Tag Archives: Crime Prevention

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Crime Prevention/Public Safety Meeting Wrap-up

On June 23rd, about 50 of us gathered for a community meeting about crime prevention and public safety in Crown Hill. The speakers were Community Crime Prevention Coordinator Terrie Johnston and Officer Scott McGlashan, Community Police Team Officer for Ballard and Crown Hill.

Terrie Johnston & Scott McGlashan
Terrie Johnston & Scott McGlashan fielding questions in Crown Hill

Terrie briefly went over some of the recent history of  crimes in all of the Ballard (including  Crown Hill). Compared to last year, residential burglaries and car thefts were very slightly down over last year. She said looking at recent breakins, 45 percent were non-forced, meaning entry was gained through an unlocked door or window, or by key. Some residential burglaries were eased by tools already on site such as ladders or garbage cans propped up to reach an open window. Terrie mentioned a recent string of arrests where a number of  criminals suspected of many crimes in the North Seattle area were recently apprehended thanks to alert neighbors and excellent police work by SPD officers and detectives.  Terrie described some of the free services she can provide: 1) residential or business security survey; 2) help with setting up block watches; 3) providing information to neighbors about resolution of calls to police, and lots more.  She said that part of  having a block watch is getting to know your neighbors and that can have many benefits beyond just crime prevention.  Terrie mentioned two upcoming events sponsored by SPD: 1) the North Precinct Picnic on July 9th; and 2) Night Out Seattle on August 2nd. Finally, Terrie’s last day in her position as Crime Prevention Coordinator will be Dec 31st. Her position is being eliminated as part of the budget cuts sweeping through all levels of city government. So act now if you would like to have Terrie conduct a free security survey of  your home or business or help out with setting up a block watch on your block (terrie.johnston@seattle.gov or 206-684-7711).

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4th of July, Bike thefts, etc.

We recently received the following letter from Terrie Johnston with sage advice on fireworks, calling 911 on the 4th, and bicycle thefts. Terrie is the Crime Prevention Coordinator for the North Precinct. She is available to help set up block watches, perform residential and business security audits. Contact her for assistance: 206-684-7711 or terrie.johnston@seattle.gov — her position is only funded through December 31st, so act now!

Dear Block Watch Captains/Contacts: Fireworks:  Wanted to get this information to you before the 4th.  Please remember that fireworks are not legal in the City of Seattle.  The 4th of July is perhaps the busiest day of the year for our 9-1-1 Communications Center.  The Comm. Ctr. becomes overloaded by non-emergency fireworks calls.  So only for July 4th , DO NOT call 9-1-1 unless you have life threatening emergency and need immediate response from Police, Fire or Medics.  You may use our non-emergency line to report Firework violations at 625-5011.

Bicycle Thefts: Since January, 2011 through first week of June, 2011 there have been 97 bikes stolen from the North Precinct neighborhoods.  Our Burglary detectives see stolen bikes being sold within hours of the theft on e-bay; Craigslist; in pawn shops and even on the street (one thief was selling stolen bikes on the Burke Gilman Trail).  The reported dollar loss for these thefts is approximately $80,000.  What can you do to prevent losing your bike and increase the likelihood of getting it back should it be stolen?

SPD Detectives recommend writing down the serial number of your bike and keeping the number in a safe place.  Look for the ser. number on your bike’s head tube, seat post tube, under the crank, or on the frame’s rear wheel mount.  Take a photograph of your bicycle.  If your bike is stolen, call SPD to report the crime and give the call taker that serial number and any other identifying marks for your bicycle.  Try to get a police incident number that you can use for your insurance claim.

Always lock your bike, the whole bike (through the frame and both wheels).  Use more than one kind of lock if possible.  Our detectives report bolt cutters are used to cut through the locking devices.  Not all locks are equal, and you get what you pay for with locks.  If the lock’s manufacturer offers a warranty or insurance, register the lock and get the serial number of it.

Lock your bike to something permanent.  Lock it in a visible spot and someplace nearby.  Lock your bike even if you are parking it on a porch; in the basement, the garage or storage unit.  Storing your bike inside is preferred.

As always, use 9-1-1 to report anything suspicious.

If you want to see crime go down in your neighborhood, don’t buy stolen goods.  If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

I’ve sent out statistics on burglaries and bike thefts in my last two emails.  The numbers seem high.  Remember that the North Precinct comprises 42% of Seattle’s population.  If the North Precinct neighborhood was a City, it would be the second largest City in the State of Washington.  Tacoma and Spokane do not have the population we have here in the North Precinct.  Thanks for sharing this information with your neighbors.

Terrie Johnston
Seattle Police Crime Prevention
206-684-7711

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SPD Nabs 5 Prolific Burglars

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Terrie Johnston, Seattle Police Dept Community Crime Prevention Coordinator reports that there are five fewer burglars in general circulation in the last two weeks. In Crown Hill, and North Seattle in general we have been recently suffered a wave of residential burglaries and even a couple of drive-by shootings. Some of the individuals arrested are suspects in these incidents.

Jeffrey McCaslin, recently featured on Washington’s Most Wanted, was booked into King County Jail on June 1st and is being held. His bail has been set at $190,000. He has been charged with two residential burglaries, and charges are pending in another burglary and for illegal drugs. This individual is suspected in the burglary incident occurring in the 9700 block of 12th Ave NW on April 18th.

The Seattle PI reported that another suspect taken into custody on June 1st is wanted in conjunction with the drive by shooting incident near 85th and 17th on May 18th. The SPD apprehended Joshua Meadows-Mittenen and Michael Christopher Doble in conjunction with a Lake City residential burglary. Mittenen is a felon and serial burglar who is wanted as a suspect in the drive by shooting in the 8300 block of 17th NW on May 18th. A warrant had been issued for Mittenen in this case.

Please remain vigilant, and report suspicious behavior to the SPD.  These arrests were greatly facilitated by citizens calling in with tips and reports of crimes in progress.

The full text of Terrie’s e-mail:

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Events

Crime Prevention & Public Safety Meeting, June 23rd, 2011

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Tired of reading about crime? It’s time to learn what you can do to keep your home, family and community safe. The Crown Hill Neighborhood Association is sponsoring a community meeting for residents and businesses to learn about crime in and around your neighborhood. Find out how to start up a BlockWatch on your block, and if you already have one, learn what you can do to make it more effective.

We’ll have two representatives from the Seattle Police Department here for a short presentation and to answer questions from the community. Terrie Johnston, Crime Prevention Coordinator, will handle questions about preventing crime from happening in the first place, how to set up that BlockWatch, secure your homes, traveling safely, etc.  Terrie is one of  four remaining Crime Prevention Coordinators in the Seattle Police Department.  She is assigned to the North Precinct and is available to support neighborhood block watches, assist with property security audits, and help troubleshoot neighborhood public safety issues.  Scott McGlashan, Community Police Officer can fill us in on what kinds of crime we are seeing in the area, how it relates to Seattle overall, and how to interact with the 911 dispatchers when crimes do occur, how to provide useful information to the police, etc. Scott’s beat covers from NW 110th and 3rd Ave NW, south to the Ship Canal and west to the Sound.

Crown Hill Center
Gymnasium
9250 14th Ave NW
Thursday, June 23rd, 7PM

 

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New Neighborhood Crime Prevention Coordinator for the North Precinct

The Seattle Police Department recently announced they secured grant funding for four neighborhood crime prevention coordinators until the end of 2011. Formerly there were six coordinators.  Neil Hansen who helped many of us set up block watches, gave great tips on securing our property, and was a familiar sight at the Ballard District Council, retired a few months ago. The new coordinator for our area is Terrie Johnston.

According to the city’s Crime Prevention Coordinator’s web site, you can contact Terrie to:

  • Set up a Block Watch meeting for your block.
  • Talk about ongoing crime problems and work to resolve the crime on your block.
  • Set up a “Block Tour” so everyone understands the problems on your block.

Also on that site, are links to other crime prevention information and publications.

Terrie’s contact information:

Terrie Johnston
(206) 684-7711
terrie.johnston@seattle.gov