At last night’s NPAC meeting Diane Horswill, North Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator, mentioned that she did an analysis of residential burglaries in NE Seattle and found that about half were NOT forced entry. This means the burglar entered an unlocked door or window. It also means that possibly half the burglaries didn’t need to happen!
There is a a continuing rash of home invasion robberies in the North Precinct, where the burglar enters while residents are home. They do what car prowlers do – turn the door handle to see if the door is locked. If unlocked, they’ll go in, even if they know someone is inside sleeping. They often take electronics and car keys (and the car).
Another speaker said that this year burglaries are down all over the city EXCEPT in the North Precinct. We don’t want the north end to become a target, right? We don’t want it to be known as an easy mark and draw more criminals here.
Please protect yourself and your belongings by locking your doors and windows. Also, if you are burgled, it helps the investigation if you have a list of serial numbers of your valuables. The greater success investigating and prosecuting, the better for all of us.
Also, keep an eye out on your street. If you see suspicious activity, abandoned (stolen) cars, and the like, call the police. SPD is truly dedicated to making our city and neighborhoods safer, and they have many tools in their toolkit to help, but they need to know from us what is going on.
If you would like a home security review by a SPD officer, call or email Diane Horswill at diane.horswill@seattle.gov
or (206) 684-7711
I had a license plate stolen off the rear of my car this week. I noticed it at Costco and reported it there, but it probably happened at my home in Pinehurst. Be on the lookout for your license plates to be stolen. Walk around the back of your car before you drive away in the morning.