The Seattle Police Department West Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Francisco Tello sent the following note out to block watch captains in Queen Anne and Magnolia yesterday regarding the arrest of a suspect believed to be connected to a number of recent burglaries in both neighborhoods:

Good news! A suspect that is believed to be responsible for recent burglaries in Queen Anne and Magnolia has been arrested.

On July 18, 2011 at about 11:00 PM, officers responded to the area of Thorndyke Ave N and West Blaine Street to investigate a recklessly driven vehicle. With good vehicle description and direction of travel by the caller, the responding officers were able to locate the vehicle that crashed a few blocks away. The officers located the driver who was taken into custody. Further investigation by the officers revealed that the vehicle was reported stolen. West Precinct detectives processed the vehicle and found suspected stolen items taken from a previous burglary. Because of great work by alert citizens, responding officers and detectives, the suspect is in custody and facing multiple charges, including auto theft. The property found in the vehicle has been returned to the rightful owner, and no additional property has been recovered at this time. West Precinct detectives are still analyzing evidence to link the suspect to additional burglaries in the area and will contact victims once such evidence is received.

Notification of the arrest could not be sent earlier until West Precinct detectives collected sufficient evidence to file charges.

We would like to thank you and your Block Watch members for your collaboration during this latest burglary spree. We encourage you to keep your Block Watches active, and help your neighbors secure their residences if they need assistance.

Night Out is Tuesday, August 2. If you have not registered and wish to, visit our Seattle Police website. While visiting our website look at the Seasonal Safety link for tips on securing your residence.

The Seattle Police Department West Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Francisco Tello sent out this email to members of the community today notifying them of recent burglary activity in the Queen Anne and Magnolia area and providing tips on how to respond and prevent home break-in crime.

Recently there has been some burglary activity on Queen Anne and Magnolia that we like to alert you about.  Some of the burglaries have been non-forced (walk-ins ) the burglar has gained entry by an unsecured door or window.  The forced entries ones, the suspect(s) breaks small window next to front or rear door and unlocks the door to gain entry. Once inside takes laptops, TV’s, checks and miscellaneous items.  All burglaries have been on un-occupied houses between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM. The burglaries and other crime types can be viewed on our “Crime Reporting Map” If you have not visited our “Crime Reporting Map” web site you can accesses it  at http://web5.seattle.gov/mnm/policereports.aspx To view the Police reports you have to subscribe, the incidents listed with a “narrative” will have more detail.  A person of interest related to this activity is a Caucasian male 30-40 years old 5’7 to 6’ tall thin build, scruffy unshaven facial hair.  Dark clothing with a backpack.   Suspicious circumstances reported, a person matching that description knocked at a residence.   The home owner did not answered the front door right away and the person seemed startled when the home owner  open the door.  The person asked the home owner for directions to Interbay.  The home owner asked what part of  Interbay the person could not answer and left right away.  The home owner thought that the person acted suspicious.  About 15 minutes later a burglary was reported several blocks away.  A note about the suspicious circumstances, the house that was targeted is the only house on the block with shrubbery that obstructs clear view from the street.

Our Crime Analysis Detective is aware of the activity as well as the District Officers.  The District Officers are extra attentive to suspicious behaviors, and West Precinct Detectives are actively working the cases.  You can assist us by making sure your doors and windows are secured, work with your neighbors to watch your residence if you are going to be away. Trust your instincts and  report suspicious behaviors or persons to 9-1-1.  A note about calling 9-1-1, when you call 9-1-1 you will be talking to an operator, the operator does not dispatch Officers.  Depending on the nature and priority of the call the operator will be relaying information to a dispatcher.  The operator will ask you questions, please follow the operators questions, it may seem that nothing is happening but again depending on the priority of the call a dispatcher will be relaying information to the responding Officers.  Practice describing people, when calling 9-1-1 in case of an incident good description and direction of travel of the fleeing suspect(s) will be of great help to the responding Officers.  If there is an alley behind your residence, put your address on the alley side as well, this will assist responding Officers locate the correct residence should they approach from the alley..  If you are interested on more prevention tips visit our Seattle Police Department web site.

The June Queen Anne Community Council meeting last Wednesday night was highlighted by a visit from Seattle Police Department’s West Precinct Captain Joe Kessler and Sergeant Paul Gracy – both natives of the Queen Anne/Magnolia area.

The crime rates in Queen Anne remain relatively low, said Kessler.

“Overall Queen Anne is one of the safest areas around,” said Kessler.

Violent crime rates are down only a little from the same time last year, but Kessler said they weren’t that high to begin with. Car prowls and car thefts are down significantly from the same time last year. Burglaries, however, are up slightly.

“Burglaries are one of those tough ones for us,” said Kessler. “Personally, I hate burglaries. Short of a violent crime, I think one of the worst things that can happen to you as a citizen is to have a burglary.”

Burglaries tend to come in bunches and are often perpetrated by the same individuals, so that once a burglar is caught it often brings the number of burglaries down, said Kessler. The SPD has been working with the prosecutor’s office extensively to  target repeat burglars under the Repeat Burglary Initiative.

“We’re concentrating on the prolific guys that need to be in jail for a substantive period of time,” said Kessler.

Concerns over budget cuts and staffing were also discussed. The number of department staff is expected to remain stable despite budget cuts, said Kessler. SPD is firm on not cutting any of their patrol officers, and the current numbers are the highest they’ve ever been, said Kessler. However, increases in overall officers, like they’ve seen in previous years, is likely to stop.

The Crime Prevention Coordinators, who coordinate block watches and other neighborhood actions, may be phased out at the end of this year, said Kessler. It hinges on what the budget looks like for mid-year, but those positions will probably disappear, Kessler said.

“They do an incredible service, and they help the officers out tremendously,” said Kessler. “It’ll be a difficult thing for us to replace that … I don’t know how we will.”

It was encouraged by Kessler and Gracy that residents take advantage of the SPD’s online resources, in particular the SPD Crime Blotter for the West Precinct and the crime statistics on My Neighborhood Map. The King County online sex offender search was also mentioned.

Council Chair Ellen Monrad brought up the issue of the 7-Eleven the sells high-octane alcohol drinks on the hill. Gracy said officers have met with owner to discuss the problem, as well as notify the liquor control board. Stings to try to catch staff selling alcohol to minors have been performed, and they are working on an operation to address homeless buying alcohol for minors, said Gracy.

A few councilmembers discussed the problem of car speeding and drag racing along 10^th Avenue West late at night. Gracy said they would make local patrol officers aware of the situation, and it was recommended that residents petition SDOT for a mobile speed monitor.

After the talk by Kessler and Gracy, the council discussed briefly the elections coming up in September, and Councilmember Nicole Pastarnack volunteered to be chair of the elections committee.

The committee reports followed, including:

A case of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon occurred at 1:11 a.m. last Saturday night on the 12xx block of Westlake Ave. N., according to a Seattle Police rep0rt.

A security guard was stabbed in the leg with an exacto knife during a scuffle involving security and a group of five men who had been asked to leave the club. Two men were arrested after a search, but the stabbing suspect eluded capture.

Here’s a chronological look at some of the reported crime committed in Queen Anne over the last week from the Seattle Police Department crime map:

• A car was stolen from the 28xx block of Queen Anne Ave. N. around 9:45 a.m. Thursday, March 24.
• Around 1 p.m. Thursday, a car was broken into on the 38xx block of 13th Ave. W.
• Another car was broken into At 6:51 p.m. that Thursday at the 38xx block of 13th Avenue West.
• On the same day at 7:26 p.m. a car was stolen around the corner of Aloha Street and Queen Anne Avenue North.
• Around the same time Thursday at the 5xx block of 5th Ave. W., a secured condominium complex was broken into by a man who was suspected to be under the influence of narcotics. The man was arrested on site and no burglary victim was found at the time.
• On the 2xx block of Mercer St., a third car was broken into at 9:51 p.m.
• On Friday, March 25, a house was burglarized xx block of West Smith Street at 7:38 p.m. Electronics and jewelry with an estimated value of more than $7,500 was stolen, and the door was damaged from being pried open.
• A woman in the 12xx block of Dexter Ave. N. reported that her laptop was stolen from her apartment on Friday, March 25.
• On the same day, two cars were broken into on the 1xx block of Republican St. and the 14xx block of Second Ave.
• Late Friday night, an assault occurred on the 1xx block of W. Mercer St. at 12:02 a.m.
• On Saturday, a burglary without forced entry occurred on the 19xx block of Second Ave.
• The following day two cars were broken into in Lower Queen Anne, one on the 7xx block of First Ave., and the other close to Fifth Avenue North and Broad Street.
• Around 3:15 p.m. that Sunday, an assault occurred at 5xx block of Third Ave. W.
• Two cars were broken into on Monday, one at 26xx block of Fourth Ave. N. and another at 4xx block of McGraw St.
• On Tuesday, a car was broken into near Queen Anne Avenue North and Mercer Street.
• A burglary with forced entry occurred on the 2xx block of McGraw St. on Wednesday during the daytime.
• On Wednesday around midnight, a car was broken into on the 12xx block of Eighth Ave. W.

One of the block watch groups here in Queen Anne, alongside a number of neighbors, aided police in the arrest of a burglar on Tuesday morning. From Seattle Police Department crime prevention officer Terrie Johnston:

This Tuesday morning, around 10 a.m. a woman on W. Comstock heard the sound of breaking glass nearby. She then saw a white male, in his 40’s running towards her. She attempted to talk w/the man, but he assured her all was fine and he got into a van and drove off. The witness was able to get a license plate and 9-1-1 was called. Many patrol units responded to the area.  About 20 mins. later a West Precinct supervisor found the abandoned van on 4^th Ave. N. on the northern slope of Queen Anne hill. He ordered the van impounded. Astute block watchers on 4^th Ave. N. called in suspicious activity and reported to 9-1-1 that the suspect got into an orange cab. West Precinct Burglary Theft Detectives monitoring the police radio recognized the description of this prolific criminal. They called the cab company and learned the suspect had been dropped in Belltown. Det. Owing and Det. Gaedcke found and arrested the burglar in Belltown shortly thereafter.

So many thanks to the witnesses who provided us w/suspect & vehicle descriptions, license plate numbers, and the information on the taxi cab. This was a great team effort between the community, patrol and the outstanding detectives!

As it turns out, Det. Owing is investigating some commercial burglaries that may now be solved with this arrest.

PS:  The breaking glass mentioned above was from the suspect’s attempt to break out a 4’ x4’ double-paned, aluminum-framed basement window. Because there was so much glass involved, it most likely deterred this burglar from entering the home. Call me to schedule a free home security assessment of your home, or to start/re-kindle your Block Watch. I can make recommendations on window treatments and security films that can make your glass stronger.

This is good work!!

For more information on other measures you can take to protect your home against residential burglaries, take a look at these tips from SPD.

In a community newsletter sent out on Tuesday, Seattle Police Department crime prevention officer Terrie Johnston advised the community on how to help keep your home from being a target in an all-too-common residential burglary. From the newsletter:

The most common way used to force entry through a door with a wooden jamb is to kick it open. When a door is kicked in, the frame usually splinters and gives way, allowing the burglar to enter.  The weakest point is almost always the strike plate that holds the latch or lock bolt in place. The average door strike plate is secured only to the doorframe molding. These lightweight moldings are often tacked on to the doorframe and can be torn away with a firm kick.  Increasingly, we’ve noticed a trend of burglars increasingly using pry tools at doors to gain entry into homes.

To help fortify your home against intruders, SPD suggests reinforcing your exterior doors and deadbolt locks through a few minor upgrades that can be done at home. Read the full list of suggestions in the newsletter (.pdf).

Major crimes in the city and in the neighborhood, including robberies, are trending downward, according to 2010 numbers just released by the Seattle Police Department.

As of the end of 2010, Violent Crimes were down by 9% compared with 2009, led by a 20% decrease in robberies. Property Crimes were down by 5% across the City, with a slight increase only in vehicle thefts.

In Queen Anne the trends are pretty much the same. Here are some numbers for crime in the police precinct that most resembles the neighborhood (SPD divides Queen Anne into three beats–Q2, Q3 and D1).

Robberies: There were 36 robberies between the three beats in 2010, compared to 66 in 2009.

Burglaries: There were 352 assaults between the three beats in 2010, compared to 373 in 2009.

Car Theft: There were 227 car thefts between the three beats in 2010, compared to 203 in 2009.

Homicide: There were no homicides reported in any of the three beats in both 2010 and 2009.

Larceny: There were 1,539 larceny thefts between the three beats in 2010, compared to 2,056 in 2009.

Assault: There were 316 assaults between the three beats in 2010, compared to 373 in 2009.

To find more information about crime statistics in the neighborhood, check out SPD’s crime stats map, and general citywide crime data.

[Editor's Note: these year totals were calculated by hand based off of SPD's 2010 and 2009 crime statistics, which are divided by precinct and month.]

Is crime on the rise in Queen Anne? According to SPD’s crime statistics, no, but some Queen Anne residents have been noticing a trend – in crimes and in repeat targets. Stacey writes:

I live on 1st Ave W and Denny Ave (Lower Queen Anne) and was wondering if you guys are hearing of an increase in robberies. Our building alone has been hit 3 times this week, from mail boxes being pried open, to cars being vandalized and storage bins robbed, and then last night all the open unit lock boxers were stolen, which contain entry keys. They think all in all it’s been around 2-3 people over the past week, seemingly with full building access. I’m curious to know if other buildings are having the same problems…

Another reader, Brandon, wrote in with a different kind of crime to report, one not uncommon to residents on the hill. He writes:

My neighbor had his car broken into Thursday/Friday between 11pm and  10am. There weren’t any signs of forced entry, though, which was  surprising to both of us. In addition to his stereo face plate being  stolen, every shred of paper including his garbage bag and his car’s
manual was taken. Sounds like the beginnings of an identity theft. This happened near W Emerson St. & 12th.

Have you noticed an uptick in crime in Queen Anne lately?

Seattle Police reported a fair amount of criminal activity over the three-day weekend. Like last weekend, various burglaries and thefts peppered Upper and Lower Queen Anne.

Here is a list of the more notable reports in Uptown:

• Friday morning, a burglary by force occurred at a nonresidential location in the 3xx block of Queen Anne Ave. N.
• Friday night, a pickpocketing incident occurred around 10 p.m. in the 2xx block of Mercer St.
• On Sunday, a car was broken into around 5 p.m. in the 5xx block of Broad St.
• On Sunday, an incident of shoplifting occurred at 8:44 p.m. in the 8xx block of 5th Ave. N.

And here is a list of reported crimes in Upper Queen Anne:

• Thursday evening, a car was stolen at 6:10 p.m. in the 24xx block of Westlake Ave. N. and reported the following morning.
• Around 2:30 a.m. Friday morning, a burglary by force occurred at a residence in the 24xx block of Birch Ave. N. and was reported to police that afternoon.
• Friday around 11 a.m., a burglary by force occurred at a nonresidential location around 11 a.m. in the 12xx block of W. Nickerson St.
• Friday around 11:20 p.m., a burglary without force occurred at a residence in the 4xx block of Halladay St. and was reported later that night.
• Late Saturday night, a car was broken into in the 20xx block of Westlake Ave. N.
• Noon Sunday, a burglary without force occurred at a residence in the 14xx block of 2nd Ave. W. and was reported later that evening.
• Sunday at 8:10 p.m., a burglary without force occurred at a residence in the 27xx block of 1st Ave. N. and was reported shortly after.

To follow crime citywide and by neighborhood visit the Seattle Police Department’s interactive My Neighborhood Map.

Queen Anne saw numerous thefts and burglaries from Thursday evening to Monday morning, according to the Seattle Police Department.

The following is a list of incidents prompting police response over the weekend:

• A vehicle was stolen from the 30xx block of 14^th Ave. W. on Jan. 6 around 5:30 p.m.
• A forced burglary occurred in the nonresidential area of the 1xx block of Queen Anne Ave. N on Jan. 7 at 7:11 a.m.
• A forced burglary occurred in the nonresidential area of the 11xx block of Westlake Ave. N. on Jan. 7 around 5 p.m.
• A car was broken into on the 2xx block of Boston St. on Jan. 7 around 7 p.m.
• A case of aggravated assault with a weapon occurred on the 20xx block of Westlake Ave. N. on Jan. 8 at 5:04 a.m.
• A case of non-aggravated assault occurred on the 5xx block of 1^st Ave. N. on Jan. 9 at 1:45 a.m.
• A shoplifter was reported in the xx block of Denny Way on Jan. 9 at 2:14 a.m.
• A theft occurred from a building in the 5xx block of Queen Anne Ave. N. on Jan. 9 around 8:30 p.m.
• A robbery from a business with a weapon occurred in the 5xx block of Mercer St. on Jan. 10 at 4:33 a.m.

Follow crime citywide and by neighborhood on the Seattle Police Department’s interactive crime map.

There have been a number of crime incidents here in Queen Anne over the last week, including 11 car prowls, four auto thefts, five residential and non-residential burglaries, and five cases of assault.

In the time between Thursday, December 30, 2010 through today, Thursday, January 6, 2011, one more serious home invasion involving weapons took place.

At approximately 11:30 a.m. on New Year’s Eve two men allegedly kicked in the door of a Lower Queen Anne apartment in the 500 block of 1st Ave N and robbed a man at gunpoint, according to the Seattle Police Department.

According to the incident report, the victim told police he was in his kitchen making something to eat when two unknown men (the first described as a Hispanic male, 5,8″,
approximately 230 lbs, with black hair tied in corn rows, the second a Hispanic male 5’8″, 200 lbs, with back hair) forcefully entered his apartment, both brandishing handguns.

The men then reportedly instructed the man to cover his eyes and lay face down on his bed while they looked throughout his apartment. When the suspects left, the victim contacted his brother, who also lives in the building, and used his phone to call police. According to the victim, the only missing items were his iPhone and a Fender bass guitar, worth a combined $1,900.

Despite the number of items of the crime map, SPD data show that total serious crime stats were down in Queen Anne overall in 2010 (and especially in the second half of the year), when compared to both 2008 and 2009.

Check more SPD crime stats citywide and by neighborhood here. More details on the other crimes that have taken place in the neighborhood recently can be found through the Seattle Police Department’s interactive crime map, which links to incident reports when available.

The Seattle Police Department’s west precinct may be losing its crime prevention coordinator come April 1, but until then Terrie Johnston is continuing with her monthly crime and burglary recaps for the community. Check our her full letter to the community regarding crime in Queen Anne this December here:

Hi, I wanted to share information I gleaned from residential burglaries reported this month of December.  It is not unusual to see slight increases in property crimes during the holidays. Why might this happen?  People are often scurrying about shopping, going to parties, etc.  and our social calendars can become fuller at year’s end.  That can mean we don’t pay full attention to security and safety.  Add to that, many people go out of town during the season; school is out; and there are gifts everywhere (in cars; under the tree; sitting on front porches).  You get the picture.  So let’s look at some of the significant points for December’s burglaries so far.

The majority of the burglaries still occured during the daytime hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. A common method of entry was using something in the yard to gain access to the windows, i.e. a garbage can was turned upside down to reach a window; an outside stool was strategically placed under a window and used as stairs; the victim’s step-ladder was used to gain access to the 2^nd floor balcony where the thieves entered through an unlocked sliding door.  In a few burglaries, entry was believed to have been made through the dog door.  Several entries were made through unlocked windows.  One victim went for a short run and left the front door unlocked and came home to a completed burglary. Thieves came into an unlocked  garage door and stole all the food from the freezer;  another victim reported that he fell asleep with his front door unlocked.  This allowed the crook(s) to enter, remove the vehicle’s remote from the ashtray on the table by the front door.  That car was then prowled.  In another burglary, a concealed side door was kicked in, shattering the door frame.  In one incident, the home owners returned mid-day and discovered the burglars in their home.

Here are some of the items reported stolen this month: 9 mm pistol; laptops, money, cameras; heavy stereo speakers; 42” flat screen TV; electronics, jewelry & sewing machine, and wrapped Christmas gifts.  It’s hard to imagine how some of those bigger items were removed unseen.  Was more than one thief involved?  Did they use a car?  A look out?  Please do not hesitate to call 9-1-1 if on your block you see unknown people, with heavy backpacks or a stuffed pillow case (as was done in a burglary last week) acting suspiciously or unknown cars in your neighbor’s driveway when they are gone.  Trust your gut!

My tips: Use the locks and latches you have.  Be religious about locking up, even if you are only going to be away for a brief time.   Keep shrubbery pruned back so neighbors can see onto your property.  Get a house sitter if you will be away.  Start or rekindle your Block Watch so your neighbors can be invited to watch out for your home when you cannot be there.  Lock up or store out-of-sight any ladders, sawhorses, etc.  Close your blinds in the rooms where there are desirable electronics when you are away.   Do not hesitate to report anything suspicious to 9-1-1, even if it isn’t an emergency.  Call me if you would like a free home security survey conducted.  Thank you for sharing this information with your neighbors and Block Watch contacts.

For more information contact Terrie directly at the Seattle Police Crime Prevention number, 206-684-4741, or via email at Terrie.Johnston@seattle.gov.

This just in from the SPD Blotter:

On September 30th, at approximately 10:30 AM, officers responded to a 911 call of a burglary in progress in the 2500 Block of 5th Avenue West.  The complainant stated that three juvenile males had entered the neighbor’s house through the garage.  The complainant remained on the phone with the dispatchers while officers responded to the area.  Officers set up containment around the house and arrested the three juvenile suspects without incident as they came out of the house.  West Burglary detectives also responded to the scene.   The complainant did a great job in keeping an eye on the suspects and guiding the officers to the correct house without knowing the exact address.  The two 16 year olds and the 17 year old were later booked into the Youth Services Center.

Interested in when and where crime is happening around town and in the neighborhood? SeattleCrime.com has mapped out crime citywide–both burglaries and violent crimes–from May 2010 and put it on this nifty interactive map so you can see exactly what happened when and where in your community.

As is the norm in Queen Anne, burglaries and car prowls far surpassed violent crimes. Check out the full map here.

Several Interbay businesses were robbed on Thursday, including the office of cartoonist Stu Heinecke, whose work has appeared in several national publications including the Wall Street Journal. Heinecke lost a large portion of his life’s work due to the robbery, when a thief stole several Apple computers from his office, much of which was not backed on other hard drives. The suspect, who also hit the office next door, was caught on a surveillance tape. You can watch the video at KING 5. Get the full story at our sister site, Magnolia Voice.

One of our readers, John, wrote in to report three recent car prowls in the seemingly secure parking lot of his east Queen Anne apartment building. He wrote,

I am a resident in the Domaine apartments that here on Queen Anne. I am writing you an email today to tip you off on some recent car prowls and thefts we have had in our “secure” garage.

In the past 10 days we have had 3 car break ins and one car stolen out of the garage. These people have been very professional as the cars were slim jimmed or lock picked to steal out items. There were no smashed windows.

My car was hit on early Monday morning and they stole all 4 rims and tires and put my suv on blocks.

Thought I would let you know. If you have heard more about this in the area, people should be aware to be on the look out and to keep any valuables with them.

Over the last month there have been dozens of dental and medical offices targeted by burglars looking for medical drugs and dental gold, including that used for gold crowns, according to police. Last week our sister site, Phinneywood, reported on one of the more recent burglaries that happened at a medical clinic in the 400 block of North 85th Street.

According to the Seattle Police Department roughly 30-35 overnight burglaries have been reported since the start of September. Most have been north of downtown, but similar burglaries have happened in West Seattle and Bellevue that Seattle Police spokesman Mark Jamieson said could be connected.

One of two similar burglaries that happened early last week was on Queen Anne, in the 600 block of W McGraw St., according to a report by the Seattle PI. According to police, someone had pried open and unscrewed the circular key lock from a metal-framed glass door in the back of the dental office and made off with a metal cash box containing a copy of the owner’s business credit card information. And much like the other recent medical and dental office burglaries, things like computers, electronics, iPods and cameras were not taken.

“They seem to be medical or dental offices. Other than that, there’s no pattern. Once the suspects break into the place, they will take whatever. Sometimes it’s drugs, sometimes it’s gold,” Jamieson said. “They are breaking into places that are alarmed and that doesn’t seem to be a deterrent.”

According to police, one burglary netted $10,000 in scrap gold.

Extra officers have been assigned to emphasis patrols and stakeouts of likely targets, Jamieson said. There is no proof that this recent spell of burglaries are connected, but currently the North Precinct and South Precinct officers are working together to see if these incidences may be related.

According to the West Seattle blog there have been three similar incidents in West Seattle recently, and last Wednesday three people were detained by police after they were seen behaving suspiciously outside a dental office. One was interviewed on the scene and released, the other two were arrested. They have now been identified as “persons of interest.”

For more information on the string of burglaries, read the story at Phinneywood. For more information on the Queen Anne incident, see the Seattle PI.

“Please remember, that 911 is for reporting suspicious activity too! When we say that you are our eyes and ears, this is because we know most criminals do not commit crimes when police officers are watching. We catch burglars in the act thanks to watchful neighbors. Officers responding to a call of suspicious activity might have frightened off these suspects. Many neighbors tell me they saw or heard something odd, but talked themselves out of calling 9-1-1. They feel awful when they realize their gut feelings were correct and they could have possibly deterred the crime,” Johnston wrote.