By Laurie Johnson
Last night, Rainier Valley neighbors met with South Precinct Cpt. Les Liggins, who expressed sympathy for those who have been recently burgled and those of us who feel our sense of safety has been violated. He reported that SPD is making progress on the recent string of residential burglaries, working in concert with the King County Prosecutors office which has established the Repeat Burglar Initiative.
He thanked our community for being the eyes and ears of the neighborhood and encouraged us to continue our good work of reporting suspicious behavior and all criminal activity, even after the fact.
The Repeat Burglar Initiative is being managed by Maurice Classen (also in attendance at the meeting last night), Deputy Prosecuting Attorney/Criminal Division in the King County Prosecutors Office. The Repeat Burglar Initiative is modeled after the Auto Theft Initiative which credited for a significantly reduction in car theft. It is based on evidence that 95% of crimes are committed by the same 5% of offenders. For more info, go here.
Classen (206.296.0955) is the point person for the Repeat Burglar Initiative. Please contact him directly if you have questions or concerns, or would like to provide information. For our part, he requested three things of our community:
1) BE VIGILANT: Call 911 when you witness any suspicious behavior in the neighborhood. Provide as much detailed information as possible. James Earl Walker Jr. was linked to the crimes in our neighborhood because victims and potential victims noted the way he smelled. You just never know what detail will lead SPD to the right suspect and help prosecutors with a conviction. Police need a good description of the actual behavior that concerns you, as well as a description of the individual or group. When in doubt, call 911.
2) FOLLOW-UP: Was your credit card used at Safeway after it was stolen? Let the SPD and KC Prosecutors office know. Many stores have security cameras. If you are able to provide date that your stolen card was used at a store with a security camera, evidence can be obtained that will link the suspect to the crime.
3) EDUCATE YOURSELF: Know your neighbors. Talk to each other. Share stories. Neighbors who communicate with each other are often the ones who identify a pattern in criminal activity. For example: A particular car that was present at a number of burglaries, a particular type of house (on the corner, with a privacy fence, with dense hedges) being burgled, a group of teens spotted in the area after a crime.
Language & Cultural Barriers
Resources are available for our neighbors with limited English. If a neighbor with limited English language ability calls 911 and identifies their language only, they will be connected to an interpreter at the Language Line who can assist with their report. With advanced notice, interpreters will be available for community meetings.
Captain Liggins also addressed the fact that many of our neighbors have fear of calling the police to report incidents in our community. He asked us to communicate with our neighbors that SPD is not at all connected with Immigration, and that recent immigrants have no need to fear the Seattle Police. Encourage your neighbors to call 911 and be an ally and partner to the Seattle PD.
Stock Photo/do communications, inc.
Who to know, where to eat & what to do in one of America’s most diverse zip codes!
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very good reporting in the PI about a police investigation in SE Seattle for computers, elec equipment:
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/407615_raid25.html
The link, 206.296.0955 oh wait, that’s not a numerical IP. Duh, it’s his phone number. Well, while I’m here I’m curious to know if any of the posters here attended the meeting. I would have gone, wanted to go badly, but I don’t have a car and bus it everywhere I go and there’s no way I’d walk to the bus stop in this neighborhood at night.
This is just a thought, but when there’s another meeting such as this one, perhaps a car pool could be established for us who don’t drive. Hmmm, it would have to be someone who’s been checked out to be on the up and up.
How sad it is that things have become like this., not being able to trust others.
Thank you for capturing the pertinent information that was shared at the Rainier Beach Community Block Watch Meeting (a collaboration of multiple block watch groups & citizens) on Thursday. It’s amazing what ordinary people can do when we unite, hold SPD and our elected officials accountable and strive together to advance a safer and more livable community.
Thanks Laurie & Rainier Valley Post for your committment to our community!
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