Shoreline stand-off

By now, you've probably heard about the police stand-off that occurred overnight in Shoreline. According to news reports, it started around six in the evening, when a man in a house near 150th and Densmore was reported to be threatening family members and friends with knives. He barricaded himself in the home when police contacted him, and when officers tried to enter the house, fired a shot.

More about the situation can be read on the Northwest Cable News website.

Did you hear or see anything during this incident? Let us know in the comments!

Photo by PicsByCam

A warning about identity theft in Shoreline

A Meridian Park neighbor says she's just had an experience with identity theft and wants to let everyone in the area know what happened.

She says her February bank statement was stolen from her mailbox and sent to London, where the thief extended her credit, emptied her accounts, and tried to change the address of record -- which is when the bank finally got in touch with her. That's how she found out what was going on. She says it all happened really quickly and no other mail was missing. She reported it to the police and they (the police) say that it sounds like a very professional job.

Back in January we posted an article about people snooping around in mailboxes here in Shoreline. You can read that article here. (it includes contact information for Shoreline Police)

More local police activity

Two police vehicles are inspecting a black Chevy Blazer that appears to have been abandoned on Midvale, where it ends at the Interurban Trail. The Blazer has Harley Davidson floormats and steering wheel cover.

They were not amenable to answering questions; one officer, when asked if they were looking for the same person who police were looking for on Friday, answered that they were looking for "several people" and that further questions should be directed to the other officer. The other officer, however, said that he was too busy to answer questions. They appeared to be in the process of photographing the inside of the vehicle.

Down the road just a bit, one of the blue street reflectors was broken and bits were scattered around, as if it had been done recently, but it's unknown whether this was related to the vehicle.

Moments later, two other police cars approached the area, one with lights on. The other turned to circle the block. Anyone near that area know what's going on? You can leave anonymous comments below if you like!

UPDATE:
Accoriding to the Shoreline police, the vehicle was stolen. The police are looking for two white males, in their 40s to 50s, one wearing a green jacket. If you see anyone suspicious, call the Shoreline police at (206) 296-3311 (and of course, 911 if it's an emergency).

Possible mail theft in Shoreline?

We had a report yesterday that someone saw a black Jeep Cherokee driving up a residential street in the Meridian Park neighborhood, stopping at mailboxes and opening and closing them. The person who witnessed this checked their mailbox shortly thereafter, and found it empty. It's not certain that any mail was stolen, but it is disturbing to think that someone is poking around in mailboxes at all.

If you have seen any similar incidents, or have been missing mail, please report it to the Shoreline police department. Also, remember to keep an eye on your credit card statements, as mail theft is often the first step in identity theft.

Contact info for the Shoreline police department:

Shoreline Police Station
1206 N. 185th St.
Shoreline, WA 98133
(206) 801-2710

After Hours: Call 911 or non-emergency (206) 296-3311

Anonymous TIP Line - To help solve crimes, not report crimes
(206) 801-2755

Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

UPDATE: This information was passed on to us by the Echo Lake Neighborhood Association, who recived it from the Shoreline police department, regarding burglaries in the area:

Blockwatch Captains,

Shoreline Police would like your help in being more vigilant and aware of suspicious cars and or people in your neighborhoods, due to a slight increase in Burglaries within the last couple weeks.

The burglaries are occurring both daytime or nighttime. The MO is to either kick in the door or use a pry type tool to gain entry. Possible suspect vehicles include a white or tan "work" type van as well as a car(s) described as similar to a Camry.

We value our Blockwatch members and the extra eyes and ears they can add to assist in apprehending criminals!

Do NOT investigate or approach suspicious people; DO call 911 immediately. Remember, be the best witness possible!

Officer L.D. Obstler
Shoreline Police
West Neighborhood Storefront
624 NW Richmond Beach Rd.
Shoreline, WA 98177

Tips on preventing mail theft and identity theft.


Photo: Mailboxes, by dvs

Body of 17-year-old found in Lake Ballinger

On Tuesday, October 21, police pulled the body of 17-year-old Britney R. Galindez from the waters of Lake Ballinger. The Seattle P.I. reports that Britney, also known by the nickname "Hyper," had last been seen on October 13 at the Northgate Transit Station to Everett. Her family had already filed a missing person report, but had not heard from her since then.

Other reports linked her to local gangs. Britney had called police earlier this year, saying she was being recruited to join the street gang Mara Salvatrucha by member Sarah Black, who had been convicted as the driver in a south Everett shooting in June of this year. That shooting, in turn, was believed to be retaliation for a shooting at the Northgate Mall in Seattle last February.

Link to Seattle P.I. article here.

Crime in Shoreline

Last night, a car was broken into on N. 180th Street and a few personal items were stolen. The car's owner also mentioned having seen damaged mailboxes in the area, and wondered whether they might be related. I've seen some mailboxes which had broken-off doors; have any readers had that problem? Any car break-ins?

The city of Shoreline's police department will no doubt be interested in any evidence or reports of crimes; to reach them you can call (206) 546-6730 between 8 am and 5 pm or (206) 296-3311 after hours; send email to pd@ci.shoreline.wa.us; or of course call 911 in case of an emergency. The department also has an anonymous tip line: (206) 546-7861. They ask that you use one of the above numbers to report a crime, and only call the tip line if you have clues which might help the police solve a crime.

You can download PDF crime maps showing crimes committed by the month in Shoreline on the city website, here, though they are a few months behind (the most recent is from July of this year).

Link to: City of Shoreline police department
Link to: Shoreline Crime Maps page

Shoreline Historical Museum presents Our Wicked Past

Continuing through September 20th at the Shoreline Historical Museum, check out an exhibit called "Our Wicked Past" and learn about crimes in the untamed Northwest King County of the early to mid-1900's.

Then, on Saturday September 20th at 1:00pm crime historian Tom Hitzroth will discuss a local cold case file (the Kenmore Bridge Murder) and its possible solution.

Here are a few photos of the exhibit.

A display about bootlegging

Echo Lake Tavern was built by a bootlegger!

Link to: Shoreline Historical Museum exhibits information

National Night Out Against Crime: Tonight! Aug 5, 2008

This neighborhood event information is from the City of Shoreline's website:

Hillwood Neighborhood Association
Ice cream social
Hillwood Park, 19001 3rd Ave NW
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Richmond Beach Community Association
Hot dog barbeque and community gathering
Richmond Beach Community Park, 2201 NW 197th St
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Westminster Triangle Network
Community barbeque, games and potluck
Linden Avenue N between N 148th & N 149th
5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Ballinger Neighborhood Association
Community gathering and dessert
Bruggers Bog Park, 19553 25th Ave NE
6:30 - 8:00 p.m

If you know of a Night Out event in Shoreline that's not listed here, please let us know. And if you have anything to say about the National Night Out event, feel free to sound off in the comments section.

Neighborhood Associations of Shoreline

This map is from the City's website

Shoreline is comprised of 14 individual neighborhoods and the City of Shoreline has a "Neighborhoods Program." According to the City's website, the program "promotes a mutually beneficial working relationship between the City and its neighborhoods through information and community awareness programs."

There is some good information posted to the City's website, including contact information for each neighborhood association. Also, Shoreline Police provide monthly crime maps indicating the most common property crimes in Shoreline. You can find links to that stuff and more by starting at the City's Neighborhoods Program webpage (link below).

Not every Neighborhood Association in Shoreline has a webpage, but following are links to the ones that do. If your neighborhood isn't listed here, it's because your neighborhood association doesn't have a website. In that case, check the City's webpage for contact information.

Link to: Ballinger Neighborhood Association

Link to: Briarcrest Neighborhood Association

Link to: Echo Lake Neighborhood Association

Link to: Highland Terrace Neighborhood Association

Link to: Hillwood Neighborhood Association

Link to: Innis Arden Club, Inc.

Link to: Meridian Park Neighborhood Association

Link to: Richmond Beach Community Association

Link to: Ridgecrest Neighborhood Association

Link to: City of Shoreline Neighborhoods (look here if your neighborhood is not listed above)

Link to: City of Shoreline Neighborhoods Program

If any of the above information is inaccurate, or if your neighborhood association DOES have a website that's not listed here, please let us know!