Spike in South Seattle burglaries has residents on edge
SEATTLE -- A recent spike in burglaries and home invasions has residents in several South Seattle neighborhoods on edge.
As thieves become bolder, residents in neighborhoods such as Beacon Hill say they have to get creative to preserve their way of life, and they won't rule out taking matters into their own hands.
Beacon Hill residents Ann McCormick and her partner, Wayne Tedder, say they'll never forget the feeling of coming home one night and realizing that someone else had already been inside.
"The reality is, is that it's just a situation you have to deal with, just another part of life," Tedder said.
After kicking in their door, the thieves wandered through the house looking for valuables, even stealing McCormick's grandma's engagement ring.
"And then they took my photography equipment, and my laptop, tablet. I use it all (because) I'm a speech language pathologist and I use all that equipment in my job, and they took it all," McCormick said.
According to the Southeast Seattle Crime Prevention Council, thieves are casing houses from their cars. In several recent burglaries, a silver 4-door Monte Carlo with tinted windows was seen driving away.
"It's the behavior of the vehicle, or whoever's driving it. That they're sitting, idling on various streets -- driving around slowly -- its not one of their neighbors cars," said SSCPC's Pat Murakami.
Since the break in, McCormick and Tedder have spent thousands of dollars on cameras, door jams and various security upgrades, including buying a stun gun.
Even with their new security measures, McCormick said she won't rule out using deadly force.
"I've never been into guns before, but now I'm starting to think more carefully about how to protect myself, because the truth is it could definitely happen," she said.
McCormick said everyone should back up their home computer with an external hard drive, just in case you're burglarized. She also advised getting a safe and not leaving checkbooks or wallets lying out in the open.
As thieves become bolder, residents in neighborhoods such as Beacon Hill say they have to get creative to preserve their way of life, and they won't rule out taking matters into their own hands.
Beacon Hill residents Ann McCormick and her partner, Wayne Tedder, say they'll never forget the feeling of coming home one night and realizing that someone else had already been inside.
"The reality is, is that it's just a situation you have to deal with, just another part of life," Tedder said.
After kicking in their door, the thieves wandered through the house looking for valuables, even stealing McCormick's grandma's engagement ring.
"And then they took my photography equipment, and my laptop, tablet. I use it all (because) I'm a speech language pathologist and I use all that equipment in my job, and they took it all," McCormick said.
According to the Southeast Seattle Crime Prevention Council, thieves are casing houses from their cars. In several recent burglaries, a silver 4-door Monte Carlo with tinted windows was seen driving away.
"It's the behavior of the vehicle, or whoever's driving it. That they're sitting, idling on various streets -- driving around slowly -- its not one of their neighbors cars," said SSCPC's Pat Murakami.
Since the break in, McCormick and Tedder have spent thousands of dollars on cameras, door jams and various security upgrades, including buying a stun gun.
Even with their new security measures, McCormick said she won't rule out using deadly force.
"I've never been into guns before, but now I'm starting to think more carefully about how to protect myself, because the truth is it could definitely happen," she said.
McCormick said everyone should back up their home computer with an external hard drive, just in case you're burglarized. She also advised getting a safe and not leaving checkbooks or wallets lying out in the open.
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