THE HIGHLANDS- Car Prowls, Package Theft, Stolen Packages

Over the past month The Highlands, vicinity of 134^th Pl SE and North Snohomish Cascade Dr SE, has experienced numerous car prowls and other incidents. They include:

NOV 28/Multiple car break in/128th PL/"slim-jims"

DEC 13/Multiple car break in/67th Ave/unsecured vehicle

DEC 14/Package(s) stolen from porch(s)/128th PL/Suspect teenage solicitors dropped off by a dark blue Ford Van lic # 865 YWR

DEC 15/Multiple car break in/63rd Ave & 67th Ave

DEC 18/Stolen wallet contents strewn about/N. Sno-Cascade Dr./Suspect car prowlers who stole wallet from truck near Jackson HS - Oddly no reports of loss here that same night

DEC 19/Multiple car break-in/67th Ave/vehicles were locked

AUTUMN MEADOWS- Car Broken Into

A resident’s car was broken into in Autumn Meadows overnight on Saturday December 17, 2011. Some prescription drugs and cash were stolen. The victim assumes that some local teens broke into the car.

As a reminder, do not keep anything in sight when you park your car on the street. Prescription drugs can have a strong attraction for thieves and cash obviously has a good value for them also. And don’t forget when you are at the mall making your last minute Christmas purchases to store your packages out of sight in your car. Thieves roam the mall parking lots for targets of opportunity.

One final reminder, winter is the time of year when some people will warm up their cars in the morning by running the engine while they are inside their house getting ready for work. Don’t do this. You might find that you have warmed your car up 

DISCOVERY CHANNEL- Your Body on Drugs

On Sunday night, December 18, 2011, the Discovery Channel aired a program on "Your Body on Drugs" through its Curiosity series. It showed four drug users, one who uses marijuana, another who uses meth, a third who uses cocaine and a fourth who uses heroin, go through four different situations while on their respective drugs. The program showed how each user reacted in each situation and gave some lessons on how each drug affects the body's physiology. This program is well worth watching. Look for repeats of it on your TV.

As a companion to the show, Discovery Channel has posted a web page on information about drugs at:

http://curiosity.discovery.com/topic/neuroscience/your-body-on-drugs-episode.htm

This web page is also well worth looking over.

GOLD CREEK- Suspicious Kids

On the evening of Friday, December 16, 2011, around 5:30pm, two teenage boys came to the door of a Gold Creek residence asking for a donation for a ski trip. Apparently, the boys were selling chocolates to raise money for the trip. When the homeowner told them that they would not contribute, the boys became agitated.

A little later, the homeowner noted a dry spot where a package had been on their front porch. Another member of the household had seen a package there before the boys arrived. A call to the store that had sent the package confirmed that the package had been delivered earlier that afternoon.

The homeowner went around the neighborhood to find the boys. They found them and confronted them about the package. The boys denied seeing any package. They also revealed that they were from Lynnwood and that a “supervisor” dropped them off in the neighborhood, checks on them from time to time. The homeowner hung around in the area, and a little later observed a navy blue Ford Econoline van pick up the boys. The homeowner provided a description and license number of the van to the Sheriff’s Office.

Note: The boys may or may not have taken the package (I am sure the homeowner understandably has a definite opinion on who took that package). But, this incident shows two problems that we commonly have in modern life, solicitors and package theft.

Over time, door to door solicitors have become a source of suspicion, probably with justification. There are too many examples of burglars using door to door sales as a cover when you answer the door. Also, you can get ripped off if you buy from a stranger who you will never see again. A “company” often will drop a crew off in a neighborhood to work then pick them up after a few hours to work another neighborhood. The most common suggestion is to tell the solicitor to go away, that you are not interested. And if they get surly or refuse to leave, tell them that you are calling 911 as you dial 911.

The other issue is package theft. This is a prime time of year for package theft. And this week before Christmas is probably the most intense period for package delivery. Neighbors’ watching out for neighbors is an important way to prevent this type of theft. Ask your stay at home neighbor to pick up your package after it is delivered. Also, ask them to look out for suspicious vehicles following delivery trucks. Some other ways to help prevent theft include:

·         Track the package’s progress online. This way you will know when it is delivered.

·         Ask to have the package placed on the back porch or out of sight on the front porch.

·         Have the package delivered to a nearby package store.

PSE- Email Scam Alert

Puget Sound Energy has announced an email scam going around that uses a similar looking format to its email statements. The scammers want you to click on their link in order to gather your personal information. Do not click on the link. PSE recommends that if you do receive the email that you should delete it from your inbox.

To see a comparison of a genuine PSE email with the fake go to this PSE web page:

http://pse.com/accountsandservices/YourBill/Pages/Email-Scam-Alert.aspx

SNOHOMISH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE- “Partner’s in Crime Prevention” Newsletter

SNOHOMISH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE- “Partner’s in Crime Prevention” Newsletter

 The latest issues of the Sheriff’s Office’s crime prevention newsletter “Partners in Crime Prevention” are available online:

Christmas issue- The November/December issue gives tips on how to prevent theft during the holiday season as well as a reminder not to drink and drive:

http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/NovDec11.pdf

The September/October issue focuses on personal safety:

http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/SepOct11.pdf

PUGET SOUND- Holiday Package Theft

PUGET SOUND- Holiday Package Theft

KING TV 5 News recently highlighted a common problem of package theft during the holidays (http://www.king5.com/news/slideshows/ups-package-thief-on-video-135361043.html).

With more and more people ordering online for Christmas gifts, thieves often have an easy time of following UPS, FEDEX, or Postal Service delivery trucks to steal packages that they leave off at homes.

Some things you can do to prevent becoming a victim include:

• Have a trusted stay at home neighbor hold your package for you until you come home
• When at home keep a watch for suspicious vehicles, or people on foot, following UPS, FEDEX or Postal Service trucks. If you see a suspicious vehicle, call 911 and report the license number, vehicle description, and direction of travel.
• Track the shipment online so that you know when it was delivered.
• Ask to have it placed on your back porch or out of sight of the street.
• Ask to have the package delivered to a package store. For example, UPS has its own stores (The UPS Store). There may be an extra charge for this service.

And, UPS suggests:

• Have the shipper require a signature on delivery
• Have the package sent to your work where someone will be present to accept it.

Pioneer Trails- Burglary

On Friday morning, December 2, 2011, around 10:30am, a woman saw two burglars at a neighbor’s house in the 12000 block of 42^nd Dr SE in Pioneer Trails. She immediately called 911.

Two black males came out of the house carrying electronic equipment. It appeared that the woman saw the first trip out of the house by the burglars.

Entry was through the side garage door which the burglars kicked in. A third burglar (race not reported) was also seen in a black Chevrolet Tahoe SUV with tinted windows.

The victims did lose some valuables, but many more possessions were found staged in the house ready for transport. It appeared that the burglars were on the street for only 10 minutes.

While we may not think of December as a time of the year for a lot of burglaries, they do occur in the winter. Also, Christmas time can provide an opportunity for burglars to steal gifts. As noted in lynnwoodtoday.com, http://lynnwoodtoday.com/2011/12/02/holiday-burglaries/, Lynnwood, Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace have seen a dramatic rise in burglaries in October and November of this year.

Some ways you can prevent a burglary from your home over the Christmas holiday season include:

• Keep the outside of your home well-lit with doors locked and curtains closed.
• Do not display gifts beneath the Christmas tree that can be seen from the street.
• After the holidays, do not advertise gifts by leaving boxes out for garbage collection. Instead, flatten and place them in your recycle bin.