January 31, 2010

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Fairwood Area Safety Updates
for January

Fairwood's Deputy Sam Shirley shares some news and trends that should be of concern to all our neighbors.

Common sense, watchful eyes, and incorporating some practical tips will keep your homes and our neighborhoods safer.

December Crime Recap
Residential burglaries increased from seven in November to twelve in December.  A third of these burglaries were due to unlocked doors or windows.  Take a minute to check your house and ensure it is securely locked before you leave. 

There were four thefts of mail. Mail theft is another crime of opportunity. 
If you are mailing something, bring it to the Post Office or a large, secure mailbox in Fairwood Center.  The larceny events, specifically, thefts of purses can be prevented by only taking your cash, credit or debit card into the store and leaving your purse secure at home or locking it in your trunk (before you get to the store’s parking lot).  There have been thefts of delivered packages in the area.  Thieves follow UPS vehicles and take packages from the front of homes when the package remains outside.

If you are expecting a package to be delivered and cannot be home during the day, see if there is a neighbor who is home during these hours who can pick up for you. 

There were three stolen vehicles this month, up two from last month.  Do not leave your vehicle running in the morning, it is too easy for someone to break into the vehicle and be gone in seconds.  Most of the vandalism events were rocks thrown through car windows.  Do not park in the street if you can park in your driveway.  Do not park in the driveway if you can park in the garage.  Don’t give the vandals the opportunity to damage your vehicle. 

Cold Weather Safety Tips
With temperatures this month having already been down into the teens I thought some cold weather safety tips might be in order.  Being prepared is more than half the battle to stay safe when Mother Nature is on the offensive. 

Power Outages

• Don’t run generator inside house or garage
• Don’t run generator near doors or windows or intake vents
• Don’t heat your house with your barbeque grill
• Keep food on hand, extra blankets, batteries, flashlights, etc…
• Be careful using candles.  Keep them away from combustibles
• Keep a week’s supply of your medications
• Check batteries, smoke detectors / carbon monoxide detectors

Cold Weather Vehicle Tips

• Keep vehicles gas tanks full
• Keep food and water in vehicles
• Keep extra clothes and blankets in vehicles
• Bring Cell Phone and charger in vehicles
• Four Wheel drive vehicles are not exempt from the laws of physics.  Please drive safely.

Sex Offender Website - OffenderWatch®
Provided below is a link to the King County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender website.
http://www.sheriffalerts.com/cap_main.php?office=54473

Blockwatch Captains List
I am currently attempting to establish a list of Blockwatch Captains in the Fairwood area.  If you are a Blockwatch Captain, or know one, please email me with the information at Samuel.shirley@kingcounty.gov 

Take a Stand Against Crime – Join a Neighborhood Watch
Neighborhood Watch, Block Watch, Town Watch, Building Watch, Crime Watch

Whatever the name, it’s one of the most effective and least costly ways to prevent crime and reduce fear. Neighborhood Watch fights the isolation that crime both creates and feeds upon. It forges bonds among area residents, helps reduce burglaries and robberies, and improves relations between police and the communities they serve. 

If you are interested in starting a neighborhood watch please contact me (Sam Shirley) at the Fairwood Storefront Office.  The number is (206) 296-3846.   

Washington Statewide Victim Information & Notification Service
The Washington Statewide Victim Information & Notification Service will tell you if an offender is in custody and will give you other important custody information.  This service will also let you leave a phone number where you want to be called automatically when that offender is released, transferred, escapes or dies.

You can register for this service from a touch-tone phone at 1-877-846-3492 or go to www.vinelink.com and follow the directions.

*Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs