Recently, the press has covered several burglaries in
Snohomish County:
- In early December, The Herald reported that burglaries were on the rise, especially in Lynnwood, Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace.
- On January 5, 2012, around 12:15pm, a burglar fled a home in the 2100 block of 208th St SE in Lynnwood with the homeowner, carrying a handgun, in pursuit. Deputies apprehended the suspect nearby about an hour later.
- Then, on January 7, 2012, a neighbor called 911 when he saw a suspicious man in his neighbor’s backyard in the Blue Ridge community (18400 block of 71st Ave W). Lynnwood Police found a 26 year old male with burglary tools in his backpack. The male is identified as the suspect in the backyard and booked into the Snohomish County jail.
- In the late morning of Monday January 9, 2012, a burglar was killed in a home in the 10500 block of 21st Ave SE near Silver Lake. This incident received extensive media coverage with neighbors talking about getting guns to protect themselves and about an increase of burglaries and car prowls in the last few weeks.
Sources at the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office say that
burglaries in south Snohomish County are up in recent weeks.
For most of you who are Neighborhood Watch Coordinators, you
probably already know what to do. But, the following is aimed at people who are
just getting started with trying to solve burglary and/or car prowls/car thefts
in their communities.
If you have a friend in a neighborhood with a burglary
problem, please pass this information on to them. And as usual, if they would
like to start a Neighborhood Watch they can contact Ann Gifford at neighborhoodwatch@snoco.org.
Protect your home
from burglary. The first thing to do is to protect your home and encourage
your neighbors to protect their homes, from burglars and car prowlers by removing
opportunity. Burglars and car prowlers look for opportunities to steal; front
doors that are unlocked or easily kicked in, back sliding glass doors that are
easily opened. Cars that are unlocked with personal belongings such as wallets,
purses, music CD’s, iPods, laptops, cell phones, etc. in view.
To protect your home from burglary, control the access to
your home. The most basic way to do this is to make sure you have good locks on
all of your doors. Your front door should have a dead bolt lock. And, make sure
the strike plate to the lock is secured with screws that are 3 inches long or
longer. If you have a sliding glass door to the back of your house, install a
charley bar to secure it.
For more information about burglary prevention read the
following one page handout from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office:
Also, this older issue of the Sheriff’s crime prevention
newsletter has many good suggestions about preventing burglaries:
Protect your car from car prowls and car
theft. If you park your car outside of your home, the best rule to adopt is
to not have anything showing in the car. If a car prowler can see anything,
even the most seemingly innocuous item that might have no value, they will
break into your car to steal it. Many people have had valuables and
non-valuables stolen from their cars parked in their driveways (and in parking
lots too). The items reported taken include wallets, purses, cell phones, iPods,
music CD’s, laptop computers, credit cards/debit cards/gift cards, GPS units,
checkbooks, jewelry, keys, mail, receipts/statements, bags and packages, tools,
vehicle insurance, title and registration information, cameras, and clothing.
Some of these items can be fenced or taken to pawn shops, others can be used
for ID theft.
And if you
keep your garage door opener in your car, while it is parked in the driveway, a
car prowler can have extra fun by opening your garage and taking whatever is in
it. If the door between your house and the garage is unlocked or does not have
a deadbolt the car prowler/burglar has access to everything in your house.
For more
information about preventing car prowls and car thefts review these handouts
from the Sheriff’s Office:
Car Prowls:
Car Thefts:
And again, this Sheriff’s
Office newsletter issue from 2004 still has relevance today:
Natural Surveillance. Burglars and car prowlers/thieves do not like
to be caught. So, they do not like to be watched. That is the reason that
residential burglaries occur during the day. Most people work during daylight
away from their homes. Car prowlers do their thing at night, its dark and
people are asleep in their homes. These are times when the thief thinks he/she
will not be observed and while have less risk in getting caught.
You can take away opportunity
(and increase risk) from a burglar or car prowler by making your property more
observable to third parties. Make sure your house is easily observable from the
street. Trim shrubs so that they are no higher than 3 feet. And trim branches
of trees so that they are no lower than 6 feet off the ground. This way, your
neighbors can easily see if someone is breaking into your home. Be sure that
your home is well lit at night outside, especially where you park your cars.
Many crime victims have installed cameras to deter thieves. Surveillance
cameras have become inexpensive and camera technology is many times good enough
to be effective evidence that deputies can use to apprehend suspects. Place
cameras where you park your cars and around the front door of your house.
Make it clear that your home is your territory. By taking some
simple steps you can give a crook the psychological message that they are not
welcome and that they are at risk if they violate your space. Low fences or
hedges around your front yard help to define your territory. Keeping the space
around your house neat and clean gives the impression that you will notice if
there is damage or anything is missing. Put away work tools and garden tools
after you finish for the day. That includes ladders that can be used to enter
your house on the second floor.
Band with your neighbors. Forming a Neighborhood Watch is a proven,
successful way to drive out crime in your neighborhood. Exchange information
about what is going on in your neighborhood. Knowing that a neighbor has been
burglarized alerts you that you should take action. Neighbors supporting
neighbors by keeping watch on each other’s homes, during their normal daily
routines, can help to keep your community safe. If your neighbors call 911 when
they see suspicious people or when they see a crime in progress, criminals will
eventually find other places to commit crimes.
This handout and newsletter
from the Sheriff’s Office can help you get started:
And if you
want to start a Neighborhood Watch contact the Director of Community
Partnerships at neighborhoodwatch@snoco.org.
It can serve also a good protection. Nice idea!
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