Terrie Johnston from the Seattle Police Department sent us this follow up to the news of a car prowl ring at work in the Magnolia area.
?My inbox has been filled with your responses to the Car Prowler alert I sent out on Wednesday afternoon. Many of you had suggestions for how we can catch the ?bad guys?, some of you wanted more information on the vehicles mentioned in the bulletin, and some just wanted to know if the thieves were caught. So let me try and fill you in on the back story. The car seen leaving the parking lot at Discovery Park was a 1993 blue VW Jetta with primer paint. (Officers tell me that it is common for criminals to spray paint their cars, so look for an amateurish paint job.)
Last week our Community Police Team Officers first noticed a spike in car prowls occurring in Discovery Park during the daytime hours (many at lunch time). So last Thursday these officers put out an internal bulletin about the incidents. Later that day, they heard the car prowl call to the Discovery Park parking lot and heard the responding officers describe the VW Jetta. The officers followed the Jetta; the driver of the VW failed to pull over, and was able to get away and onto 15th Ave. West.
Our policy is not to engage in high-speed pursuits of suspects of property crimes, so the patrol officers returned to their Magnolia beat. This is when the Community Police Team and Burglary/Theft detectives began compiling information on the suspects and their associated vehicles. Within a few days, they put out another bulletin with the names & photos of seven suspects who make up this Car Prowl/Burglary ring. We have the descriptions of the cars associated with these individuals, which I shared with you on Wednesday. It is believed this same group is active in other Seattle neighborhoods as well as other nearby police jurisdictions.
Some of you had suggestions for improving Discovery Park (lighting, cameras, gates, etc.) and I hope you will follow up with the Parks Dept. on your suggestions. I really appreciate your concern and continued energy in keeping your neighborhood safe.?
We will let you know if we get any additional information or if arrests are made in this case.
I have lived in Magnolia for over 20 years, in that time, I have never parked within the park boundries due to the constant car prowl threat. I simply park a block or two away, and walk in. I encourage my friends to do likewise. I know this is inconvenient to those that live near the park, but what is one to do, when police are virtually powerless to stop this?
They don’t accelerate the police car when pursuing a property crime suspect? What if they committed more than just a property crime, but that information wasn’t known by the officer? What if they were leaving a homicide? They returned to the beat? Hell, why not just call it lunch.
I’ll be sure to take my sweet time assisting any law enforcement officer should they ever need my help in that case. Sorry, that’s the policy.
Wow, this article just made me really detest the SPD even more than I thought I could be.
What if the fleeing car kills an innocent person. What if? Which is better?
What if the fleeing car kills an innocent person. What if? Which is better?
Then arrest the driver for vehicular homicide? If they were willing to kill someone innocent with their automobile, they probably were prepared to do a lot worse.
NEW POLICY:
The Seattle Police Department will not pursue any suspects in the following circumstances:
Within 15 minutes before a scheduled union allocated lunch time.
Within 30 minutes of off-duty time.
Within 1 hour of airing of the following television shows:
-The Wire
-The Shield
-Law and Order (all versions)
-Cagney and Lacey
Within 1 hour of the expiration of any Groupon or Living Social coupon in the officers hand.
I’m glad they don’t do high-speed chases for property crimes. Remember several instances where innocent drivers were killed when cops were chasing non-violent offenders in the city where I used to live.
Besides, why risk lives chasing them? Even people who steal the whole dang car don’t get any jail time.
What city was that? Citation needed.
You assume that its “just a property crime”. What if that person was fleeing from a much more serious crime and the property crime occurred along the way? Best to be vigilant and make the stop anyways rather than let them go.
Houston.
H-Town? That makes sense. Given that Houston has few sidewalks or any provisions for pedestrians (or good public transit for that matter), I could see how there would be an increase in vehicular fatalities as a result of pursuits or otherwise. I remember that driving while drinking alcohol was still a pretty popular pastime in Texas a few years ago (and tolerated). Hell, I bet they still have the drive-thrus that you can purchase a keg of beer and they’d even place it in the back of your pick-up.
The lassie-faire attitude and tolerance of driving under the influence in Texas was probably to blame for some of those car crashes. As well as the fact that “The Real Stories of the Highway Patrol” and “COPS” we’re allowed to film in multiple municipalities in Texas may have played a factor in some of them.
If there is anything we should salvage from Texas, it is the fact that they empower its citizens to defend themselves from crime. Sadly the Seattle Police cannot do its job and our Mayor has failed to bring in top police administrative talent from real cities to run a better shop.
“Lassie-faire”? “Its just a property crime”? “Anyways”????
Please learn to spell and punctuate before posting inane manifestos. Thanks.
When an argument devolves into nitpicking of spelling, you’re grasping at straws. Troll harder.
Not if it kills me or my kid.
It’s better than this never will happens. Never tell some scary words in the future, it’s not good
It’s better than this never will happens. Never tell some scary words in the future, it’s not good
It’s better than this never will happens. Never tell some scary words in the future, it’s not good
It’s better than this never will happens. Never tell some scary words in the future, it’s not good
It’s better than this never will happens. Never tell some scary words in the future, it’s not good
What city was that? Citation needed.
You assume that its “just a property crime”. What if that person was fleeing from a much more serious crime and the property crime occurred along the way? Best to be vigilant and make the stop anyways rather than let them go.
We should adapt the cameras at all entry points like Medina has. We are important and rich enough right?!
I think it would be better for society if we placed armed guards and barricades at the Magnolia, Dravus, and Nickerson entrances. I’m sure someone would be willing to fund helicopter sweeps of Interbay for foot entrances, which just leaves the Ballard Locks. We can ask the Army Corps of Engineers to station armed guards there to check for local ID.
Totally reasonable amiright?
Uh, so if they had visual contact on the VW, did they get the license plate? Was it stolen? Did they follow up at the registered address and owner?
Why can’t Terrie, the police lady who has photos of the suspects and their cars, post the photos on this blog, or post a link to a site where we can see them, so that we can be on the alert?
1: That would assume the Seattle Police are that technologically progressive. They’re not.
2: The Next Door Media series of blogs has a strict policy regarding posting identifiable information of people or property from my understanding. I’ve seen them take down pictures of known trouble makers in the past.
I agree with non pursuit policy of SPD for non violent criminals. I last lived in San Diego and a young man was killed by a pursuing officer and the police dept was sued and paid a lot! That was years ago, but here are some recents.. Your stereo or golf clulbs are not worth it. How would you feel if you pops was killed in a crash over a stolen lawn gnome? Really pursuits in general put us at risk and crimnals will never stop..
California Officer in Pursuit hits car- http://www.officer.com/web/online/Top-News-Stories/California-Officer-in-Pursuit-Hits-Car/1$36471
Houston Officer in Pursuit hits car- http://www.click2houston.com/news/9533177/detail.html
Officer hurt after cycle hits car in vandal chase – http://www.allbusiness.com/crime-law-enforcement-corrections/law-police-forces/14341603-1.html
Another California transplant to Seattle. Busy working on how to bankrupt our state too?
Another California transplant to Seattle. Busy working on how to bankrupt our state too?
With all the security cams around, including on police cars, surely they were able to recover the license of the car in question. If not, why not?
My car was hit during this little spree last week and a few neighbors as well. We live on a nearby street adjacent to the park, many vehicles were prowled during this time and the neighborhood residents are frustrated. The frequency of these prowls are increasing, we file police reports and it continues.