Update on Break-Ins and Important Info Straight From a Neighborhood Officer

Recently there have been a lot of home and car break-ins. These have been reported mostly in the Wedgood, View Ridge and Bryant neighborhoods, with apparently few in Laurelhurst.

In fact, Wedgwood View Blog put together a map of all the break-ins their readers have told them about.

People have reported seeing very clean white and black vans and also a black SUV pulling up to houses with well-dressed people, sometimes in ties, unloading items from houses covered in white cloth.

Magnolia Voice Blog reported a similar incidident and a subsequent arrest.

Well, some good news, a reader sent us the below email telling us that an officer said that a black van, allegedly used in home burglaries has been found along with evidence and that the people involved are on the police's radar.

Here is the email:

"A police officer was in our neighborhood to let a family know that their stolen car had been found. Officers noticed it as it was parked illegally and after running a check it came up as stolen. I believe he said the driver showed up as well.

Interestingly enough, he said stolen cars usually don't go that far. This one was found just a few miles away after a few weeks.

Also good news - the black van, which has been seen, many times removing items from houses in nearby neigbhorhoods, has finally been found along with evidence in it and the driver and others are on the police's radar.

The officer added that people thought all along it was a white van involved in the burglaries and it was actually a black van and also not a black SUV.

He said the folks doing the occupied burglaries as he called it, which he said happen usually between 10am and 3pm, are from the surrounding communities, supposedly juveniles, who may be selling the stuff on Craig's list not pawn shops. He said they are generally caucasians, and live in nearby neighborhoods.

He said many burglaries happen as doors are left unlocked, same with cars.

Regarding solicitors, the officer said the magazine ones are really only wanting cash and are not involved in burglaries. However solicitors must carry two forms of identification - a business license and I believe he said a sales license.

Also if a house has a "No Soliciting" sign the solicitors are committing a crime if they knock on the door or ring the doorbell.

The officer said the people to be concerned about are ones that knock and say something like "Is Fred here?" He said they act confident with their questions and walk away very calmly. They only knock so they can see if someone is home or not. He said those are the types of suspicious behaviour to immediately call in to the police.

Regarding home and car alarms, the officer said they are not the best defense as the loud sound is not enough to deter a burglar, and he still has time to remove items before anyone shows up.

And he said police don't immediately respond to alarms going off as there are Priority 3, behind Priority 1 and 2 calls  of a much more serious nature.

He said the best defense is making your house visible from the street- low hedges, bushes, etc.

He said Diane Horswill will come out to your home for free to assess your yard and give you tips on how to effectively landscape  your property to deter burglars. He said she is also available to do a talk on safety if a group is interested."


Diane Horswill is Seattle Police Department's Community Crime Prevention Coordinator for the North Precinct - East of I-5.

Here is some interesting info from her site (pretty similar to what the officer also told the reader):

*About 40% of the time burglars do not need to use force to enter homes. This means that people are leaving windows and doors open or unlocked. The average burglary takes a total of five minutes, so develop the habit of making sure your home is secure every time you leave.

*Most burglars look fairly average and “normal” for the neighborhood. Most are young men, from teens to twenties, mostly white (especially in a predominantly white neighborhoods) and are alone or in pairs. The standard method is to knock on the door to see if anyone is home. If you are home it is a good idea to answer the door. Remember, you don’t have to open the door to answer it; you can speak through the door. If the burglar gets no answer, he usually goes around to the side or back to break in. If you notice this behavior do not hesitate to call 911.

*The strongest, heaviest door and locks are usually on front doors, so burglars head for side and back doors that tend to be weaker and are more hidden from view.

*Most burglaries occur during the day or the early evening and most of the small percentage that happen at night are to obviously empty houses or to occupied home that have left a door or window unlocked allowing for silent entry.

*If you have a lot of thick bushes or overgrowth you may be providing hiding places for burglars. Clear out, thin or bottom prune to strike a balance between security and privacy.