An 11th Ave E man returned from a business trip last week to discover his front door was not unlocked like he left it two days earlier. Inside, he found his home ransacked and his flat screen television, an expensive wrist watch and other items were missing from the house. According to the police report on the incident, someone had smashed open a basement window to gain entry. The police could not sweep for finger prints because the man had come in contact with much of the potential evidence before police arrived.
You might think that an area like north Capitol Hill with its expensive homes would be a prime target for burglars but a successful residential burglary in the area is actually a relative rarity so far this year.
This map of all 2010 residential burglaries on the Hill investigated by SPD shows just how few have occurred within the ring between Interlaken and Aloha and 10th and 24th Avenues. Of the ones that are mapped, several were callouts for signs that somebody had unsuccessfully attempted to bust in like a broken window or a damaged door.
With warmer weather, SPD says the number of home break-ins usually increases — maybe one reason not to be too sad about our grey skies. We recently featured a list from the department of summertime burglary prevention tips. Here it is again.
SPD Summertime Tips:
It is not unusual to see an increase in residential burglaries during the summer months. With the warmer temperatures, we want to open our windows and enjoy the fresh breezes. Unfortunately, these open windows and doors can be an opportune time for a burglar to strike We are still recommending leaving your windows locked, especially when you are away from the house. If you absolutely need the windows to be open, find a way to pin the windows open (no more than four-inches). Putting a shorter dowel in the track of your sliding door/windows would work, and many of the vinyl windows have locks in the tracks allowing windows to be blocked yet open. Or pins can be purchased to screw onto the tracks of your windows.
Remember, that if you are in the back yard gardening or having a bar-b-que, you may not hear nor see someone slip into the front room. Keep your doors locked, even when you are home.
One Seattle burglar, recently arrested on Queen Anne told Burglary detectives that he likes to walk around the neighborhood during the day, merely looking into windows to see if there is any merchandise he wants. If so, this will be his next target. So I am now recommending leaving blinds down in the rooms that have your electronics; or your home office which might be home to your safe, mail, banking statements, etc.
Many of us have remodel projects during the dry weather. This brings strangers onto the block, with unknown vehicles and tools. As a result, neighbors can get complacent about strangers in the neighborhood, and consequently won’t report a possible burglar if they see one. Please remember you can use 9-1-1 to report suspicious activity. Be prepared to share details w/the call taker and explain what is abnormal in what you are reporting. Watchful neighbors remain your best alarm! Burglars like secluded backyards, so keep your shrubbery trimmed to allow neighbors natural surveillance.
If you will be gone on vacation please check that all doors and windows are securely locked before you leave. If you have an alarm system, make sure it is activated when you leave. Use automatic timers on interior lights. A timer can also be used on a portable radio. Photo electric cells screwed into the light socket of your front and back porch lights will “automatically” turn lights on/off depending on the level of darkness. Make sure items such as children’s toys, ladders, tools, lawn furniture, etc. are put away. Inform a trusted neighbor about your vacation plans. Your neighbor can gather newspapers, mail, etc for you during your absence. Have someone park their car in your driveway and use your garbage/recycling bins while you are gone.
Granted I don’t know the exact house this happened to, but not everyone that lives in this neighborhood is “fancy-pants.” I live there, but I rent and am poor.
But I am lucky!
Then consider yourself lucky that the burglars will probably just skip you.
They don’t (knock on wood) rob our house because our house is the “worst” on the block. No goodies to steal here!
But yes, still lucky.
Work hard, make money, and you can rub elbows with us. Hard to fit in when you’re up to no good in N Cap Hill, we can spot an outsider a mile away. We’re the reason you little people get all your urban benefits, you see my tax bill lately? Might be more than most of you make in a year! Now quit pointing out the relative safety we enjoy and talk about the shady side of the hill. We have lattes to drink.
If it were up to me the neighborhood would be fenced ala Broadmoor!
I don’t like “Fancy Pants” either. Not many would use that term to describe where they live… although maybe Mr. FP would! My pants are not fancy. How about a contest to rename the place?
Some of the people in nice houses are also up to no good (and some of these can cause a lot more harm than a burglar).
We do keep our eyes open though. So don’t drive over here from Bellevue and try to start anything.
This is really funny because there are actually idiots who sound like this in the neighborhood.
don’t think because you’re not fancy you won’t get robbed. there is always someone out there that will take your last dime, and even stupid crap that you wouldn’t think anyone would want. It happened to me and I was surprised what they took. the bigger problem was the property damage they caused trying to get in just to find out there’s nothing worth taking. and my house even looks crappy.
It seems Fancy Pants as an adjective, even a self deprecating one, has been pretty much been exhausted by now.
I-5 Shores needs to go away too.
Fancy Pants and I-5 Shores are a pretty ingrained part of CHS history, so they aren’t going anywhere. Frankly, I still think I-5 Shores is brilliant. The urban legend is that an out-of-town overnight guest was staying in an apartment near I-5 and said “I love waking up to the sound of the ocean.”
It’s very sad to see someone sit behind a computer screen and make snide comments about someone else’s woes. You could have just reported the robbery, in order to alert everyone, without adding your judgmental biased ugly comments. I’m sure this family feels bad enough about being violated without you doing it again. Grow up.
We’ve been calling it Fancy Pants for a long time. Nothing ugly intended. The neighborhood nickname thing isn’t worth upsetting so many people over. Is it time to change the names? Drop nicknames? Maybe we’ll just go with GPS coordinates from here on out.
I’m one of the Fancy Pants haters. I cringe every time I hear/read it. It comes off as very snobby, especially when you live in the least fancy parts of the ‘hood. I know it’s a joke and not intended to do harm, but it is a bit of a(n unintentional) slap in the face to people whose pants are fancy who live in the northeast part of the Hill.
I like the nicknames, but I personally refer to that neighborhood as “West Bellevue”.
Jeez, people – it’s just an amusing little name. It means nothing, other than being inspired by the fact that the NE corner has the biggest, FANCIEST houses on the hill.
I smile a little every time I hear it, and I’d be bummed if CHS stopped using it.
If you can’t laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at? Get over it guys, keep up the nicknames. I-5 shores = hilarious!
As I understand it the area is the Stevens neighborhood. North of Aloha is outside the neighborhood planning area and North Capitol Hill, at least as far as that quasi neighborhood association goes, starts further north than that.
Here is the CHS neighborhood map: http://tinyurl.com/5pys4l
The Fancy Pants includes the old “Millionaires Row”, the original Capitol Hill subdivision of grand houses with wide back alleys and on beyond into the big houses of Montlake by Interlaken Park.
It’s not all fancy, but it’s pretty fancy. ;)