This morning, the owners of Targy’s Tavern at 600 Crockett St, were notified by their alarm company of a break-in at 7:15am – just 15 minutes after the owner left the building.

According to witnesses, 2 men in a green 2 door car are the key suspects, and may have been seen at Kerry Park earlier. One suspect broke a window with a brick, entered the building and opened the front door. The two suspects then began to load liquor into the car, even breaking some bottles on the street in their haste.

Before they left the scene, the burglars turned on one of the beer taps, which could have done much more damage if the alarm company hadn’t been so quick with its notification.

Targy’s owner Dave says the mess is now cleaned up, and to put a fun spin on a nearly-ruined Father’s Day, Targy’s has placed the brick in its trophy case and will be serving the “Brick Toss” – a mix of vodka, cranberry juice, and orange juice.

Stop by Targy’s today or anytime this week to give the Brick Toss a try and check out the trophy brick mememto!

And remember: call 911 if you see suspicious activity or persons.

We’ve had several readers write us about some shady door-to-door magazine salespeople in the past 2 weeks, and my own block has been the victim of a suspicious person claiming to sell magazines. Since I live on the block, I can attest that the latter report was verified by a slew of neighbors, one witnessing the solicitor walking up a driveway in between houses (she called 911, which is the correct thing to do).

Reports of illegal solicitors to SPD have gone up in both Queen Anne and Magnolia recently, as it’s just that time of year. Francisco Tello, SPD Crime Prevention Program Coordinator East and West Precinct, sent the following information, and noted that there are no licensed door to door magazine sales in the City of Seattle.

Here are the tips from SPD:

This is the peak time of year for door-to-door sales, including those using traveling sales crews.  There are many legitimate companies in this industry with professionally trained salespeople, selling between the hours of 8:00am and 9:00pm, and a long history of law-abiding customer service.  There are, however, less reputable companies in this business willing to take advantage of unsuspecting individuals who trust people knocking at their door.  Sometimes residents forget to practice good personal safety.

Seattle Police officers respond to calls from citizens concerned about door-to-door salespeople.  The results have ranged from the officers checking identification and sending the seller to the City of Seattle Revenue & Consumer Affairs office for their business license, to arrests of individuals posing as residential sellers, but wanted on warrants. There have also been arrests for aggressive behavior, threats made against the resident, burglaries, and assaults.

Homeowners may consider posting a sign indicating “No agents,” “No peddlers,” or “No Solicitors.”  In Seattle, it is unlawful for any residential seller to attempt to gain admittance for the purpose of selling at any residence displaying one of these signs.

With these facts in mind, what should you do when a person knocks at your door?

BEFORE OPENING YOUR DOOR: LOOK FOR PROPER IDENTIFICATION.  Acknowledge the knock since ignoring it may lead to an attempted burglary.  It is preferable to speak to strangers through your door.  In Seattle, all door-to-door sellers must display the residential sales identification which includes the seller’s photograph on their outer clothing.  The residential sales agent’s license has the name of the licensee as well as the agent.  It shall be endorsed with the type of product or service being sold. The license is only valid for the product or service specified.  If you have any questions about whether a company is properly licensed, call the City of Seattle’s Office of Revenue & Consumer Affairs at 206-684-8136.

DISCLOSURE REQUIRED:  Each residential seller shall, immediately upon contacting the prospective buyer, disclose their name, company and the product or service represented.  If requested to do so, they shall leave the premises immediately.  If the individual does not leave, or if an attempt to gain access is made by asking to use the bathroom, the phone or get a drink of water, refuse the request and ask the individual to leave.  If you feel intimidated, pressured, or threatened at any time, call 911.

USE GOOD JUDGEMENT: It is safer not to allow the salesperson into your home.  You are encouraged to avoid paying immediately.  Do not give the salesperson cash or a check, as it may be pocketed and you will never receive the product ordered.  Instead, find out from the seller how you can order directly from the company or receive the bill upon receipt of the product/service.  If the salesperson is concerned about losing their commission for the sale, offer to provide their name when placing your order.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: In Seattle, if you make a purchase, the salesperson must tell you of your right to cancel the order and the contract must include a statement regarding the right to cancel.  For each sale of ten dollars or more, the seller must provide a receipt or contract to the purchaser.  Do not leave any blanks on your contract.  Be sure the contract or receipt is dated and that it states the terms of the transaction, the amount of payment made and the name and address of the residential seller.  It must also include a notice informing the buyer of their right to cancel the order any time prior to midnight of the third business day after the date of the transaction.  A completed Notice of Cancellation (in duplicate) must be provided to the purchaser at the time they purchase from the seller.  You do not need to provide a reason for canceling your order.

DO NOT GIVE IN TO HIGH PRESSURE TACTICS:  Never be afraid to say “NO!”  If a salesperson in your home tries to pressure you into buying their product, terminate your conversation with them.  Take the time to contact the company directly if you still have interest in the product or service.  Avoid making an immediate purchase in order to receive a “free gift.”  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

When should you call 911? If an unlicensed sales person shows up at your residence, call 911 and report it.  Calling as soon as possible with a good description,  direction the suspicious person is traveling, and address will all help officers locate the suspect(s).

And, as a general reminder, it’s not just the non-licensed solicitors that are targeting our neighborhood. Car prowls and break-ins are still occurring with too-regular frequency. For any suspicious activities or people, SPD advises calling 911 as soon as possible.

Here are the key items of information that help SPD when you call 911:

• Good description of the person
• Location – street name, number or hundred block, or address
• Direction of travel
• Identifying features and/or items: race, gender, height, weight, age, clothing, and any distinguishing features. Are they carrying a backpack? What color is it?

Remember to report all crimes and suspicious activity to SPD by calling 911 or the non-emergency number (206.625.5011).

From SPD – this incident occurred this morning, Monday, June 3rd, near Coe Elementary. Please call 911 if you see the suspect or have more information. And, remember to report all crimes to 911 as soon as possible.

Photo courtesy of SPD Blotter

According to the SPD Blotter, a 35-year old man was arrested today after leading SPD officers on a car chase through Queen Anne – traveling via a stolen SPD patrol car.

The incident began just after noon today when SPD received a report of the suspect attacking another man on a Metro bus near Aurora and Denny Way. He fled south through the Battery Street tunnel, where two SPD patrol officers intercepted him. He then attacked a female officer and escaped in an SPD patrol car.

Photo courtesy of Jim Leach

Officers pursued the suspect up Queen Anne to W Olympic Place and 8th Ave W, with the chase ending when the suspect crashed the stolen SPD patrol car into a retaining wall.

According to Queen Anne resident Jim Leach, “it appear[ed] to me when the perp passed the Kinnear Park swing set, he saw two Police cars coming toward him on the arterial and he made a late decision to drive up 8th West, but he entered the corner way to hot.”

Post-crash, officers took the suspect (who appeared to be “very intoxicated”) into custody. Since he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, he suffered cuts to his hands and face. He was transported to Harborview for treatment.

The Blotter reports that SPD in investigating the suspect’s possible involvement in a hit-and-run on his chase route, as well as further details around the day’s events.

A brazen attempt at bike theft happened at 6:45am Tuesday morning, April 16th, on Dexter Ave N, just underneath the Aurora Bridge. According to the police report, the approximate location is the 2500 block of Dexter Ave N.

A woman cyclist was traveling north on Dexter when she was attacked by a man who punched her, leaving her with a black eye and bruised mouth. The attacker was trying to steal her bike (which she was riding) and she fought back, leaving him running for the bus – and unfortunately getting away on it.

According to the Cascade Bicycle Blog:

The man escaped on the 28 Metro bus. He was described by the victim as a black male in his late twenties or early thirties, about 5’8” with a thin build, short hair, and clean shaven. He was wearing a leopard design hoody, dark jacket and sport glasses. An excellent description, and while this attacker fled the scene, this type of detail is exactly what SPD and citizens alike need when crimes occur.

If you have any information, please contact Seattle Police Officer Parnell at 206.684-8917.

According the the SPD Blotter, after responding to two early morning Queen Anne burglaries today, SPD arrested a 28 year-old male suspect… his third arrest in the past 6 days. In addition to his Queen Anne burglaries, he was also arrested and booked into King Count Jail for criminal trespassing on March 6th and on March 7th – two days in a row. Obviously, he was out and about this morning, and targeting our neighborhood.

From the Blotter:

At approximately 4:46 a.m. officers responded to an apartment complex in the 1300 block of 2nd Avenue West for the report of an occupied burglary.  Preliminary investigation indicates that the suspect gained entry into the female victim’s apartment through an unlocked door.  The victim woke up due to some noise coming from her living room.  When she came out of her bedroom to investigate she found an unknown adult male suspect standing in her living room talking.  The victim pushed the suspect out the front door and called 911.  The suspect was gone upon the officers’ arrival on scene.

However, the officers were determined to catch the suspect and stayed in the area.  They were within seconds of the location of a subsequent 911 call of a suspicious prowler.

At approximately 6:23 a.m. a homeowner called 911 to report a suspicious male suspect trespassing in peoples’ yards and looking into windows in the area of the 1400 block of 1st Avenue North.  Responding officers conducted an area search for the suspect and located him on a third floor balcony in the 1400 block of 1st Avenue North.  The suspect was taken into custody without further incident.  The victims responded to the arrest location and positively identified the suspect.

Note the second call was for suspicious activity – thanks to a resident reporting someone trespassing and looking into windows, SPD was able to respond and get a positive identification. A good reminders to call 911 if you see or hear suspicious activity or a suspicious person or persons. SDP also reminds residents to lock doors and windows, especially at night and when you leave your home, and to keep doors and windows well-lit.

UPDATE: Suspect is now in custody, per SPD.

From our sister site, My Ballard – posted today, March 8th, 2013

Police are searching for a woman suspected of shooting a man inside a Seattle Parks and Recreation Department maintenance building on 82nd St. and Densmore Ave., just north of Green Lake. Police said she may have the keys to all of the city’s community centers, and Seattle Parks is closing all of its facilities and canceling scheduled programming for the night.

Seattle Police released this photo of the suspect, identified as 47-year-old Carolyn Piksa. Officers said she was wearing a blue stocking cap and a beige or green jacket. She may be driving a dark-colored SUV. If you see her, you’re asked to call 911 immediately.

The victim is in critical condition, and Seattle Parks says his name is Bill Keller, the executive director of the Associated Recreation Council. ARC is a non-profit that runs the city’s community centers, reports the Seattle Times.

Shortly after the shooting this afternoon, police launched an extensive search at the Bitter Lake Community Center near N. 130th and Densmore Ave N.

Some days you just get news that makes your heart sink. The Seattle Church of Christ at 2555 8th Ave W has been the victim of theft – and it’s pretty brazen. Someone stole the antique metalwork off a set of exterior doors on the church – that’s right, they stole a part of Queen Anne history:

The church is an example of Italian Renaissance/Byzantine Revival architecture, designed by Harlan Thomas and built in 1926. According to Historic Seattle, the building was almost lost to demolition in 2007, but was saved thanks to the Queen Anne Historical Society’s Landmarks/Preservation Committee. The church was sold and the new/current owners agreed to nominate it for Landmark status – it received its Landmark designation in June 2009.

If you have any tips on the metalwork’s whereabouts, or if you saw any suspicious activity near the church doors – or, if you know of a metal artist/smith who could replicate a replacement – please contact Jay Kelly via email or at 206.914.2659.

Several readers have emailed or posted in the Forum about their experience with car prowls. From the Forum, a poster described her experience with a car prowl at Galer and 1st West, and another resident cited one at 9th Ave W and W Bothwell St. Via email, we received reports of frequent prowls on 9th Ave W between Halladay and Raye, and a reader who’s car has been rummaged through twice in the past few months.

We’ve pulled the SPD stats for January car crimes (prowls and thefts) from the SPD Report map– and there was nearly a car prowl a day on Queen Anne in January. There were also a number of car thefts, bringing the total number of car crimes to 49 for the month.

Here’s what the total map looks like – car prowls + car thefts (49) for January – note, only incidents reported to SPD show up on the map:

And, here are the breakouts for car prowls (26) and car thefts (23) – click the maps for larger views:

Car Prowls, January 2013

Car Thefts, January 2013

I contacted Francisco Tello, SPD Crime Prevention Program Coordinator East and West Precinct, for more information on preventing car prowls. In addition to keeping any items out of sight and reporting car prowls to SPD, Tello also encourages people to report suspicious behavior. For example, a Queen Anne resident emailed him about a man looking into every parked car as he walked down the middle of Warren Ave N, and they had a good description of the man, a specific time of day, and a location – all excellent information for SPD.

In this example, and for other suspicious activities and people, Tello advises calling 911 as soon as possible. Here are the key items of information that help SPD when you call 911:

Another key tip: Tello advises practicing describing people, as when incidents happen, it’s typically sudden and you’ll want to be able to provide a useful description. Some items that will help SPD: race, gender, height, weight, age, clothing, and any distinguishing features. Are they carrying a backpack? What color is it?

Remember to report all crimes and suspicious activity to SPD by calling 911 or the non-emergency number (206.625.5011). If someone breaks into your car, but doesn’t take anything, report it – this is how SPD builds their database of crime statistics. For more on reporting crimes, see the recap of the SPD Queen Anne Community Meeting.

And, to end on an up-note, SPD’s West Precinct Anti-Crime Team (ACT) conducted a car prowl detail on January 19th, arresting two suspects for car prowling in the vicinity of 900 Block of Westlake Avenue North.

SPD has reported that Plaza Garibaldi, 129 1^st Ave N, was burglarized early this morning. Around the same time the alarm went off, a witness reported seeing two men breaking into the restaurant. SPD officers responded at around 4:20am, but could not locate the suspects in an area-sweep. The SPD report cites a witness description of the suspects: both were male, of unknown race, and wearing dark clothing. One was wearing a knit hat, the other a baseball cap.

According to SPD, it appears that the suspects were trying to steal alcohol from the restaurant’s bar, and they caused damage to Plaza Garibaldi’s door windows for their entry/exit. More information is available on the SPD Blotter.

Last night, the SPD Queen Anne Community Meeting took place as part of SPD’s Safe Communities initiative. A little over a dozen residents took part in the discussion with the moderator and two SPD officers, Officer Sam Cook and Officer Chad McLaughlin. One discussion point that became a common thread across priorities was reporting crime and suspicious activity – when, how, and why. More on that below, along with key reference links, numbers, and tips.

The group discussed key issues in a round-table format, with residents echoing similar sentiments as we circled the room. Each resident had the opportunity to cite their top concern, then the group discussed which of those concerns should bubble to the top of the priority list. The top five priorities will be taken forward to a larger Precinct Based Summit in March via our new community delegate and alternate delegate – thanks to Queen Anne residents Beverly and Patty for stepping up!

The top 5 priorities for Queen Anne:

1. Traffic – school and pedestrian safety
2. Parks & Queen Anne Ave – increase patrols late at night
3. Communication – residents need to report crimes; SPD needs to improve community relations
4. Lighting – increased street lighting would help reduce crime
5. Car Prowls – residents need to report car prowls

Officers Cook and McLaughlin provided tips and information on SPD, including a key point that we should all take note of – there are only 4-5 officers patrolling Queen Anne and Magnolia. SPD resources are limited across the city, and residents need to keep in mind that response time to lower priority calls may be delayed if they’re dealing with other higher-priority calls – but don’t let that deter you from reporting suspicious activity.

That brings us back to the issue about reporting crime – it touches nearly all of the priorities, as well as other concerns voiced last night. All too often people don’t call 911 or the non-emergency number for suspicious activities or people, vandalism, car prowls, and even major crimes such as muggings. Back in December, we reported on muggings near Kerry Park, only one of 4 incidents sent to Queen Anne View had been reported to SPD. In order for SPD to know what’s happening and where, residents need to report crime – the data from calls helps determine crime patterns and trends.

So, what to report? If you see something that is suspicious or are a victim of a crime, call 911 or the non-emergency number (206.625.5011). Here are some tips from the officers, to give you their perspective:

• SPD officers gravitate to hot spots of activity – for example, repeated reports about suspicious activity at a park raises SPD’s awareness. A particular location can become a hot spot for proactive patrols.
• Response time – with the limited number of SPD officers, you may not get instant gratification from a call for something like suspicious activity – but if you call for every incident, the tracking data will show there’s an ongoing issue, and SPD can target it proactively
• Call a lot – to echo point #2, don’t stop calling just because the first call didn’t yield results. Tracking data is key, and calling repeatedly on criminal or suspicious activity does not make you a nuisance. Calls feed into the tracking database, which is key for identifying trends or hot-spots
• When to call – the officers emphasized that residents need to call for both large and small issues. Don’t let smaller crimes go unreported: Did your car get broken into but nothing taken? Report it. Did a strange person walk through your backyard? Report it.

Net message from the SPD officers: to make a safer community, people need to call for larger or small activities.

Who should I call – 911 or 206.625.5011?

Call 911:

• If the crime is still in progress or it is an emergency situation, call 911 immediately.
• When you have a Police, Fire or Medical emergency.
• There is a situation that could, or does, pose a danger to life, property or both.
• There is a suspicious activity involving a person(s) or vehicle that appears to have criminal intent.
• Any situation that requires immediate dispatch of an officer.

Call the non-emergency number 206.625.5011 when:

• You want to report a nuisance, such as a noise or parking complaint.
• To report a non-emergency crime – one that did not just occur, and the suspects are not in the immediate area.
• You have questions about something suspicious occurring in your neighborhood, and you are not sure it is criminal activity.

Key Reference Sites:

• 911 Incident Response & Police Reports
• SPD Tweets-by-Beat
• SPD Blotter
• Community Online Reporting Program (CORP)
• King County Sheriff Sex Offender Search
• Block Watch Program
• Graffiti & Vandalism
• Parking (abandoned vehicles)
• Neighborhood Complaints (overgrown trees/shrubs, rental housing, junk, inoperable vehicles, etc)

I’ve seen Seattle Police Department (SPD) community meetings come across other neighborhood blogs and now it’s our turn – SPD is coming to the Queen Anne Community Center on January 22nd to meet with residents. If you have concerns about crime (remember the Kerry Park-area muggings?), safety, or any specific questions for SPD, mark your calendars and RSVP for this meeting by January 16th. SPD is looking for 20-30 residents to participate in small group discussions, but that is not a hard-and-fast limit – they’re willing to accomodate all who want to join in on the discussion. It’s our turn to meet with SPD, and it’s a great opportunity for the community.

From our SPD West Precinct Operations contact:

The Mayor’s Office and the Seattle Police Department would like to hear from community members of Queen Anne as to how SPD can address specific neighborhood concerns and improve as an organization. We are seeking 20-30 residents that would like to attend a community meeting in which participants will gather in small groups. RSVP is necessary so that organizers can assure enough SPD officers and moderators are present.  If interest exceeds our target number of participants, we will adjust so that everyone is accommodated.

Key Details

• What: SPD – Queen Anne Community Meeting
• When: Tuesday January 22, 6-8pm
• Where: Queen Anne Community Center (1901 1st Ave. W)
• RSVP via email by Wednesday January 16, 2013