FTC- Advice on What to do if you are an ID Theft Victim

ID theft has been a growing problem in America for several years. You can take action to prevent from becoming an ID theft victim. But, if you are victimized, the Federal Trade Commission has good advice on what you can do to minimize the damage to your good name:

http://ftc.gov/opa/2012/06/idtheft.shtm

SUMMER SAFETY- Prevent Your Child from Falling Out of Your Window

On Monday, June 25, KOMO TV News published an article about a 3 year old boy who fell out of a second story window onto the concrete below. Due to fast action by his father and the fire department, the boy will recover. See this link for more details: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Toddler-recoveri-160313255.html?tab=video&c=y.

Every summer the press covers kids falling out of windows. Some of these incidents are tragic. Earlier this year, Shannon Sessions, the Public Information Officer for the Lynnwood Police Department, issued the following press release on preventing falls from windows:

Monday, May 7, 2012

Help Prevent Window Falls

Snohomish County, WA –   Every year children are injured from window falls. With sunny weather upon us and the temperatures rising – remember, the risk open windows pose for young children. Kids are spontaneous and playful, energetic and persistent. Parents are busy. Toddlers are the most common victims.

Already five times this spring children have fallen from windows.

7 fall-prevention tips from the experts at Safe Kids Snohomish County and Providence Regional Medical Center Everett:

• Move furniture away from windows and balconies. A bed, couch and other furniture allows a child to get higher and closer to a window.
• Only open windows outside of a child's reach or climbing distance. Open double-hung windows from the top. A child can fall from a window opened as little as 5 inches.
• Every year, many children fall out of open windows with window screens. Window screens will not keep your child from falling.
• If you must open a window within a child's reach or climbing distance, install an operable window guard. Window guards have horizontal bars no more than four inches apart that screw into the side of a window frame. They are available in different sizes.
• For windows that can't be used for fire escape, install stops that keep a window from opening wider than 4 inches. These can be purchased at a hardware store for about $2. Some new windows come with stops.
• Plant grass or shrubbery around your home to soften the impact surface in case of a fall.
• Monitor window safety at your child care location and anywhere children visit.

211- Your source for Social Service Information

There may be times when you need emergency help that does not involve a crime in progress or immediate medical emergency. You may need help with a community issue, emergency shelter, need to find a food bank, low cost housing, legal help, a mental or physical health problem, transitional housing, transportation or any number of other problems. While this may be an emergency for you, you may not need to call 911.

A service that has been available for Snohomish County as well as Island, Skagit, and Whatcom counties is 211, which is operated by Volunteers of America. 211 provides an easy to remember phone number that can easily connect you to social service organizations that can help you with your problem without having to call multiple phone numbers.

For more information about 211, go to:

Volunteers of America:

http://www.voaww.org/Get-Help/Community-Info-and-Referral

The Herald:

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120624/BLOG48/706249931/-1/blog48#211-the-non-emergency-alternative-to-911

SNOHOMISH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE- Cameras and Burglar Alarms

The Sheriff’s Office has posted its May/June issue of “Partner’s in Crime Prevention.” This issue focuses on giving some basic guidance when purchasing surveillance cameras and alarm systems.

You can find the newsletter at:

http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/MayJun12.pdf

SNOHOMISH COUNTY- Surface Water Management Warns That Fireworks Can Affect Water Quality

The Snohomish County Surface Water Management Division (SWM) of Public Works has issued a press release warning all of us that fireworks can have a negative impact on water bodies such as ponds, rivers, streams, lakes and groundwater. The division points out that fireworks contain heavy metals and propellant chemicals that can pollute water if detonated or not disposed of properly.

SWM points out that the county code (SCC 7.53.065) prohibits discharging pollutants into a storm drainage system or natural water body.

The SWM recommends that citizens who shoot fireworks minimize the chance of polluting Snohomish County waters by:

• Request fireworks that contain low amounts of heavy metals and chemical propellants where you buy your fireworks.
• DO NOT shoot fireworks from or into public sidewalks and roadways where the debris can enter storm drainage systems.
• Practice “rigorous ‘housekeeping’ practices” by picking up shell debris and disposing it in accordance with applicable codes and manufacturers’ instructions.
• Contain water runoff when you use water to douse duds or misfires.

For more information call the Surface Water Management Hot Line at (425) 388-6481.

SWM fireworks press release:

http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/Departments/Public_Works/Divisions/SWM/WQ/WQ-FireworksAndWaterQuality

SNOHOMISH COUNTY- 4th of July Fireworks

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, Snohomish County Fire Marshal and Snohomish County Fire District 1 have issued a reminder about safely and legally using fireworks on the 4^th of July:

http://sheriff.snoco.org/Our_Community/Fireworks.htm

They point out that 911 calls increase dramatically during July 4^th and the likelihood of personal injury and property damage also increase. One example of serious property damage that they point to is a 4’X 5’hole to a neighbor’s house that was made by a marine flare during last year’s July 4^th celebration:

As we soon celebrate the 4th of July, people often are confused about when they can legally discharge fireworks. In unincorporated Snohomish County, fireworks can only be discharged between 9am and 11:59pm on July 4. Many cities within Snohomish County set their own time regulations while others ban the use of fireworks. The following maps show where you can and cannot discharge fireworks in the county:

South Snohomish County-

http://sheriff.snoco.org/Our_Community/Resources/2012_South_County_Fireworks.pdf

North Snohomish County-

http://sheriff.snoco.org/Our_Community/Resources/2012_North_County_Fireworks.pdf

East Snohomish County-

http://sheriff.snoco.org/Our_Community/Resources/2012_East_County_Fireworks.pdf

The Fire Marshal's Office recommends that you take the following measures to ensure that you have a safe time if you use fireworks:

• In case of an emergency, dial 9-1-1.

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

• Never build or experiment with homemade fireworks.

• Always use legal fireworks- http://www.co.snohomish.wa.us/documents/Departments/PDS/Fire_Marshall/IllegalExplosiveDevices.pdf.

• Never let children handle or light fireworks. Even sparklers can be dangerous if unsupervised.

• Never ignite fireworks while holding them. Light one at a time, and move away quickly.

• Make sure you give yourself enough room in a safe location – away from buildings, vehicles and flammable materials.

• Never light fireworks inside a structure.

• Watch what you wear. Loose clothing can catch fire and should not be worn while handling fireworks.

• Never try to re-ignite fireworks that have malfunctioned. Soak them in water, then throw them away.

• Never ignite fireworks when you are under the influence of alcohol, prescription drugs or mind-altering narcotics.

• Never aim fireworks at vehicles.

For more information on the safe use of fireworks go to:

http://www.fireworksafety.com/

The following brochure talks about some basic dos and don’ts.  Please pass it around to your neighbors:

http://sheriff.snoco.org/Our_Community/Resources/FIST_brochure4pages.pdf

SHERIFF’S OFFICE- CrimeMapping.com

You may have noticed over the last few months that crime information from the Sheriff’s Office has not been available on crimereports.com. Yesterday, Ann Gifford, the Sheriff’s Director of Community Partnerships, announced a new web site to find information about crime in Snohomish County. The web site is crimemapping.com (www.crimemapping.com). You can also access the site from the Sheriff’s Office web site (http://sheriff.snoco.org/) and look for the “Crime Mapping” link on the main page.

According to Ann, the new site is updated automatically every night, while the old site had to be updated by hand. This will ensure more complete and timely information for us to review.

I checked it out, and it is a very good site. As with crimereports.com, you can enter your address and easily zoom right in to see crimes around you. Moving the map around seems much smoother than crimereports.com. And the icons seem easier to read also. When you click on an icon, you can see the same kind of information like on crimereports.com, but if you click on “Snohomish County Sheriff’s Links” within the window, you see links to the Sheriff’s Office web site, the “Crime Prevention Tips” page and the “Sex Offender Search” page. Pretty handy to find information on the fly.

For a short demonstration go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XSurKJGpt0

TAMBARK TRAILS- Bad Guy Caught

This incident demonstrates the importance of how a timely call to 911 can help police capture a wanted criminal.

On Monday, June 11, Snohomish County deputies apprehended an assault and burglary suspect who was seen entering a home in 2500 block of 191^st St SE according to The Herald (http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120611/NEWS01/706129936).

According to the local Neighborhood Watch Coordinator the following occurred:

At around 12:30pm, a man ran down the side yard of two houses then through another back yard.  He was spotted by a homeowner who was working in his back yard.  The homeowner yelled at the man to stop. The homeowner’s three dogs were in hot pursuit and the man jumped the fence and entered another neighbor’s backyard then entered the neighbor’s house through the back door.

The homeowner called 9-1-1.  A patrol car that was in the area was directed to the house where the police entered and, after quite a bit of time, took the guy into custody.

It turns out this person has been living in this area from time to time and has an arrest record for burglary and more.  It is unknown if this person has been involved in the most recent burglaries in the neighborhood. 

Citizen assistance like this helps police capture the crooks who prey on innocent citizens. While this is a more visible example of citizen assistance, the calls to 9-1-1 asking for contact to report suspicious activity, or even tips to the Sheriff’s Office’s tip line or online reporting all help the Sheriff’s Office to catch criminals.

GRADUATION SEASON- An Appeal from Sheriff Lovick and Chief Atwood to Parents

Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick and Everett Police Chief Kathy Atwood have written an appeal to parents to talk to their teens about drinking and driving during this coming graduation season. Please read this editorial and talk to your teenagers.

The Herald:

http://heraldnet.com/article/20120608/OPINION02/706089945/-1/OPINION#Parents-keep-your-grads-alcohol-free

CHESTNUT HIGHLANDS- Package Stolen from Front Door

This has been a rough week for residents of Chestnut Highlands and apparently for surrounding neighborhoods also. This time a package was stolen from the front porch of a house in Chestnut Highlands. The homeowner placed it there just before 8 a.m. for pick up by UPS. UPS told the homeowner to place it there for pick up.

The homeowner found out later that the package was never picked up and the UPS driver who showed up said he was the only one assigned to the area and does not pick up packages until 4 pm in the afternoon.

Note: This is a new twist to an old problem. Normally, police warn about theft of delivered packages to residences. We normally do not hear of packages being stolen going the other direction. But, packages on front door steps apparently have an attraction for thieves whether they are delivered to a house or being picked up from a house. This may be a case that if you want UPS or FEDEX to deliver a package for you, you might want to take it to a facility that can accept your package for shipment.

The other issue is that around the holidays police usually warn about package theft. But this incident points out that package theft can happen any time of year.

FINANCIAL SCAMS- Social Networking Investment Scams

The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) has issued an alert concerning social networking scams.

In traditional social networks, con artists use the weekly or monthly meetings to establish strong bonds through face-to-face contact and sharing of personal interests and lifestyles.

The DFI points out that con artists can use online social networks to establish trust and credibility more quickly than traditional social networking techniques. Also, the con artist can have easier access to sensitive information of his/her targets.

For more information about social networking scams go to this DFI alert:

http://www.dfi.wa.gov/consumers/education/investments/social-networks.htm

HILLTOP- Big Chop Shop Bust

On Thursday May 31, the Snohomish County Auto Theft Task Force served a search warrant on a house in the 19000 block of Damson Road. This bust recovered stolen vehicles and other property. Four men were taken into custody. According to a Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office press release all four will be charged with first degree theft and possession of stolen property. One will also be charged with possession of a controlled substance.

According to a local Neighborhood Watch Coordinator another bust occurred on a house a block away from the May 31 bust. A Sheriff’s official told the coordinator that authorities were working on the case for 1 ½ years.

This illustrates that local law enforcement agencies are working to put away criminals and that it can take a long time to put together a case to forward to the prosecutor.

The Herald:

 http://heraldnet.com/article/20120601/NEWS01/706019907/0/SEARCH

Sheriff’s Office Press Release:

http://sheriff.snoco.org/Press_Release/PR_Doc/2012/May/Lynwood_Chop_Shop_Search.pdf

CHESTNUT HIGHLANDS- Burglary

On the morning of June 5, in Chestnut Highlands, near 39^th Ave SE & 212^th St SE, a home was broken into at about 9am. The burglar kicked the front door open to gain entry.

The burglar took cash, jewelry and two laptops.

Police think that the burglar was scared off when the homeowner returned home. The burglar probably heard noise from the garage and then left quickly. The burglar also left a pile of possessions behind in the house.

Note: This could be the same burglary from Chestnut Highlands that I reported yesterday. The detail, though, is instructive. Cash is easy to spend. The laptop computers can give information that could be used in ID theft, or simply sold for money for drugs. And the jewelry is easy to dispose of. This incident also shows the continuing trend of burglars picking up jewelry as police have been reporting since at least the first of the year. (go to this blog posting from earlier this year for more information http://ssnoccrimewatch.blogspot.com/2012_02_01_archive.html)

There are many things homeowners can do to protect themselves from burglars that I have talked about, especially since the first of the year. Here are two links that can help you and your neighbors set up your houses to defend against burglary:

            Burglary Prevention Tip Sheet:

            http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/Residential%20Burglary.pdf

            Sheriff’s Office’s “Partners in Crime Prevention” January/February 2012 issue on Burglary Prevention:

            http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/JanFeb12.pdf

NPR- What Makes Neighborhood Watches Work?

Sometimes people wonder if Neighborhood Watch really works. And, if it does, how to make it work effectively. This link has a good discussion about Neighborhood Watch which was aired in April of this year:

http://www.npr.org/2012/04/09/150294474/what-makes-neighborhood-watches-work

39TH AVE SE & 212TH ST SE- Burglaries and Thefts

Neighborhoods in the vicinity of 39th Ave SE and 212th St SE have seen several burglaries in recent days:

CANYON CREEK- On Sunday, June 3, a lawn mower was stolen from a house across from Canyon Creek’s main entrance. Then, on the morning of Tuesday, June 5, the homeowner from the same house, scared away thieves who were attempting to steal another unidentified item. The thieves ran away on foot.

CHESNUT HIGHLAND- During the same time period, a theft occurred during the morning hours in Chestnut Highland.

CANYON CREEK- A house was broken into during the morning hours. The thieves waited for a mother to take her children to school to enter the house. They ran out the front door when she returned home. (This maybe the same incident as that reported under the first Canyon Creek item above.

CANYON FIRS- A break-in to a house in Canyon Firs.

Some of these incidents occurred in the morning. Sometimes burglars get an early start to their day and watch for homeowners to leave for work, or to take their kids to school before breaking in. Whenever you leave your house you should lock your doors and windows even if it will be a “short trip.”

Other reminders that Neighborhood Watch Coordinators are passing to their neighbors include:

• Call 911 if you see any suspicious person or activity around your home.
• Never leave your belongings outside and keep your garages CLOSED.
• At night keep your porch lights ON.
• Use home security system if you are just running a quick errand
• Randomize your routines (for dropping kids at school, please coordinate with others in neighborhood and volunteer to pick or drop every other day or as your situation permits) as much as possible so it is hard for someone to track you.
• Lock your car door if it is parked outside.
• Keep all items of worth out of site.