Is crime really up? YES, but numbers are hard to come by.

November 6, 2010 by 2 Comments

[A summary, and a list of the good links to go follow, is included at the end of this post.]

Yes, there have been a lot of burglary-related posts on the Ravenna Blog lately. Enough that it prompted the following comment from a reader (via email):

A thought – how about a post comparing crime stats in Ravenna versus neighbouring areas? Me wife gets freaked out when she reads your posts on crimes so I’m looking for a little context.

A fair question.  Is crime really up? Or is it just that crime reporting is up?

Certainly, crime reporting is up here at the Ravenna Blog.  And, I’m here to tell you, this is in direct response to the increase in crime in the neighborhood over the past month.

I’m hoping to get some more specific historical data for our neighborhood, but here’s what North Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Diane Horswill had to say about the statistics about Ravenna for October (via email; emphasis mine):

I have attached a recap of burglaries and car prowls and would say that the Ravenna burglaries in particular [compared to Roosevelt’s] are somewhat higher than is average for the neighborhood especially since many areas are experiencing lower than average rates right now.

In the recap she mentioned, there were 12 burglaries in Ravenna in October. (Of the four car prowls mentioned, two of them occurred on Roosevelt Way, which I would not consider to be in Ravenna.) What the count was in October 2009, I do not know at this time. But Diane says that it is up, and that works for me, for now.

Mike at Maple Leaf Life made a valiant effort at trying to decode the statistics for his neighborhood at the city’s My Neighborhood – Crime Statistics site. I read the post (“The problem(s) with trying to track crime in Maple Leaf“), tried my hand at looking up old crime statistics myself, and had even worse luck than he did. Read his post (we share a police beat with Maple Leaf, so the post is rather pertinent to our crime cause as well) and have a go a finding the data yourself.

Failing finding actual numbers, another Seattle news site, with an emphasis on crime reporting, has mentioned the increase in burglaries as well.

Just yesterday, Seattle Crime posted a story about the rise in property crime in our area (“North end neighborhoods hit hard by burglars“), mentioning specifically “Roosevelt, Ravenna, and Maple Leaf neighborhoods.” Also mentioned in this post are a few more details as to who might be responsible for these burglaries in the first place.

Now, to sum up for emailer Matt and his wife, and everyone else:

  • Crime is definitely higher than normal in the neighborhood right now;
  • Other people see the uptick, too, (Seattle Crime “North end…” post);
  • It’s hard to find the hard data yourself (Maple Leaf Life “The problem(s)” post;
  • And having crime prevention coordinators around to help with this stuff is really fantastic…but they’re probably going away (“Crime Prevention Coordinators face the budget axe“).

______________________

Was this helpful?  Have more questions? Email me, or leave a comment below.

Filed Under: Everything counts in large amounts Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Burglary streak continuing in November

November 5, 2010 by 5 Comments

Just received an updated residential burglary list for Ravenna from Crime Prevention Coordinator Diane Horswill at the North Precinct of the Seattle Police Department.

I wish I could report some improvement.

This first one was reported to the Ravenna Blog on the day it happened (Burglaries take a holiday, then get right back to work):

11/01  7300blk 20th NE  the victim says that the suspect(s) there a brick through the glass in his back door and rifled his wife’s jewelry box and smashed a child’s piggy bank and stole the contents (about $30)

These next three (THREE?!) are new:

11/03  6800blk Ravenna Ave NE  the victim was away all day, when he returned he found that the air conditioner was removed from a back window allowing the suspect(s) to enter, an X-Box, games, a laptop and jewelry were stolen

11/04  8000blk 19th NE  the victim was gone for a few hours during the day, when she returned she found her kitchen door kicked in, the only item taken was a digital camera

11/04  1700blk NE 75th the victim came home to find that the suspect(s) had used a brick to break out her kitchen door window and then reached inside to unlock the door, a jewelry box with some jewelry in it was stolen

Seems like a good time to plug our Crime Prevention meeting on Tuesday, November 16th again.  Go back to this post to RSVP: You’re Invited: Crime Prevention Meeting on November 16.

I wish I had better news, Ravenna, I really do.

Filed Under: Everything counts in large amounts Tagged With: , , , , , ,

More burglaries hit the neighborhood (updated)

October 28, 2010 by 3 Comments

UPDATE (9:27 am): Steve also adds:

The thieves have been stealing laptops, jewelry and rifling through medicine cabinets, and it seems like they are pretty quick. The breakins seem to happen in the morning shortly after residents leave for work.

UPDATE (8:09 am): Here is a map of the area that Steve was talking about in his comment:

Portion of a Seattle Crime map showing area SE of Froula Park (click to go to full map at seattlecrime.com)

The incident represented by the blue dot above occurred on the 6700 block of 15th Ave NE on Tuesday, October 26th, and is the only burglary for which there is a full police report available, at this time.

When the homeowner arrived at home in the afternoon, he found a rear window smashed.  Handguns were discovered stolen, removed from a gun case that was broken into using the homeowner’s own tools from his garage.  Several rifles and assault weapons in the homeowner’s collection remained in the house, however. Also discovered missing was some cash, jewelry, a camera and an iPod.

____________________

Just received the following comment from Steve (in the “Bryant Elementary burglarized on Wednesday” post; excerpted here):

There have been a rash of recent burglaries around my neighborhood (73rd block of 16th Ave NE). There were 3 on the 26th, 2 yesterday, and 1 today. We just just had a block meeting to discuss steps for heightened vigilance & awareness. We’re also going to be meeting with a police rep.

There is no information on these burglaries yet available online (my site of choice) but I will update this post when/if the police reports become available.

Filed Under: Everything counts in large amounts Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,