Cops seek help from parents of teens suspected in string of robberies
SEATTLE -- How do you catch a crook who's a kid? Police here may have figured out a way.
When class gets out, problems start in one South Seattle neighborhood. Police say teenagers are sneaking into homes and stealing what they can. Neighbors call it an epidemic.
"Some of the kids, during the lunch hour, were actually breaking into people's homes in the Mount Baker area, just stealing whatever they had, whatever they could see from the window," said Sandra Congdon, who lives in the area.
Police have linked 13 teenagers to more than two dozen burglaries. But they don't have the proof they need to make arrests. So they're knocking on doors and meeting face-to-face with the kids' parents.
"Why not go in and talk to the parent or the guardian and say, 'Is there something that can be done? Are you aware of what we're aware of, and what we're seeing?"' said Capt. Les Leggins.
Getting parents involved, Liggins says, is key. While some moms and dads react with indifference or denial when officers knock on their door, others will do what it takes to steer their kid straight.
"This is a new approach. And so rather than doing nothing, we're going out and doing something," said Leggins.
Some neighbors are investing in surveillance cameras and security systems to protect their homes. They agree, if police can't take the thieves into custody, counseling their parents is the next best thing.
"And I think it's a good warning to the parents that 'hey, we know that your kid is doing this, and maybe you can get him out of trouble now,'" said ___.
When class gets out, problems start in one South Seattle neighborhood. Police say teenagers are sneaking into homes and stealing what they can. Neighbors call it an epidemic.
"Some of the kids, during the lunch hour, were actually breaking into people's homes in the Mount Baker area, just stealing whatever they had, whatever they could see from the window," said Sandra Congdon, who lives in the area.
Police have linked 13 teenagers to more than two dozen burglaries. But they don't have the proof they need to make arrests. So they're knocking on doors and meeting face-to-face with the kids' parents.
"Why not go in and talk to the parent or the guardian and say, 'Is there something that can be done? Are you aware of what we're aware of, and what we're seeing?"' said Capt. Les Leggins.
Getting parents involved, Liggins says, is key. While some moms and dads react with indifference or denial when officers knock on their door, others will do what it takes to steer their kid straight.
"This is a new approach. And so rather than doing nothing, we're going out and doing something," said Leggins.
Some neighbors are investing in surveillance cameras and security systems to protect their homes. They agree, if police can't take the thieves into custody, counseling their parents is the next best thing.
"And I think it's a good warning to the parents that 'hey, we know that your kid is doing this, and maybe you can get him out of trouble now,'" said ___.