SHAUNESSY - Indecent Exposure

On Wednesday June 30, 2010, around 8am a black male in his mid 20's exposed his genitals to a pedestrian in Shaunessy (south of 148th St SE and east of 35th Ave SE). The male was in his 20's with a shaved head or tight hair cut. He was driving a gold 4-door Honda Accord with WA plates (partial number includes H1). After exposing himself he drove away and did not say anything.

SHERIFF’S OFFICE- Crime Prevention Newsletter

The Sheriff’s Office has posted its crime prevention newsletter, Partner’s in Crime Prevention. Subjects in this issue include:

• Calling 911
• Containment- Catching the Bad Guys
• Prosecutor’s Office- Holding Criminals Accountable
• Sheriff’s Office Volunteers


You can find the newsletter at:

http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/MayJun10.pdf


Note the new format for the newsletter.

SAFEWAY- Kids are Hanging Out

Over the past few weeks there has been concern about teens hanging out at the shopping center with the Safeway at 134th Pl SE and Puget Park Dr SE. The teens vandalize property; make a mess in parts of the shopping center, etc. Recently, at least one car was broken into.

Comment: The Sheriff’s Office is working with shopping center vendors and residents of the surrounding neighborhoods to try to resolve this situation. Retailers, neighborhood residents and the Sheriff’s Office need to communication together to develop creative solutions and effective action.

Note: Summer is a time of year when crimes seem to be on the increase. Not all teens are out to cause trouble. But, there will be those who hang out overnight unsupervised, and will do stuff that vandalizes the community and will take the opportunity to steal what is easy. Many people park their cars outside of their homes. Also, they may go to the store late at night. When you park your car, be sure not to keep anything in view, cash, wallet, cell phone, packages, etc. Seeing something in your car will give a potential thief the opportunity to steal.

THE FALLS- Kids Out Late at Night

Recently, underage kids have been heard loudly walking parts of The Falls after midnight. This has especially been bad overnight on June 23 and 24. Apparently, if you ask them to be quiet they tell you to “take a hike.” There is also activity by kids at night at Totem Falls Elementary School.

If you hear loud noises at night, call 911.

CORRECTION- Fireworks

The posting dated June 26, said that fireworks stands would start selling on Tuesday, June 29. Many fireworks stands started selling today June 28. Fireworks stands can sell their fireworks starting at 12:00 noon to 11:00pm on June 28. Sales can continue until 9:00pm on July 5. During the sales period June 28 through July 3 stands can be open from 9:00am to 11:00pm. On July 4, stands can be open from 9:00am to 12:00 midnight. (WAC 212-17-21505 (7))

SNOHOMISH COUNTY- 4th of July Fireworks

The 4th of July is coming. Along with BBQ's in the back yard with family and friends comes fireworks to celebrate our freedom.

Fire departments and police have a warning though. Be careful and be legal with fireworks. The July 4, 2009 season saw property damage amounting to $4 million including fire damage to several houses and at least three people seriously injured in Snohomish County. Also, be sure to use legal fireworks at times that they can be set off.

The days around July 4 are also an extremely busy time for the Sheriff's Office and fire districts with numerous calls for help with injuries, complaints about illegal fireworks and disputes among neighbors. The Marysville Fire District points out that the number of calls doubles during the holiday.

Fireworks stands will start selling on Tuesday. But, in unincorporated Snohomish County you can only legally set off fireworks on July 4 between 9am and 11:59pm.

Make this a safe July 4 for you and your family:

- Have a bucket of water ready for emergencies and to douse used fireworks.

- Never build or experiment with homemade fireworks.

- Never let children handle or light fireworks, including sparklers.

- Never ignite fireworks while holding them.

- Make sure you have enough space away from potential hazards, including buildings, vehicles and flammable materials.

- Never light fireworks inside a house or structure, including a garage.

- Don’t wear loose clothing that can catch on fire while handling fireworks.

- Never try to reignite fireworks that have malfunctioned. Soak them in water, and then throw them away.

- Alcohol and fireworks don’t mix.


Information from The Herald:
http://bit.ly/apOkmo

For more information go to:

Snohomish County Fire Marshall's Office:
http://bit.ly/c3R5Oe

Fireworks Safety:
http://bit.ly/do1JAe

Illegal Fireworks:
http://bit.ly/b3z7s3

Fireworks-Related Injuries:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/fworks.htm

JULY 4 & DUI's

July 4th is a time for rejoicing for the freedoms that we have, visiting family and friends, outdoor BBQ's, and partying. This also can mean drinking. Drinking and driving can by a dangerous combination.

Snohomish County law enforcement is trying to extend a record- another year with no DUI traffic fatalities. Snohomish County has not had a DUI traffic death on this holiday since 1997.

To continue the record, law enforcement agencies will have extra patrols looking for drunken drivers. See the following press release:


http://www.co.snohomish.wa.us/documents/Departments/Executive/News/NR_DUIPatrols6.24.10.pdf

Remember, if you drink, don't drive. If your friend is drinking, offer to take him/her a ride home. And you have heard this before, a designated driver is always in order.


DUI– You Can Help

Nationwide, drunk and drugged driving leads to one death every 33 minutes, one injury every two minutes and 1.5 million arrests every year. Local law enforcement agencies frequently conduct emphasis patrols looking for drunk drivers during the holidays, St Patrick’s day, New Years Eve and other periods when people often may drink too much then try to drive.

You can help by being alert for drunk drivers and reporting them to 911.

Look for erratic driving- weaving on the road, inability to stay in the lane, alternately speeding then slowing down.

When you call, give:
• Vehicle description
• License #
• Nearest cross street
• Direction of travel

Be careful when using your cell phone and driving. Be sure to use a handsfree device. If the driver is speeding, don’t speed with them! It doesn’t do any good to endanger other lives in a chase. Leave chasing bad guys to the cops.


Your best defense against a drunk driver on the road is:
• To wear your safety belt, make sure any children in the car are in child safety seats.
• Never ride in a car operated by someone who has been drinking- call a cab or ask a friend to drive you home.
• Report drunk drivers to law enforcement from a cell phone or pay phone.
• Keep a safe distance from anyone driving erratically.

LOAN MODIFICATION- Stay Away from Up Front Fees

The Washington State Attorney General's Office recently released a press release about scammers who prey on homeowners who need or want a modification of their home loan. A key feature of the scam is the requirement to pay hefty up front fees before the scammers say that they will perform their service. Their promise is to save you big dollars in reduced mortgage payments.

Watch out for companies that:

Contact you.
Demand large fees upfront.
Claim ridiculously high success rates.
Ask for bank account information in order to withdraw funds.

If you are having trouble paying your mortgage or are in danger of foreclosure you do not need to turn to scammers for help. You can go to the Washington State Homeownership Information Hotline for free help at 1-877-894-HOME or online at www.homeownership.wa.gov.

Go to http://www.atg.wa.gov/BlogPost.aspx?id=25870 for more information and an interview of a recent victim.

ELECTRONICS SCAM- Price Too Good to be True

According to komonews.com, there have been scammers trying to sell electronic equipment cheap in the Puget Sound region including Lynnwood.

During the summer months, scammers frequently hang around shopping mall parking lots, strip malls and busy gas stations offering electronics at ridicuoulsy cheap prices. The reason given for the low price is usually that the scammer needs to get rid of excess inventory. Most victims are young men who think they are getting a good deal. More than likely the electronics are cheap knockoffs that are not worth the cheap price.

If you are approached by someone with an offer like this just walk away.

For more information about this scam go to http://www.komonews.com/news/consumer/96701234.html

DRIVING & CELL PHONES- Soon to be Illegal Without Handsfree Device

The much publicized law to ban talking and texting with a cell phone while driving will become effective on Thursday June 10, 2010. Here are a few links about this new law:

The Seattle Times:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012048900_cellphones07m.html

Web site from the State of Washington:

http://bit.ly/d9wO1t

Article from KING 5 News:

http://bit.ly/8YF9CN

DRUG OVERDOSE- 911 Good Samaritan Law

A new law will go into effect on Thursday (June 10, 2010) that will give immunity from prosecution for people who seek medical assistance from a drug overdose. The immunity is extended to both the overdose victim and any witnesses.

For information about this new law go to:

Washington State Attorney General's Office:

http://bit.ly/a64ueT

Article in The Herald:

http://bit.ly/b0QusN

PREVENTING CAR PROWLS- A Strategy

The recent car prowl activity in Crystal Hills has led to some thoughts about how we can prevent car prowls. During the early morning hours of Sunday, May 30 at least three vehicles were broken into in Crystal Hills.

The current recommendation by police to prevent a car prowl is to not have anything visible in your vehicle. That way a potential car prowler will move on to another target. Car prowlers are opportunists. They look for the easiest targets.

The easiest way for all of us to prevent crime (especially property crime) is to take away a criminal's opportunity to steal (think the Crime Triangle- Crime = Opportunity + Motivation + Knowledge). I don't know how many folks take this simple advice. Obviously, not everyone. But you could still be victimized if a car prowler breaks your car window because he/she thought they saw something. You might not have had anything stolen, but you're still out the cost of replacing your window.

If a car prowler goes through a community, he/she can still do property damage as well as steal from those who keep valuables in their car. Our natural tendancy is to want to catch the crook.

Catching car prowlers might seem to be difficult though. In residential areas they work at night when most of us are asleep. Night or day, the Sheriff's Office deputies can't be everywhere. So what can citizens do to help the Sheriff's Office?

Well, an additional activity that local communities can do is encourage their neighbors who are night owls (those that stay up late at night or who go to and from work at night or early morning) to keep an eye out and report any suspicious activity to 911 that they see. We can also park our cars in our locked garage. Some folks may not have enought room in their garages, so another step that they can take is to mount a camera on their garages. At least with a camera, that is hooked up to a computer hard drive, if you are victimized, you can show a deputy the images that will hopefully show the car prowler in the act. In this way, you and your neighbors make your neighborhood difficult for car prowlers to work in.

The Herald recently reported that Everett has had a spike in car prowls. I don't know if that is the case in the rest of the county but it is likely that we may be having an increase in car prowls also. This might be a good time to:

1. Encourage your neighbors not to store anything in their cars or trucks.

2. Encourage your neighbors to report any suspicious activity to 911, day or night.

3. Think about installing a camera on your garage.


Steve Moller

CRYSTAL HILLS- Car Prowlers Were Busy

Another car prowl has been reported occurring during the early morning hours of May 30, 2010. A truck was broken into in the vicinity of 25th Drive SE. The truck owner reports that there was no forced entry. The back canopy was not locked, however.
He had items that he was going to donate to a Boy Scout Garage Sale in the back of the truck.

6 or 7 large black trash bags of items were taken.

The truck owner surmises that the prowler(s) must have been startled by something or someone because the truck canopy lid was left up and items dropped on the driveway near the tailgate.

CRYSTAL HILLS- Another Car Prowl

Another car was reported broken into in the morning of May 30 in the vicinity of 181st Pl SE and 26th Dr SE. A Garmin Nuvi GPS was stolen. The car was ransacked with the contents of the glove compartment emptied all over the seats, items from the owner's work strewn all over the car, and some miscellaneous items taken from the trunk