We just got this note about a burglary at the top of the hill around 1 p.m. Thursday from a Queen Anne resident who wishes to remain anonymous:

Just wanted to give you heads up that I just drove past a forced entry, house robbery on 5th Ave W. by the cemetery. Police were on the scene and there was a broken window and a flat screen TV in the driveway. I thought they caught the QA robber last week? Apparently not? Or a copycat.

We just got this email from Queen Anne resident Luann, asking if anyone in the Queen Anne area, particularly around West Highland Dr., had their house broken into this morning? SPD is holding a burglary suspect in custody, but needs to know if any homes were burgled before they can proceed. Luann writes:

Has anyone on the Hill found their home broken into this morning?  Just got this email message from a neighbor:

If anyone had their house broken into this morning, please call the Seattle Police ASAP. They have a suspect in custody who was seen entering properties along West Highland, but cannot continue to hold him unless they find that he actually did something.

Seattle Police Department Traffic Collision Investigation Squad (TCIS) detectives are asking the community for help in finding the suspect in a fatal vehicle/bicycle hit and run collision Thursday. The bicyclist who was hit by an SUV at Dexter Ave N and N Thomas Street sustained life-threatening injuries and died Friday at Harborview Medical Center.

TCIS has been actively investigating the crash, but the suspect vehicle has still not been located. Detectives are turning to the public, asking anyone who may have information about the crash, suspect or suspect vehicle to come forward.

Detectives are looking for a mid-1990′s to mid-2000 beige to brown colored American-made SUV, possibly with tinted windows and a silver luggage rack. There may be slight or moderate front end damage or no visible damage at all.

TCIS detectives are looking for any information related to this incident as well as witnesses who have not yet spoken to police.

Anyone with information about this incident or who may know the identity or whereabouts of the suspect is asked to call Detective Bacon at (206) 684-8932. Anonymous tips are welcome.

The bicyclist that was killed was 44-year-old Mike Wang, of Shoreline, who was on his way home when he was fatally struck at approximately 3:44 p.m. on Thursday. Coworkers told KOMO4 News. that Wang rode his bike to work at Path, a global health non-profit located in South Lake Union, every day.

Wang is survived by his wife, Claire Allen, and two children.

“It isn’t fair,” Allen told KOMO. “He wasn’t finished raising his children, and I wasn’t ready to lose him.”

As for the driver of the SUV that hit Wang, Allen had this to say: “I think they must have been frightened… That’s the only explanation I can think of — that they must have been so overwhelmed and scared, or so weak that they couldn’t face up to what they’ve done.”

The bicyclist that was struck by an SUV in a hit-and-run collision Thursday afternoon has died, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.

According to a witness, the driver of the vehicle was attempting to turn left onto Thomas from Dexter Ave N at approximately 3:44 pm. Thursday. The driver reportedly sped up to make the turn before a line of oncoming cars approached, and hit the bicyclist who was crossing Thomas at the time. The bicyclist was rushed to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. The driver took off immediately following the crash and is still at large.

The vehicle involved in the collision is described as a brown, American-made SUV with tinted windows and a chrome roof rack, according to SPD. Police are still looking for anyone with information on the incident or the driver.

Police are looking for the driver of a vehicle involved in a hit and run on Dexter Avenue N Thursday that sent one bicyclist to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

At approximately 3:44 p.m. on July 28 police were called to Dexter Avenue N near N Thomas Street for a reported vehicle/bicyle hit and run collision. According to a report by a nearby witness, the vehicle was attempting to turn left onto Thomas from Dexter and sped up to make the turn before a line of oncoming cars approached, hitting the bicyclist crossing Thomas.

It was first reported that the bicyclist was fatally wounded in the accident, but police later confirmed that he/she was transported to Harborview Medical Center. From the SPD Blotter:

The involved motor vehicle fled the scene and remains at large.  The at-large vehicle is described as a brown, American-made SUV with tinted windows and a chrome roof rack.

Traffic Collision Investigation Squad detectives responded to the scene and continue to actively investigate.

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 City Council unanimously approved a resolution supporting a petition to the Washington State Liquor Control Board (LCB) to create extended service hour areas within local jurisdictions on Monday. The proposal was originally proposed by Mayor Mike McGinn as part of his new Seattle Nightlife Initiative, which aims to maintain public safety and improve support for local businesses by providing greater flexibility to adapt to market demands from business district to business district.

“A vibrant, safe nightlife is good for business and good for public safety,” Mayor Mike McGinn said in a press release Monday. “The City Council’s approval of this resolution follows a broad public outreach over the past year about how extended liquor service hours should work in Seattle… I’m confident that by working together with the Washington State Liquor Control Board, we can achieve our goals of a more safe and vibrant city.”

The resolution launches a two-step process to extend service hours:

• The resolution asks the LCB to build a regulatory framework to consider and approve petitions from cities to allow extended liquor service.
• If these proposed rule changes are adopted, Mayor McGinn, the City Council, and the City Attorney can then work with the public to craft a specific proposal for extended hours service in Seattle.

A number of other local leaders have come out in support of the initiative, including City Council president Richard Conlin, Seattle Police Chief John Diaz, and City Attorney Pete Holmes.

“We believe that this initiative will strengthen public safety as well as promote a vibrant nightlife. We fully support this effort,“ Diaz said in a statement. Given that police resources are often challenged at Seattle’s blanket 2 a.m. closing time, many in law enforcement say this, along with other components of the Initiative, will help them maintain public safety and allow them to deploy officers more effectively. Last August the city passed another initiative aimed at helping combat difficult closing times allowing officers to dish out $100 tickets for fighting, threatening others, or making excessive or “unreasonable noise” in public areas between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m.

“The City Attorney’s Office will work with the Mayor, SPD and the City Council to ensure that the proposed rule changes provide comprehensive safeguards that will ensure public safety,” Holmes said. “The extended hours program will succeed if we anticipate and plan for problems that may arise.”

According to the city, the rule change application will be submitted to the Liquor Control Board in the next few weeks, at which point the LCB will have 60 days to decide whether or not it will initiate the rule making process. Mayor McGinn says he is hopeful that the extended service hours proposal will be approved and ready for implementation in Seattle in 2012.

The Seattle Police Department has a new criminal trespass program, which replaces the old program to keep trespassers off the property of businesses that are open to the public .

The Conditions of Entry that must be posted under the new criminal trespass program

According to Officer Scott McGlashan, who explained the program at a community meeting in Ballard Wednesday, an interested business must sign up with SPD and post Conditions of Entry “at or near all public entrances and other areas so the public is provided with notice of those conditions,” the enforcement authorization form states.

“I’ve been getting definitely increases in complaints about trespassing and the homeless,” McGlashan says. Under this new program, police can “warn someone off the property” at any time – the enforcement authorization form allows officers to come onto the property without further consent by the business owner.

One of the big changes is that if a person is “warned off the property,” they can come back to the same establishment the next day as a paying customer. Under the old program, McGlashan says that a person who had been admonished off the property could never go back, or they’d wind up in jail. The new warnings do last for a lifetime, so if a person has been warned, they cannot loiter or trespass at that establishment without facing police action.

Businesses in Queen Anne interested in being part of the program should contact the SPD West Precinct at WPrecinctTrespassProgram@seattle.gov. If a business was part of the old program, they must sign the new authorization form.

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.

At approximately 12:40 a.m. on Wednesday, July 6 a tourist was walking back to his rental car (on the NW corner of 5th Ave W and W Comstock) from Kerry Park when he was approached by two unidentified men who robbed him at knifepoint, according to a Seattle Police Department incident report. The two suspects had been loitering at SE corner of 4th Ave W and W Comstock when the victim arrived. According to the police report, the victim told police that he felt an “innate fear” when he first saw the suspects, and almost didn’t turn onto W Comstock.

Despite his gut instincts, the suspect continued toward his rental car, crossing Comstock so that he was on the north side of the street opposite the suspects. The victim then heard both suspects cross the street behind him, shouting at him. The victim ignored them and continued on, when one of the suspects (Suspect #2) ran up behind him and grabbed his shoulder, turning him around. From the police report:

Suspect #2 shouted, ‘Give me your bag,’ (camera bag with sling). [The victim] said, ‘No I’m not giving you anything-there’s nothing in the bag’. Suspect #2 pulled a knife (fixed blade 3 inch, black handle, stab knife) and said, ‘You don’t want to risk it man’. [The victim] then gave the bag to suspect #2. Suspect #1 was standing there behind Suspect #2.

Both suspects ran off eastbound and continued northbound up 4 Av W, according to the report. The victim walked to his vehicle and drove around the area looking for the suspects, with no success. The suspects made off with the victim’s Canon 5 D mark 2 camera, camera bag and iPad. The victim flew back home later that day.

With warm weather in the forecast, it looks like it’s going to be a nice day. Combine that with tonight’s Independence Day festivities and it should be a fantastic Fourth.

Couple notes from the SPD and SFD to get you on your way today…

The Seattle Police Department and Seattle Fire Department would like to remind the public that fireworks are illegal in the City of Seattle.

The possession, manufacture, storage, sale, handling and use of fireworks are prohibited. Fireworks offenses are gross misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.

Any fireworks-related fires or injuries should be reported directly to 911. Other fireworks violations may be reported by calling the Seattle Police non-emergency number at (206) 625-5011.

As a heads-up as to what’s open, what’s on and what’s not happening today…

• CleanScapes garbage, food and yard waste, and recycling collections will be on normal schedule. The North Recycling and Disposal Station will be closed, but the South Recycling and Disposal Station will be open.
• All Neighborhood Service Centers will be closed.
• Metro Transit bus routes will be operating on a Sunday schedule.
• Libraries will be closed. Book drops at the Queen Anne library will be open, but the one at the Central Library will be closed.
• The post office will be closed and there will be no regular mail delivery.
• The liquor store in Queen Anne (515 1st Ave N) will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Rebecca was walking to her Lower Queen Anne home alone around 1 a.m. last Tuesday when she was assaulted by a man who was not interested in robbing her, she says. The incident, which took place in front of the Iris Apartment building on Roy Street near 4th Ave W, shook her. She writes,

The assailant did not take my purse, and it is clear that his intention was sexual assault. I screamed and fought and someone in the Iris apartment building shouted that they were calling the police, and the guy ran off into Kinnear Park. I managed to walk away with just a fat lip (and some stitches and bruises) – but it could have been much, much worse.

Rebecca filed a police report before going to the hospital, but as of last Friday the suspect had not yet been caught. She provided this description:

It was dark and I can’t be certain, but I think the man was a homeless guy I’ve seen in the neighborhood before: white male, 5’10″, 170 pounds, dark chin/shoulder length hair that is wavy/matted, full beard.

Rebecca hopes that her experience will serve as a reminder to those in the community to be aware of their surroundings, and cautious for themselves and their neighbors, especially at night. She wrote,

I still feel that Queen Anne is a wonderful place to live (the fact that neighbors responded within seconds when I screamed is testament to that) but we shouldn’t be complacent about safety. Gentlemen, please consider walking ladies to their cars/homes late at night. And ladies, trust your instincts – if someone looks sketchy, walk away and go to a well lit place (like Bartell’s) or carry something like pepper spray in your purse.

Also, for those of you in the neighborhood, if you hear a scream or tussle outside late at night, please don’t hesitate to call out and say you’re calling the police. I am so fortunate that the residents of that building didn’t just roll back over and go to sleep, or call the police silently and hope for the best; the reason the guy ran off is because someone shouted “I’m calling the police, and coming right down.”

In February of last year another Uptown resident, also on her way home alone, was pushed down and kicked in the face and chest repeatedly just a block away from this recent incident, at Roy and 3rd Ave W. In this case the suspect was after her purse, but the crime startled both the victim and many of her neighbors, who organized an Uptown block watch program in response. This most recent attempted assault is a testament to the need for continued neighborhood safety programs, such as block watch groups, especially in corners of the neighborhood that are poorly lit at night and susceptible to crime.

If anyone has any information on this incident, please contact Seattle Police right away as the suspect is still at large.

Update 11:40 a.m.: We just received an update from Rebecca, who says her injuries are healing up well. Since the incident she’s been working on ways to improve safety in the neighborhood. She writes,

I’m speaking with a reporter who might do a piece on it, and I’m going to try and have him focus on the response of my neighbors, but also the need for street lighting at the end of West Roy Street and the city/county/state to cough up the rest of the funds to make Kinnear Park safe. It has helped that they cleared out so much of the underbrush, but it needs lighting and the other safety features that are part of the new park design. It would also be great if the city would allow us RPZ zone parking (we keep asking and they keep brushing us off) so that residents on the West Mercer/Roy corridor can park their cars near their homes at night; I often have to park 5 or 6 blocks away if it’s a night that people are out at the bars, or there’s an event at Seattle Center.

I haven’t heard anything from the police, but my hope is that he’ll be spotted now that so many people are on the lookout. I definitely want to make sure that women in the neighborhood are smart and safety conscious late at night.