Quite a few mail and parcel thefts have occurred in Crown Hill, Greenwood, Ballard during the holiday season. The thefts are still ongoing. In a new wrinkle, last week, one of our neighbors reported witnessing his outgoing mail stolen on 12th Ave. Until now the MO usually involved following behind the US Mail, UPS, FedEx trucks and then perpetrating the crime. Theft of outgoing mail can be a means of identity theft and the effect can be more devastating than theft of goods from incoming mail or delivery services. Remember that theft of US Mail is a federal crime and should be reported to both the US Postal Service and the SPD. Please be on the lookout for unusual activity around mailboxes and porches. Consider getting a locking mailbox, and having packages delivered to work or a neighbor’s house who is home during the day. To add to that advice, it’s probably a good idea not to place outgoing mail in your mailbox (even with locking mailboxes, a thief can access the outgoing mail).
Tag Archives: crime
File Police Reports Online Now
The Seattle Police Department recently announced an online reporting system (CORP: Community Online Reporting Program) for certain types of incidents. CORP covers the following incidents: 1) Property destruction; 2) Car Prowls; 3) Auto Accessories; 4) Theft of Property under $500; 5) Identity Theft. All other crimes should be reported, either by calling 911 or the SPD non-emergency line 206-625-5011. To use CORP, bookmark this page or click on “File a police report” on SPD’s main site.
This program allows members of the public to file police reports without having to wait for an officer to respond or call back. All reports will be reviewed by police, and when approved, the filer will be e-mailed a copy of the final report. According to the SPD Blotter article, “The report will transfer directly into the Seattle Police Department records management system and receive the same investigation and statistical analysis as if the report had been filed by an officer.”
911 should still be used for crimes in progress, or if the suspect is still there, or the caller or others are in danger. The CORP system is not for emergencies.
Crime Mapping Tool Now Available
The Seattle Police Department recently announced their new publicly available crime mapping tool. The crime maps coordinate with the police reports available online (registration and sign-in required). The map is zoomable, positionable, and can be searched by address or neighborhood. Each type of crime is indicated by a different icon. “Rolling” the mouse cursor provides a handy way to decode the heiroglyphs, plus a rough address, and a link (if available) to the police report on the incident.
Crimes will be marked on the map within 12 hours of occurrence and will either link to a redacted police report or a “GO” (General Offense) number. The police reports may lag several days behind the appearance of the icon on the map.
After playing with it for a few minutes, I am struck by how little crime is present in Crown Hill (and Ballard) compared with parts of Seattle South of here.
Stranger Danger in Our Midst
We received a forwarded e-mail today (Wednesday, April 21st) from a North Beach parent and an e-mail forwarded from Small Faces as well. This is published here to let everyone know and so we can be alert for this particular individual. A good opportunity to speak with your children about the danger of speaking with strangers. Please call 911 immediately if you spot the individual.
View Stranger Sighted April 2010 in a larger map
The North Beach e-mail:
IMPORTANT:Â We have had two incidents of stranger danger the past few weeks so we need you to be informed and talk to your children about stranger danger protocols.
Last week, one of our student’s grandmothers was walking up on 24th and saw a man urinating in the bushes at the bottom of the north stairs by the portables. Today we had a man coming up the stairs as a child was returning from the bathroom. As soon as he saw her, he ran. One of the 5th grade teachers and I searched the area, and our district security officer followed up by casing the area in both instances. We could not find anyone by the description given to us.
Staff has been alerted to the stranger, I have requested that Safety and Security look at installing a gate, and we will talk with students regarding stranger danger.  We are requiring all children from the portables go to bathroom in pairs. We are on high alert and will take all precautions necessary.
The Small Faces e-mail:
Stabbing on Holman Road, Nov 22, 2009
According to a number of media sources there was a stabbing approximately 7 PM, Sunday evening. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries. The incident occurred near Holman Road and 90th, although the emergency response address was listed as Holman Road and Mary Ave.
Here are some links with more detail about the incident:
According to at least one of the articles above, the injured woman did not know her assailant. Please be cautious of and attentive to your surroundings. Do not display fancy electronic gear (phones, ipods, gps units, etc). Immediately call 911 to report suspicious activity when you see it.
Updated December 3rd:
Police are looking for a white male 5′ 8″ tall, approximately 300 lbs, short hair, small tattoo on his left thumb.