Neighborhood Alert: Possible Prowling

A member recently wrote the Shore Club Board to report several suspicious behaviors witnessed within the Manor Neighborhood.  A young white male was observed coming out from between neighbor’s houses. He was a stranger and it seemed odd that he would be between the two houses.

Another neighbor lakeside on S 194th had a young man knock on his door and ask to come in and use the phone claiming his phone batter was dead. When told ‘No’ and denied entry, the kid left and quickly jumped into a car driven by another kid and took off. A third neighbor across the street said she had noticed 2 kids, strangers, driving around and stopping at houses.

Please be aware that this type of behavior is occurring in our area, be vigilant toward it and if you witness or encounter similar incidents, note the critical details (what was witnessed, gender, race, height, build, clothing, make/model of car if one is involved, and direction of travel) and call it in to report it.

If a crime is in progress or you have an emergency, of course call 911.  To report a neighborhood problem or a crime that is not an emergency, call the King County Sheriff's Office Communications and Dispatch Center at 206.296.3311, twenty-four (24) hours a day, 7 days a week.  You may request an officer to be dispatched to your location.

Something to Consider

Conversations regarding suspicious behaviors seem to nearly always include the question “at what point should we be reporting these suspicious strangers?” followed with concerns expressed about feeling uncomfortable reporting it as it may be considered insignificant and determined a waste of law enforcement time.

Don’t be the one to judge if it is a frivolous report or not - let the dispatcher on duty decide that.  If there are higher priority items, then of course an officer won't respond, however, if there is nothing going on they may just be sitting in a parking lot somewhere anyway! In the least a patrol drive by would increase police presence in the neighborhood - or let's say a crime had occurred earlier and they may still be looking for the suspects???

Use the "It Just Doesn't Look Right" rule. You know what is considered normal in your neighborhood, you know what doesn't look right - trust your instincts and CALL!   Law enforcement officials frequently voice concern about citizens hesitating or failing to report issues - Police Officials say they can't do anything if they don't know about it.

So our job as diligent citizens in effort to help curb crime: 

1. Be vigilant about what's occurring in your neighborhood
2. Be a good witness - observe and record accurate descriptions (gender, race, height, clothing, car make/model, etc.)
3. Call to report it.

One call might not be significant - several may indicate a pattern and prompt more patrols - even if it doesn't lead to an arrest, more police presence will discourage bad guys and gals from hanging around our hood.