SNOHOMISH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE- Protecting Your Devices from Theft

Protecting your PC, laptop, smartphone from theft is important, not only for the hardware, but also for the sensitive information that they contain. Check out the latest issue of the Sheriff Office’s crime prevention newsletter, “Partners in Crime Prevention,” for tips to protect your hardware.

 

 

SNOHOMISH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE:

https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/7104

 

EVERETT- Stolen License Plates

Earlier this week KIRO TV broadcast an item about car license plates being stolen in the South Everett area. Car thieves sometimes take license plates to put on cars that they have stolen.

Replacing your license plates is a hassle and there is a monetary cost.

You can protect yourself by mounting your license plates with special screws that use unique tools to tighten the screws. You can find the screws at most auto parts stores.

KIRO TV:

http://www.kiro7.com/news/local/string-of-license-plate-thefts-in-south-everett/495965740

SNOHOMISH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE- Stolen and Lost Bikes

This morning, The Sheriff’s Office posted these hints to help recover your bicycle if it becomes lost or stolen:

“With all the warm, sunny weather, lots of folks are out and about enjoying beautiful Snohomish County on bicycles. And bikes are easy to steal. Recovered stolen bikes, as well as those that are "lost" (left behind on buses or at bike racks) end up in our Evidence Unit. At any one time, we have over 100 bikes, but very rarely can we return them to the lawful owner. This is usually because the bike was either never reported stolen in the first place or the owner couldn't provide the serial number to police when making the report.

Here is an easy way to help us help you recover your bike if it's stolen:

1. Write down the make, model and serial number of your bike (most bike manufacturer websites explain how to find the number).

 2. Take a photo of your bike and store it with the other information where you keep other important documents (e.g. your vehicle title).

 3. If your bike is stolen, ask the police officer taking your report to enter this information into NCIC.

We don't want your bike to join our collection!

(In case you were wondering, unclaimed bikes are either auctioned off or given to charity. We sent 230 unclaimed bikes to charity in 2014.)”

 

SNOHOMISH COUNTY– Thefts Are Up In Residential Areas

Lt. Robert Palmer, South Precinct Commander for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office recently took a KIRO TV reporter on a ride-a-long in residential areas to show how thieves can easily steal low value items that are left outside of homes and in open garages.

The Sheriff’s Office has received an increase in reports of thefts in recent months. Lt. Palmer attributed the increase to the rise in heroin usage. Over the past few years, heroin has become the drug of choice locally (as well as nationally). Heroin is cheaper than many other drugs such as prescription drugs (oxycodone) and is also readily available.

Heroin addicts can pick up some relatively inexpensive items in a sweep of a neighborhood. According to Lt. Palmer, “They really only need to come up with $25 worth of property today, and then tomorrow, they’ll go out and get $25 to $50 worth of property and get their drugs because it’s so cheap.”

During the ride-a-long, which aired tonight on KIRO-TV, Lt Palmer pointed out equipment left in the front yards of homes and a garage, with the door open, full of possessions ready for the taking. Also, a resident talked about the theft of his small outboard motor. Outboards are easy for one person to take. Now, he locks his outboard motor to his boat.

Key items that thieves look for include:

• Yard equipment such as weed eaters and power tools.
• Propane tanks left with gas grills.
• Valuables in unlocked cars including electronics, wallets or garage door openers.

All of these thefts are a result of easy opportunities for thieves. The best way to reduce the thefts is to take away the opportunities. You can:

• Keep your yard around your home clean and uncluttered. Pick up tools and equipment when you are finished with projects for the day. Store your children’s bicycles and toys in your house or closed garage.
• Keep landscaping trimmed so that your house is easily seen from the street.
• Lock your garage door even while you are home and even when you are working in the yard. A thief can take something out of your garage without you knowing it, especially if you are working in your back yard.
• When you park your car in your driveway or in front of your house, do not store anything in view through the windows. If a thief can see it, he will take it.
• Be on the lookout for any suspicious person or activity. If you see anything suspicious, report it right away to 911. Many burglaries and thefts in residential areas occur during the day when few people are at home. Encourage your neighbors who are retired or work from home to be on the lookout for suspicious activity.

Note: On February 18, I posted that the North County Property Crime Unit was looking for Joseph Nasby and Sarah Dreben. The Sheriff’s Office reports that both have been apprehended. The Property Crime Unit alleges that they would look for homes with open garages, sheds, and out buildings to steal chainsaws, weed trimmers, leaf blowers and weapons.

Take a look at the video of the report, it shows good examples of property at risk.

KIRO TV:

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/snohomish-county-seeing-increase-petty-thefts/nkFQd/

 

 

 

 

 

CELL PHONES– “Find My Phone”

Recently, the New York Times published an article about victims of smartphone theft using find my phone apps to find their phones and the phone thieves (“When Hitting ‘Find My Phone’ Takes You to a Thief’s Doorstep”: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/04/us/when-hitting-find-my-iphone-takes-you-to-a-thiefs-doorstep.html?_r=1)


The article observes that many victims use the find my phone apps to find the location of their stolen phone then try to retrieve it from the person who stole it. Often the victim does not bother to notify police of the theft. While the victim may be successful in recovering their phone, they do risk the danger of a violent encounter.

Police frequently recommend that victims do not take matters into their own hands. Police would rather that victims report the theft and let the police handle the recovery and potential arrest.


Some people might point out that police do not always seem to jump on reports of such thefts. That their smartphone has important and sensitive information that they want to recover or at least not allow a stranger to see.

But police point out that citizens who might confront a phone thief could endanger themselves physically. Even if they get their phone back, there is a real risk of assault.

A check with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office revealed that there is not a rising trend of smartphone thefts in Snohomish County. Places that might be more susceptible to phone theft, however, could be:

1. Where young people congregate, schools, community colleges, universities, etc.
2. Where tourists congregate, such as any downtown (like Seattle), or other tourist areas.
3. If the phone is left in view in your car or truck.

In each of the areas, phones can be easy targets for theft.


If you are in an area where there are a lot of people such as restaurants, bars, schools, concerts, museums, etc. try to keep your phone on your person where it is not easily taken by strangers. Do not leave it on a table in front of you, especially in a busy location. Even if you are right there, it can be easily snatched from the table fast enough that you have no time to react.

Be sure to take your cell phone with you when you leave your parked car. Theft of phones is common from parked cars, happening frequently in the county.


If your smartphone is stolen, report it to 911. Information that would be helpful to police to recover it includes:

• A picture of the phone.
• The phone’s serial number.
• Location of the phone using a Find My Phone app or similar technology.

Ask your cell phone salesman, cell phone manufacturer, or cell phone service provider how you can use a find my phone capability, and how you can wipe out information located on your phone.

SNOHOMISH- Thieves Stealing RV Batteries

According to King 5 TV news, there have been several thefts of deep cycle batteries from travel trailers in the 900 block of 19^th Street and an attempted theft in the 1000 block early last week.

The theft of the batteries allow the thieves to get easy cash; from $5 to $45 for each battery core, according to Snohomish Police Chief John Flood.

RV’s, including travel trailers, 5^th wheels and motorhomes, can be targets for thieves especially if they are stored in isolated parts of your property or in a storage yard. When your RV is not in use and in storage, be sure to take the batteries from your RV to a secure place.

For more information about protecting your RV go to this previous posting on my blog:

http://ssnoccrimewatch.blogspot.com/search?q=RV

 

For more information about the battery thefts in Snohomish, go to:

KING 5 TV News:

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Snohomish-Police-thieves-targeting-RV-batteries-239717841.html

CELL PHONE THEFT- Prevent Theft and Loss

Theft of cell phones can happen to anyone. In many parts of the country cell phone theft appears to be on the rise (see this recent CNET article http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57613184-71/iphones-now-involved-in-14-percent-of-all-nyc-crime/). While cell phone thefts have not had much publicity in the press in the Puget Sound region lately, it can happen here.

It’s wise to take practical measures to protect your cell phone or smart phone from someone grabbing it and running down the street with your contacts and private information. You can do that by protecting your phone and by securing it so that strangers do not have access to your information if you lose it or it is stolen.

To protect your phone, Jessica Dolcourt of CNET makes the following recommendations (http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-6452_7-57612830/keep-your-phone-from-getting-stolen-and-what-to-do-if-it-is/):

1. Put a case on your phone. In addition to protecting it from scratches, a case can mask the distinctive markings of your phone. This way if a potential thief is looking for a “hot” phone and yours is a “hot” phone, he or she won’t be attracted to it.
2. Hold on to your phone firmly in public. When you do have to use you phone walking down the street, hold on to it firmly. Whether you spread your fingers over the phone, or hold onto it with both hands as the author suggests, don’t hold on to your phone lightly. Also, use a Bluetooth device to talk on your smart phone. This way the location of your phone is not obvious to passersby and you can still talk to your friends or associates.
3. Be alert to your surroundings when using your phone. The author calls this “Adopt a paranoid posture.” You don’t have to look paranoid in a way that attracts attention to yourself. But, like you should be anyway, be aware of your surroundings while using your phone. Don’t be so engrossed in your conversation (or your tunes) that you are not looking around, or walking down the street with confidence and purpose. If you are not aware of your surroundings, you look like you are not aware of what is around you and you become a target for a thief.
4. “Embrace the art of misdirection.” If a stranger on the bus asks if your phone is that latest, fanciest model that just came out, tell them no. It’s an old model that isn’t working too well.
5. Keep your phone out of sight and hard to get to. If no one can see your phone, thieves can’t be attracted to it. But even if it is in your pocket, thieves often know the common places where people keep their phones. The best place to store your phone is in an inside pocket of a jacket. Another good place is in an inside pocket of a purse with the clasp closed or the zipper closed. And also, hold the purse close to your body.

If your phone is stolen, report it immediately to your carrier. They can put it on a blacklist to block phone calls and data plan usage. Activate any phone tracking features and phone management features, such as phone wiping. Also, report the theft to the police. They may not be able to recover your phone right away, but they can put together case if they find a thief with your phone and it has been reported stolen.

Prepare for the worst by taking advantage of the security features of your phone.

1. Lock your phone. By doing this you set up a simple passcode that you use to access your phone. This way a stranger cannot get into your phone.
2. Learn how to use the “find my phone” feature of your phone. This way, if you lose it or it is stolen, you can find it on a map.

The following article gives instructions for the security features of each of the major smartphone operating systems (iOS, Android, Windows phone):

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-6452_7-57611425/essential-steps-for-securing-your-phone-and-what-else-can-be-done-to-foil-thieves/