HomeMy WebLinkAboutFS 2010-01-20 Item 2C - Discussion - Residential BurglariesTO:
CONCLUSION
City of Tukwila
INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM
Mayor Haggerton
Finance Safety Committee
FROM: Mike Villa, Assistant Chief of Police
DATE: January 11, 2010
SUBJECT: Residential Burglaries
ISSUE
Increase in residential burglaries
BACKGROUND AND CURRENT SITUATION
Jim Haggerton, Mayor
The Police Department tracks crime trends on an ongoing basis. In late October we identified a
significant rise in the number of residential burglaries. In fact we experienced 39 residential
burglaries in October, more than we have had in any one month for the past five years. These
burglaries were spread throughout the city. We arrested subjects in four cases, including one
where a suspect confessed to several other burglaries.
In November residential burglaries dropped to 26. The majority of the burglaries were
concentrated north of 518, south of 599, and west of 15. We focused our efforts on
investigations, information gathering, and development of a strategy.
In December we began implementation of a multi- facetted strategy. One objective was to
increase the general public's awareness through crime prevention efforts such as a block watch
that was initiated in the Cascade neighborhood and flyers that were distributed to apartment
managers and other critical locations. Other facets of the strategy are to utilize investigation
and enforcement tactics to attempt to identify and arrest burglary Given the
sensitivities of the investigative and enforcement strategies, those will not be covered in detail in
this memorandum. The execution of this strategy is ongoing.
In December we had 21 residential burglaries. We finished the year with 220 and have made
14 arrests from those cases.
Residential burglaries are a problem. During our analysis phase, we became aware that many
of our neighboring jurisdictions have also seen a significant rise in residential burglaries.
SeaTac, Burien, and Seattle have all seen an increase in this area of crime. We are working
with these agencies, the King County Prosecutor's office, and other entities to address this
crime trend. Furthermore, we have dedicated resources and reprioritized workload in an effort
to reduce residential burglaries in our city. We will continue to analyze the situation and adjust
our strategy as needed.