Car Prowls Around Elementary school

Several neighbors living around Laurelhurst Elementary School reported car prowls last week.

One happened on Thursday, January 21, on the west side of the school around 4am.  The car was locked and there was no attempt at breaking in to the car. 

Another neighbor reported one on Tuesday, January 26 at 3:45am in the same general area. The neighbor said: 

I just want to give our neighbors heads up that our car was either unlocked by someone or we left it unlocked (again). We have cameras so we have the individual on camera and can see his face. We only have kids things in the car so I don't think he actually took anything. Lock your doors!. Oh I wasn’t aware of the blog - thanks for sending. We live across from the elementary school.

Other reported car prowls:

• week of 1/18: 2 cars on NE 42nd Street,
• 1/24 4700 block of 46th Avenue NE
• 1/25 auto theft 4700 block of 46th Avenue NE

The SPD website says about car thefts:

You are more likely to be a victim of a vehicle crime than any other crime reported to the Seattle Police Department. An experienced Car Prowler or Thief can gain access to your car in virtually seconds. 

In less than 30 seconds, someone could break into a parked car. Most car prowls themselves take less than two minutes. The damage done to locks and windows can be very expensive to repair and cause great inconvenience.  a car prowl can take less than a minute and can cause thousands of dollars in damage.

Here are SPD's car prowl prevention tips:  

• Don't leave any items in plain view in your vehicle. Even in a secure garage.
• Take all valuables with you when you park.
• Remove or hide anything that a car prowler might mistake as something worth stealing.
• If valuables must be left behind, hide them out of sight several blocks away before parking.
• Disable internal trunk releases per your owner's instruction manual.
• Audible alarms or other theft deterrent devices can be effective.
• When you exit or enter your parked vehicle, stop and take a look around the area.
• Before leaving your parked car, always remove the keys, roll up the windows and lock the car.
• Make a habit of locking your garage door and car doors.
• If possible, store your car in a closed and locked garage.
• If your car is stored in a carport or parked near your house, leave your exterior lights on throughout the night.
• If you park on the street, choose a well-lit, open space even if it means adding additional street/yard lighting & trimming back trees/bushes that block your view of your vehicle.
• If you park your car in a dark or isolated area, consider the City Light Area Lighting Program, which permits additional light fixtures to be placed on existing poles. The cost is less than $5 per month per light. Call (206) 684-3000 for more information.
• Consider replacing the light fixture closest to your car with a motion detector unit. Motion detectors are a good psychological deterrents since the normal assumption of a person seeing a light come on is that someone has seen them. Additionally, the light makes the prowler or thief more visible.

SPD says that if your car is broken into file a report by calling the non-emergency number at 206-625-5011, or file one online.