Belfair                                   Susan Gibson &

            Evergreen                           Carrie Magnuson &

            Hilltop                                   Tom Luhman &

            Sunset                                  Amber Hansen &

            Vineyard-East                    Mike Tong & Nancy Cui

            Vineyard-West                 Axel Haug & Steve Knapp

THANK YOU to the many of you who were able to attend last week's meeting on safety and security with Detective Richard Chinn of the Bellevue Police Department. Below are notes taken from our session. There are many good tips in them - please look them over. Det. Chinn's slides will be sent when he shares them with us. BLOCK WATCH: we are delighted to re-start our Vuecrest Block Watch. Over a dozen of your neighbors have volunteered to get more involved in neighborhood safety and security. We are all grateful for these individuals stepping forward in support of their community! We have split the Vuecrest neighborhood into six Block Watch "zones". They are below, along with the people who've volunteered: Belfair Susan Gibson & Eileen Foley Evergreen Carrie Magnuson & Mary-Catherine Mead Hilltop Tom Luhman & Dianne Dodson Sunset Amber Hansen & Mary-Jo Fraser Vineyard-East Mike Tong & Nancy Cui Vineyard-West Axel Haug & Steve Knapp BLOCK WATCH EMAIL LIST: we have created an email list at blockwatch@vuecrest.net. If you have a safety or security concern or information you want to share with other people in Vuecrest interested in the topic, you can send email to blockwatch@vuecrest.net. Our block watch volunteers will use this list to keep people on their blocks informed and updated. People on this list will also receive periodic mailings from Detective Chinn on staying safe! Please opt-in to the <mailto:blockwatch@vuecrest.net> blockwatch@vuecrest.net mailing list by filling out a simple form on our web site, here: http://www.vuecrest.net/communicate/block-watch-signup Notes from the meeting are below. Notes - Vuecrest Safety and Security meeting - 12-Oct-2011 Host: Detective Richard Chinn, Bellevue PD. Solicitors - Don't open the door for anyone you don't know - DO respond and let them know you are there - Let them see you - and make clear you have the phone in your hand - Let them know you are home - Let them know you are not interested in whatever they have - Even people who come across well may be unscrupulous - Anyone can get a tape measure, a clipboard and grab some flyers for home improvement at a local home center store, and pose as a "contractor" - You have to make your own decision but it is best to not do business via your front door. Front door - DO NOT recommend a double-key deadbolt. Need to be able to get out quick if there is a fire. - Burglars will often knock on the front door in pretext of searching for (landscape, yard, painting, etc) work, and if nobody is home, break in. - Door needs to be secured all around. If you install a strong strike plate and long screws, put the long screws in the hinges also. - Kick-ins are usually the back door rather than the front door. Reinforcement of the back door will help. Neighborhood crimes - crimes of opportunity - car prowls - usually at night - putting valuables in the trunk doesn't help if you do it at your destination - it takes only 5 seconds to break into a car - a recycle bin makes a great ladder for the burglar - overgrown shrubbery is great cover for a burglar to get in - #1 destination - the master bedroom - they want to get your jewelry - Don't hide your jewelry anywhere in the master bedroom - Take pictures of valuable items, especially ones that show their uniqueness - Write down serial numbers of valuable electronic equipment - Examples - flat screen TV's, computers, Xboxes, Wii, etc - A small safe they will just take. A safe means "there is something valuable inside". - Never give a check to someone who goes door-to-door. Checks can easily be "washed" or duplicated or otherwise reproduced or re-used. - Gel-ink pen is considered more impervious to check "washing" Remove Opportunity for Crime - locking mailboxes - Mail in a mailbox tells criminals nobody is home - Pick up neighbors newspapers and put them out of sight - Keep shrubbery trimmed LOW - doors and windows should be clearly visible from street - Consider installing security film on windows - you can do it yourself or have it installed by a professional - Plant "hostile" (thorny) vegetation - Park in neighbor's driveway while they are on vacation to create appearance they are there - Don't leave garage door opener visible in the car - Consider installing high security lock sets - Consider installing large strike plates and minimum 4" long screws on entry doors - For sliding doors, get a Charlie Bar. A piece of wood is ineffective and unsafe in an emergency situation. - For solid doors, install a peephole. There are large peepholes available - Make it easy for the police to find you. House number should be plainly visible with high contrast, large letters - Consider using a "fake TV" - available for about $25 Car prowl prevention - lock your doors, use your alarm, don't store valuables in the car - park only in well lit, well traveled areas - remove any signs of electronic equipment Other prevention - leave lights on. It is inexpensive to have a light on. - A light on during the day, or curtains closed during the day, do not necessarily indicate someone is not home. They will usually knock on the door to see if you are home anyway. - Call 9-1-1. Police would rather hear from you than not. - Don't think twice about calling 9-1-1. The police are here for you. - Be active - be out front - If you smoke, have your smoke out front - have furniture out front and use it - Call 9-1-1 for anything that is unusual or out of the ordinary - the 9-1-1 dispatcher will determine if it is an emergency - Use a land line to call 9-1-1 when possible. Cell phone location is inexact and batteries can wear out Police Patrols - there are 942 lane miles of roads in Bellevue - YOU are the police's eyes and ears - YOU please call 9-1-1 when you see anything suspicious - The non-emergency number is also 9-1-1. It is OK - there are plenty of dispatchers - call 9-1-1, and tell them you have a non-emergency call. If you see something suspicious, you need to TELL SOMEONE. Block Watch WORKS - be aware of what's going on - It is a communication tool - It lets the neighborhood stay informed of what's going on - A knowing, caring neighborhood looks out for each other - if you know your neighbors, you will look out for them - get to know them. - Walk the neighborhood, notice the way things usually look, when they don't look right, reach out and see if something is wrong.