Just got this note from Terrie Johnston in Seattle Police Department Crime Prevention. She reviews the police incident reports on a daily basis and she noticed an alarming trend in our area:
Today upon reviewing the reported crime for Queen Anne and Magnolia, I noticed that in the past 7 days there were three vehicles stolen from Magnolia (Volvo SW; Toyota Highlander and an Acura Integra) and 4 vehicles stolen from Queen Anne (2 Subaru Legacys; KIA Rio; and a BMW). This is in addition to a theft of a license plate on Queen Anne, and several car prowls. I found that number of incidents to be abnormally high. I phoned the Auto Theft Sergeant and he said the number of Auto Thefts in Seattle are down, and have been decreasing steadily. In fact, we are at nearly 1/3 of the number of Auto Thefts which occurred in 2005. However, we agreed that there are some simple things we can do to try and prevent becoming a victim of auto theft.
This sergeant reports that he uses a steering wheel locking device on every car he owns, and he uses the device, every time he parks his car. These devices act as a good visual deterrent. They are just one more thing the thief has to disable in an attempt to steal the vehicle. There are also a variety of locking metal devices that can disable everything from your gearshift, gas pedal, brake pedal, hood, tires, etc.
Johnston also has these suggestions:
- If you have a garage, use it. Keep the garage and any other doors leading into the garage locked, and keep car doors locked inside the garage.
- Since more than 2/3 of all auto thefts occur at night, consider installing motion-sensitive lighting around car ports, driveways, parking spots on alleyways. Leave your front porch lights on from dusk until dawn.
Johnston says that cars are often stolen for parts and it can take an expert thief as little as seven seconds and one screwdriver to break into a vehicle, and less than one minute to drive away. She encourages neighbors to watch for anyone in your area who is looking into vehicles or checking door handles to see if they are locked. If you see suspicious activity, call 911.