Terrie reported burglary rates have decreased or stabilized in much of the city’s North Precinct, although there are still increased numbers of residential burglaries in some northeast neighborhoods.

Residential burglaries, she said, have been primarily occurring during the hours of 6 a.m. to about 6 p.m.

Terrie provided these details:

Knocking on doors to see if anyone is at home is still a common method used by thieves.

In some cases, there is a female driver who serves as chauffeur and lookout, for her male accomplices.  The lookout has been seen texting the thieves about watchful neighbors, etc.

Kicking in doors, or door jambs is prevalent. We recommend all exterior doors be solid core doors, (or metal) and are a minimum of 1 ¾” thick. For maximum security, all exterior doors should be equipped with a deadbolt lock and reinforced strike plates, using 3” screws which will go into the framework. Locks within 40 inches of glass are vulnerable.

“Watchful neighbors remain your best alarm,” Terrie added, saying that nine out of ten burglars are arrested as a result of 9-1-1 calls from neighbors who heard or saw something suspicious.

I think I speak for the entire Community Police Team when I tell you that every day in our e-mail inbox, or on our telephone’s voicemail inbox, we find messages from the community that say something like this, “I wanted to let you know that I just saw something suspicious……….but I didn’t think this merited a 9-1-1 call”. 

Almost always the information is detailed, with good descriptions and refers to something that may or may not have been criminal, but certainly seemed odd. And almost always it is too late for SPD to do anything with that information.   

I am now hoping to encourage you to trust that gut feeling of yours. If you get the sense that something weird is happening, even if it isn’t an emergency, please call 9-1-1 and simply state what you are reporting. The call taker will decide whether your call should be transferred off the primary line onto a secondary line. You don’t know what you prevent by getting a patrol cruiser coming into your neighborhood.

In November, Mayor McGinn and the Seattle City Council extended funding for the city’s three Crime Prevention Coordinators for another year.

“This means I will continue serving the North Precinct’s neighborhoods with establishing and maintenance of Block Watches and conducting free security surveys for both commercial spaces and residents,” Terrie said. “I am available for personal safety trainings; workplace violence prevention, etc.”

For more information about crime prevention or about any of the services she provides, contact Terrie Johnston at (206) 684-7711.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2012.

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Post tags: crime, safety

“I am wondering if anyone saw anything suspicious,” Evelyn says. “Nothing of value was inside the vehicle, thankfully, but I greatly miss my car. It really upsets me someone would do this.”

Evelyn also sent the following thoughts:

I’m sure many neighborhood streets have this problem, so I’d advise others to make sure their car is in a spot that isn’t too dark.

There are many apartments on this street too, and not enough parking spots in their garages, so many are forced to park on the streets. I wish there was better lighting to provide security for those who are forced to park on the street.

I really hope this serves as a reminder to others that car theft is a real possibility in this area!

Evelyn has filed a police report. If you know anything about what happened to her car, please contact the Seattle Police Department’s North Precinct at (206) 684-0850.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2012.

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Post tags: crime

We had hoped to run this article with a companion piece that offered a different take on the subject of geographic restrictions on sex offenders. However, although we reached out to several individuals and posted a public request on facebook, we have not been able to find an author for such a piece. 

Please drop us a line at tips [at] mygreenlake.com if you would like to write a ~1,000-word counter-argument to this article, and, as always, please feel free to sound off with your thoughts in the comments. -Amy Duncan

UPDATE, Tuesday Dec. 6: Following our request for a companion piece to Erin’s article, we received a submission from Tonia Maloney, which we have posted below Erin’s article. Thanks, Tonia!

By Erin Longmoon

Sex Offender X has just moved into your neighborhood.  You soon learn that his previous crime, for which he served his time, was molesting a child under the age of twelve.  This piques your interest enough to look at a map of his general location and soon see that he lives only a block or two from a local elementary school, within one to five blocks from a few daycares and only three blocks from a local public playground.

How do you feel about that?

This is exactly what is happening in the state of Washington.  And Sex Offender X mentioned above is a Green Lake resident.

As a parent I am concerned.

I am not convinced this sex offender, or any convicted sex offender, will offend again.  But does it seem wise to allow this man to live so close to areas where children convene in large groups?

Some statistics, via OffenderWatch and the Notification is Prevention Foundation:

More than half of rape/sexual assault incidents happened within a mile of the victim’s home.

80% of households have at least one offender living within one mile from their home (there are 6 living within .5 miles of my house, and 14 within 1 mile).

5% of offenders re-offend within three years.  The data for longer periods is contradicting, but all say that sex offenders are more likely to get convicted of another sex crime as time goes on.  Which does not even include those that do not get caught.  (In one study the numbers are 14% within 5 years, 20% within 10 years, and 24% within 15 years – this covers all types of sex crimes.  Data for child molesters specifically is sited here).

In the state of Washington, a convicted sex offender can live where he or she chooses once they have served their probation time, usually 2-5 years.  But is that adequate when it appears offenders are more likely to reoffend as time goes on – well beyond the 2-5 year probation period?  Plus, as a part of new budget cuts, Governor Gregoire is proposing that the probation period be set at 2 years for all sex offenders, no matter how heinous the crime.

This does not ease my concerns.

To me, it seems like allowing convicted child molesters to live so close to schools, parks, and day care centers is akin to allowing a recovering drug addict to live with his or her old dealer.  Does this seem like a bad idea?  Is there a way to create some stricter restrictions?  I do not want to see sex offenders become homeless; I do not want them to be harassed or assumed guilty.  But I also don’t want to tempt fate, so to speak – not when it is our children who are at stake.

We, as parents, are constantly doing what we are told to protect our children from hazards and danger.  Even while pregnant, we do things to protect our unborn child. For instance, we steer clear of deli meat in fear we will contract listeria.  There are approximately 480 cases of listeriosis in pregnant women annually in the United States.  According to The National Center for Victims of Crime, approximately 90,000 incidents of child sexual abuse are reported each year, and that does not include all the unreported sex crimes.  So that means your child has a minimum of 187.5 times greater chance of getting sexually assaulted than getting listeria while in utero.  And yet, many pregnant women steer clear of deli meat like it was a poison and sure to kill their baby.  Maybe your thing was to not eat sushi, unpasteurized cheeses, or whatever the flavor of the year was while you were pregnant.  Or what about drop-side cribs that have been banned recently?  Or how we can apparently damage our children if we let them watch television before the age of 2 years?  The list is endless and many of us, as parents, abide by these “rules” and “recommendations.” With this logic, doesn’t it make sense that we should have stricter regulations about where a sex offender can live in our state?

The opposing argument is a strong one: offenders have served their time, they deserve all rights and freedoms as all citizens, approximately 75% do not go on to reoffend, most victims know their offenders, etc, etc.  All this is true.  It is also true that offenders are more likely to reoffend if harassed.  I am not advocating for harassment, isolation, intimidation, or threatening.  I am advocating for stricter long-term geographic restrictions on Level 2 and Level 3 sex offenders, whose victims are children.  Since it is more likely an offender will offend many years after being released from prison, it only makes sense that they be geographically restricted for many years as well.

The following is standard advice from law enforcement, “The single most effective means of protecting your child is communication with your child. They have to feel comfortable discussing sensitive matters with you. Teach your children that they should not be asked to touch anyone in the bathing suit areas of their body or allow anyone to touch them in those areas. Teach them types of situations to avoid. It is not good enough to tell a child to avoid strangers. Please remember that children are most often molested by someone they or their parents know.”

Seems like a good idea, but children do not easily talk about issues of which they are afraid.  It is not this simple.  According to the National Violence Against Women Prevention Research Center, one in four women and one in seven men report some form of childhood sexual abuse.  Those numbers are staggering, and far exceed the numbers reported by law enforcement. In one study it is estimated that unreported cases account for as much as 88% of all cases of sexual abuse.  To say this another way, this means that the 90,000 cases that are reported each year are only 12% of all yearly incidents of child sexual abuse.  Distressing.

I think it is safe to say that we all know child sexual abuse is a concern.  It is probably also safe to say that parents want to protect their children from such irreparable harm.  So does it possibly make sense that one of the ways in which we can do this is to have stricter geographic laws regarding where convicted Level 2 and Level 3 sex offenders can live?  To allow them to live across the street from schools and parks just seems a little too close for comfort.  To learn more, or to get involved, go to www.wcsap.org. You can search for offenders in your area here.

UPDATE: The following response to the above comes to us from Tonia Maloney, President of Illinois Voices for Reform:

As a parent you would think having access to the sex offender registry would be a good thing. Who wouldn’t want to know where these terrible people live so we could protect our children? I mean we are talking about child molesters, right? Everyone on the registry has violated a young person and should be tracked for the rest of their lives, right? They should be kept away from children, schools, day care centers, and everywhere else a child might be present, right?

WRONG!

Here are the facts – not made up facts, true statistics that can be backed up with resources.

First, not all those on the registry have hurt a child. In fact, many have committed non-violent, no-contact crimes (such as “viewing” photos). Many are teenagers who were involved in consensual relationships but because of a 2-, 3-, or even 4-year age difference are labeled as sex offenders (with offenses ranging from rape to criminal sexual assault, depending on the state).

Second, it is a fact that in 93% of child sexual abuse cases, the child knows the person who commits the abuse. Only 7% are strangers and as many as 47% are family or someone known to the family (National Sex Offender Public Website, US Department of Justice).

Third, it is a fact that 95% of new sex offenses are committed by someone NOT already on a sex offender registry (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2006). In 2007, the Minnesota Department of Corrections released a report that tracked the recidivism of 224 sex offenders. Of the 224 offenders, 3.2% were re-imprisoned for another sex crime. In 2009, the Indiana Department of Corrections found that the recidivism rate for sex offenders returning on a new sex offense was 1.05%. Also in 2009, the Justice Research and Statistics Association released the following information: Three year recidivism rates by state: Alaska 3.4%, Arizona 2.3%, Delaware 3.8%, Illinois 2.4%, Iowa 3.9%, New Mexico 1.8%, South Carolina 4.0%, and Utah 9.0% (JRSA.org).

Moving on . . .

According to the a report titled “Sex Offender Sentencing in Washington State: Recidivism Rates,” sex offense recidivism was 2.7%; among child victim offenders, 2.3%; and among rapists, 3.9% (Washington State Institute for Public Policy).

Studies conducted by the Minnesota Department of Corrections and the Colorado Department of Public Safety have not shown any correlation between sex offender recidivism and living near schools or parks. In a 16-year period, not one sex offender released from a MN correctional facility had been re-incarcerated for a sex offense in which contact was made with a juvenile victim near a school, park, or daycare center close to his home. On the contrary, there is ample scientific evidence that shows residency laws do interfere with the reintegration of sex offenders into society.

“We’ve taken stable people who have committed a sex crime and cast them out of their homes, away from their jobs, away from treatment, and away from public transportation. It’s just absolutely absurd what these laws have done, and the communities are at greater risk because of it” (Unnamed Iowa Law Enforcement Official).

“Residence restrictions don’t contribute to public safety. In fact, the consensus of experts in the field of sex offender management supported by available research and experience indicates they do just the opposite. They destabilize offenders, punish their families, and thwart law enforcement efforts to effectively supervise sex offenders, make offender registries less reliable, and mislead communities into believing they’ve discovered a magic bullet for protecting their children” (Secretary Roger Werholtz, Kansas Department of Corrections).

“Jessica’s Law sounds good and is well-intentioned, but it is not supported by research and is severely misguided in its attempt to protect children from sexual abuse. . . Research has shown that sex offenders in a stable environment (with stable housing, jobs, and social support) are less likely to commit new sex offenses. Residency requirements drastically reduce this stability” (Statement from the Child Molestation Research & Prevention Institute Website).

“Because residency restrictions have been shown to be ineffective at preventing harm to children, and may indeed actually increase the risks to kids, the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center does not support residency restriction laws. Such laws can give a false sense of security while sapping resources that could produce better results used elsewhere” (The Jacob Wetterling Resource Center).

“Residency restrictions do not effectively reduce recidivism. It perpetuates dangerous myths about who sex offenders are and they may in some cases actually increase the likelihood that an offender will commit another sexual offense” (Testimony from Anna Doroghazi, Director of Public Policy and Communication, Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services).

“Research shows that there is no correlation between residency restrictions and reducing sex offenses against children or improving the safety of children. Research does not support the belief that children are more likely to be victimized by strangers at the covered locations than at other places. Residency restrictions were intended to reduce sex crimes against children by strangers who seek access to children at the covered locations. Those crimes are tragic, but very rare. In fact, 80 to 90% of sex crimes against children are committed by a relative or acquaintance who has some prior relationship with the child and access to the child that is not impeded by residency restrictions. Only parents and caretakers can effectively impede that kind of access. Law enforcement has observed that the residency restriction is causing offenders to become homeless, to change residences without notifying authorities of their new locations, to register false addresses, or to simply disappear. If they do not register, law enforcement and the public do not know where they are living. The resulting damage to the reliability of the sex offender registry does not serve the interests of public safety. There is no demonstrated protective effect of the residency requirement that justifies the huge draining of scarce law enforcement resources in the effort to enforce the restriction. The categories of crimes included in the restriction are too broad, imposing the restriction on many offenders who present no known risk to children in the covered locations” (Iowa County Attorneys Association, Statement on Sex Offender Residency Restrictions).

“The system is broken. It’s overwhelmed and I think the public is starting to realize that. . .You can’t paint sex offenders with a broad brush” (John Walsh, father of Adam Walsh).

Is that enough factual information to dispute the myths that all sex offenders will re-offend and that having them live near a school, day care, etc. will automatically lead to recidivism? If it’s not enough to convince you, email me, I have more information than you can imagine.

- Tonia Maloney

Would you like to share your opinion about an issue relating to the Green Lake neighborhood? Please send us a note at tips [at] mygreenlake.com.

© for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: crime, kids, opinion

“On Thursday, November 3 I spotted a person peering into our basement windows,” the resident wrote in our anonymous tips form. “We had to go to eastern Washington later that evening and when we returned [on Saturday night, November 5, 2011] our basement door knob was nearly falling off. No entry was made but the attempt was clear.”

For information about crime prevention or to schedule a free home security assessment, contact Seattle Police Department Crime Prevention Coordinator Terrie Johnston at (206) 684-7711.

Update, Tuesday, 9:45 p.m.

Another Green Lake resident reports that there was a break-in on Monday, October 31, 2011 at a house on 4th Ave NE, behind the Green Lake Library. According to the reader, a house alarm scared off the burglar(s).

Seattle Police Department reports confirm that an attempted burglary took place that evening at residence in the 7300 block of 4th Ave NE.

Police reports also show that there was a burglary at an unoccupied residence in the same block of 4th Ave NE in the early morning hours of Tuesday, November 1.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: crime

Ariane reports that a staff member at Chocolati said that a man was apprehended by police after he ran into the cafe, grabbed some cream and sugar, and then ran out.

I called Chocolati owner Christian Wong to confirm the incident, but his voicemail indicates that he is unavailable for several days. Police reports do indicate that SPD officers were dispatched last night to E Green Lake Dr N at Stroud Ave N for a “mental complaint” call.

A resident of N 76th St, on the west side of Green Lake, says that the street has been experiencing a recent rash of car prowls.

On the evening of Monday, September 26, the window of a pickup truck parked in the 1100 block of N 76th St was smashed in. However, the vehicle was empty and nothing was stolen. Police reports confirm the incident, as well as another car prowl on the block the next day.

Last night, according to the resident, three cars on N 76th St were prowled. Police reports are not yet available for confirmation.

Paul Rich, a block captain on N 54th St, says that a home was burglarized on Tuesday, September 27 on the 2300 block of N 56th St, in Tangletown.

“The house was burglarized in the middle of a weekday,” Paul reported on a Google group for residents of the 1600 block of N 54th St.

“The husband and wife both work from home part time and the items taken included much of the wife’s wardrobe which was expensive designer clothing,” Paul wrote. “This indicates that the house (and almost certainly the neighborhood) was being watched closely and the perpetrators were professional. They got in and out in under an hour. In fact, it was a day that the wife was working from home and had left to go to run an errand.”

Police reports confirm the incident, as well as a burglary the same day at an unoccupied residence which is also on the 1600 block of N 54th St.

Do you have Green Lake crime notes to share? Please drop us a line via our tips form.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: crime, local businesses

Nancy Johnson, who lives near Aurora Ave N & N 68th St, wrote to tell us about an attempted burglary that took place at her home on Thursday morning (October 13, 2011):

I was home and heard strange noises coming from the basement, went down there and didn’t see anything amiss, then saw a man walking through my backyard and out the gate heading south in the alley. I thought that he must have been a meter reader…. but he was dressed in a long black coat, black gloves and a black wool beanie type hat. Medium build about 6′ tall, I couldn’t tell what race he was.

This morning [Saturday] I found a broken window next to the basement door and I realized that the sounds I heard were probably from the door being pushed and the window being broken.

If you have any information about this incident, please contact the Seattle Police Department’s North Precinct at (206) 684-0850 and reference police report #11-337968.

For information about crime prevention or to schedule a free home security assessment, contact Seattle Police Department Crime Prevention Coordinator Terrie Johnston at (206) 684-7711.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: aurora, crime

“It was all hidden under my things, so it wasn’t visible, so I am assuming someone saw me hiding it, and saw the golden theft opportunity,” Mallory wrote to us earlier today.

“Almost everything is replaceable, except for the data on my externals and laptop,” she said. “I am a photographer, and there were some images that I had not backed up at home yet. I am also submitting an application for a Fulbright Scholarship that is due on Monday, the 17th, and all of my written drafts were on the computer.”

Mallory can be reached at m@mallorymacdonald.com.

She sent us this poster, which she plans to post around the neighborhood:

Update, 7:10 p.m. Mallory sent us this good news: “Someone just called, and found one purse and one phone!!!”

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: crime

photo credit: stevevoght

Washington CeaseFire is holding a Day of Remembrance and Daffodil Planting Work Party on Sunday (October 9, 2011), 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m., at Green Lake Park.

Seattle City Attorney Peter Holmes will speak at the ceremony, which will take place near the Green Lake wading pool (Wallingford Ave N & E Green Lake Dr N).  Volunteers will then plant daffodils at the park. The flowers are being planted in memory of Washington State victims of firearm violence.

The event will take place on the ten-year anniversary of the fatal shooting of Thomas C. Wales, assistant U.S. attorney and CeaseFire board president. His killer has never been found.

For more information about the event, email washingtonceasefire19 [at] gmail.com.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: crime, memorial

Lisa wrote to say that she was eating dinner at the Greenlake Bar & Grill (7200 E Green Lake Drive N) when she witnessed a man steal a cell phone.

Lisa saw the man, who was wearing a hoodie that was covering his hair and some of his face, pacing in front of the restaurant’s sidewalk seating before he snatched a woman’s phone off of her table and ran down the street, leaving the woman screaming.

Glen, who was also at the restaurant last night, reported that several customers and an employee from the restaurant ran after the thief, but they did not catch the man before he got into a waiting car and was driven away.

“It would probably be a good idea to remind people to be cautious about leaving their valuables out and to be cautious when people seem suspicious,” Lisa said. “This guy was casing the outside tables and pacing around. So if you’re eating outside, it’s a great idea to watch your stuff.”

Lisa also reported that her husband’s car tires were slashed last night while the vehicle was parked in a lot near 5th Ave NE & NE 72nd St.

“We called AAA and when the tow truck came to change the tire they said they had at least six other calls from people who had flat tires because their tires had been slashed overnight,” Lisa said.

A third reader, who asked to remain anonymous, wrote to say that his north Green Lake home was burglarized last night. His Xbox 360, MacBook Pro and other valuable items were stolen.

“We were in and out a lot due to the nice weather. I’m pretty sure my roommate or I left the back door unlocked, as there was no sign of forced entry, so it’s our fault,” the man said, adding that others should learn from his mistake. ”People should double-check their doors and windows. It’s a really uneasy feeling to know that someone was in my house, and especially in my bedroom, rummaging around my personal belongings.”

The police officer who responded to the scene reportedly told the residents of the home that “a number of other houses” were broken into last night.

For information about crime prevention or to schedule a free home security assessment, contact Seattle Police Department Crime Prevention Coordinator Terrie Johnston at (206) 684-7711.

And, if you have any information about any of the above crimes, please contact the Seattle Police Department’s North Precinct at (206) 684-0850.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: crime, local businesses

Jeff, who lives just south of Green Lake Park, wrote about an incident that happened in the area surrounding at Ashworth Ave N & N 57th St.

Yesterday afternoon (Tuesday, September 6, 2011) at around 4 p.m., a neighbor of Jeff’s found two women trying to pry open her back door.

“Before [the resident] realized what they were up to they told her they were looking for a friend’s basement apartment in the neighborhood,” Jeff recounts.

“After they left, she saw the damage to her door and called the cops. Shortly thereafter she saw a couple of guys drive by in a small beige pick-up who seemed to be scanning the neighborhood. She figures they move in and grab the goods after their girlfriends get the house opened for them.”

The women had a pit bull with them and were described as being approximately 30-years-old and blonde.

A check of Seattle Police Department reports confirms that a report of a residential burglary in the 5700 block of Ashworth Ave N was filed last night at 5:54 p.m.

We also received a note from a different resident about some thefts and suspicious activity in the northwest part of the neighborhood, specifically the area around Winona Ave N & N 76th St.

The resident reports that a bike and a ladder were stolen from two different homes on N 76th St last week, and there was reportedly an attempted car theft in the area on Friday night (September 2, 2011).

A “suspicious person” report was filed just after 1 a.m. on Saturday morning by Seattle Police, listing an address in the 1100 block of N 76th St, just west of Winona Ave N.

Update, Sept. 11, 2011 – The solen bike has been found, thanks to an observant My Green Lake reader.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: crime