or not, as a potential accident location…Keep an eye out for pedestrians and joggers who may be hooked into their iPods and not paying attention to traffic…

Here are a few of our regularly enforced areas … No surprises here! We would much rather have you slow down than to have to write the citations.

All School zones during school hours
West Seattle Freeway
Admiral Way
35th Ave SW
Fauntleroy SW
16th Ave SW
Highland Park Dr
Delridge SW
1st Ave S near the bridge
SW Roxbury

Thanks again, please be safe out there and watch out for each other!

Sincerely,

Lieutenant Steven Paulsen
Seattle Police
SW Precinct
Operations

P.S. We originally drafted this early today, before hearing from Denise Sharify re: the 35th/Juneau accident survivor (as we reported this afternoon, she’s out of the hospital). Denise is hoping to work with the High Point Neighborhood Association to revive the High Point-specific Pedestrian Safety Committee that worked on many issues in recent months, some of which have been addressed with city responses such as the new 35th/Raymond light upgrade and the 34th/Morgan crosswalk.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Beach Drive burglary, arrest
September 6, 2008 6:26 pm
|      19 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Heading back to WSB HQ a few hours ago after the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza ceremony, we spotted three Seattle Police cars rushing from Fauntleroy to northbound California, with rollers and sirens; we lost track of them, and couldn’t pick up anything obvious from the scanner, so later when we ran into Lt. Steve Paulsen on Alki, we asked what that call was about – he didn’t have tons of details but said it was a burglar “on Beach Drive” and “we got him.” Then a bit later, we got the rest of the story in this note from Megan:

Around 2:25 this afternoon I came home to a very panicked neighbor on her cellphone. She walked in on a well-dressed 5’8ish African American robbing her. This was in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. In a secure condo building. Luckily, a nice husband and wife heard her yelling for help and came to her aid. The African American ran down Beach Drive. The husband in pursuit. As she was on the phone with 911, a cop drove by, who she flagged down. A description was given. I had a friend I was meeting down on Alki and it looked as if they had arrested a suspect by 2:40 p.m. Great Job, SPD! I did want to give a heads up to everyone though, considering that this was in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. I would have never thought such a thing would happen like that.

P.S. To be a little more specific about the location – this happened around the 4200 block of Beach Drive.

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Crime/safety update for south WS, including some good news
August 29, 2008 10:32 am
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 |   Crime | Delridge | Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle police | White Center

Some of what was discussed at last night’s South Delridge/White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting will be of interest to anyone living/working in south West Seattle – including some good news about ongoing issues in the area — so we’d like to point you to the full report we have just posted on partner site White Center Now; you can read it here.

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Community Police Team update: Back to regular roles “next week”
August 28, 2008 8:39 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

We’ll be posting a few updates from tonight’s South Delridge/White Center Community Safety meeting, both here and at partner site White Center Now; because of the area covered by that meeting, law enforcers from both the Seattle Police Southwest Precinct and the King County Sheriff’s Office attend. One major update tonight came from SW Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen: He says the Community Police Team officers (meet them here) will be back to normal duties “next week.” You may recall, the precinct’s been dealing with personnel challenges mostly caused by officer injuries, and Lt. Paulsen announced in late July that the CPT officers would have to move to patrol duty, though they would continue to work in their usual areas; he said at the time that this situation was likely to last “a month to a month and a half,” and it’ll be right in that time frame when they return to normal duties next week.

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Full list of Seattle Police Department’s citizen honorees
August 21, 2008 10:30 pm
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 |   West Seattle people | West Seattle police

We told you about the big event the other night, but never did get around to asking for an electronic copy of the full recipient list. The P-I has put one up tonight, along with capsule descriptions of everyone’s achievements, and it’s pretty cool to read; check it out here. (Also includes one West Seattle recipient we missed in our report: Carol Madaio, who found a lost child on a busy WS street.) The event’s organizer, Cathy Wenderoth (who is a West Seattleite too!), kindly sent our official photo too; it’s now on our About page.

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Alki alert: Shoremont sign says police to train there tomorrow
August 20, 2008 6:10 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle police

policetraining.jpg

The first tip came from a post in the Alki Beach Community Yahoo! group, after someone spotted that sign on the front doors at the vacant (demolition permit still pending) Shoremont at 57th and Alki. And behind the building, police tape is up:

trainingline.jpg

We’ve been trying since last night to find out exactly what kind of training you’re likely to see there tomorrow; it’s not being coordinated from the Southwest Precinct, as our contacts there didn’t know, but were trying to find out. So for now, in case you are in the area tomorrow and happen to see a heavy police presence, we thought we’d at least pass on the news about the posted signs. (The Fire Department uses vacant buildings too, as this webpage reminds us.) 7 PM UPDATE: Just heard back from the precinct – it’s tactical training: “Washington State Tactical Officers Association is conducting training at this site tomorrow. The training is being sponsored by SPD SWAT.”

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West Seattle Crime Prevention Council: Updates from last night
August 20, 2008 12:05 pm
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 |   Crime | Safety | Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

We weren’t sure whether to chuckle or cry when we found out last night’s Seattle Police Department Citizen Appreciation Awards event would keep us from visiting the Southwest Precinct to personally report on the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, which we consider a monthly must-cover. Luckily, we were able to draft previous WSB contributor Evan Baumgardner into service for the occasion – and he brought back important info, including an update on a recent business break-in, other West Seattle crime trends, and a request for ideas from YOU – here’s his report:Read More

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