You hear the talk show hosts saying our city is out of control.  Dave Ross, most mornings on KIRO, lists the car break-ins, thefts and burglaries that took place over the last 24 hours. You’d think Mad Max was running the place.

This past Sunday morning, my wife and I headed out to do some shopping. But when we got to the car, my door wasn’t completely closed. The contents of the glove box was everywhere and some things were missing–a flashlight, a phone charging cord, etc.  Fortunately, all the car’s paperwork was still there–registration, dealer papers and such.

We cleaned things up, started backing up and then I thought, “I wonder if they took anything off the carport?” Sure enough, the pressure washer I had used recently to clean off the front of the house, was gone.

In the grand scheme of things, as robberies go, I got off pretty lucky. Yes, I was pissed as hell. The idea that some druggie was out scrounging in our carport feet from our bedroom at 4am in the morning makes me want to set up bear traps.

But things happen for a reason. So I’ll just assess what happened, what I learned and use the occasion to grow.

My Ring Doorbell–Seriously, best security investment ever. It cost a couple of hundred dollars, but it’s the eye on the front porch that they don’t suspect.  That’s how I knew the scoundrel was doing his dirty deeds from 4:23am-4:38am. The motion-detection feature grabs video of anyone coming into view of the front door.  Yes, it was too dark to make out the suspect, but it did give me time parameters and allowed me to listen to my pressure washer being wheeled down the driveway.

The Police Report–Sure, I did this, despite the fact I’ve heard multiple times it just doesn’t do any good. I actually called in two times, eventually getting a very nice person who gave me the option of having an officer come out, someone calling me or doing the form online. I went with what was behind door number three and filled out the form.  You know, it makes you wonder how many crimes are NOT reported, since the police even state on that form words to the effect of , “Yeah, nothing is going to probably happen.”  And the typo’s on the form made me wonder, “Do they even really look at these?”  Unless dis and undertsand are up & coming words.

Let The Neighbors Know–Our little neighborhood is pretty quiet and we know almost everyone on the block. Therefore, let them know you were ripped off. You may find out that they also had something stolen and helps make people keep an eye out for those who you don’t recognize around the hood.

It would be easy to dismiss this incident as just the price of living in the city. But it’s just another of many examples of how Seattle needs some serious fixing. I will take care of my property and take steps to prevent anything like that from happening again (or at least catch a good picture of them next time). It’s just a shame anyone should have to go through something like this in the first place.

Tim Hunter