Crime & Safety

Neighborhood on Alert Following Reported Suspicious Solicitors in Area

Residents in the area of 244th Avenue S.E. and S.E. 400th Street, concerned about a rise in break-ins, have reported several instances of suspicious activity in connection to door-to-door solicitors.

The King County Sheriff's Office has received several complaints about people representing themselves as Kirby vacuum salespeople particularly in the area of 244th Avenue S.E. and S.E. 400th Street, according to a Sheriff's official.

The subjects of those complaints have been stopped by deputies and identified, said Sgt. Cindi West. Investigators are checking the fingerprints of those who were stopped against their database of fingerprints that were taken from burglaries in the area, she said.

Meanwhile, there is no hard connection at this time between the Kirby salespeople and any area crimes, West said.

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Still, residents' concerns are understandable so the Sheriff's Office provided the following tips for keeping your home and yourself safe.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (the goal is to make your house unattrative to burglars so they don't target your house):

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  1. Bushes and tress that obstruct the street view of windows and doors should be removed or trimmed back. If windows and doors are blocked, it makes it easy for a burglar to be concealed while breaking in.
  2. Consider installing exterior lighting for your home. Motion sensors are recommended because they don't use much energy. You can also install lighting that comes on automatically at dusk and turns off at dawn. A well-lit exterior is a good deterrent.
  3. If you're out of town, have someone pick up your mail and papers. Keep a radio on in the house and have exterior lights turn on at dusk.
  4. Install a peephole in your door so you can see who's there. "One theme we are seeing with burglars is that they will knock on a door first to see if anyone answers. If someone answers then they will make up some reason why they are there, salesman etc. If no one answers they will go around to the back of the house and break in. If you are home alone and do not want to answer the door but want to make sure the person knows someone is home you can tell the person that you 'are not interested in buying anything' or 'your husband is on the phone' or some other excuse so they think others are home too. KEEP IN MIND THAT JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE KNOCKS ON YOUR DOOR DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE NOT A LEGITIMATE SALES PERSON."
  5. Lock all doors and windows when you leave, even if you're only planning to be gone for a short time.
  6. Alarms can be installed in your home but remember they are only a deterrent. Most alarm companies won't come to your house to see if a break-in has occurred and when they do respond, it might be quite a while after the alarm has gone off. The Sheriff's Office will respond to audible and silent burglar alarms but response times may vary depending on the circumstances.
  7. Talk to your neighbors. Many neighborhoods have people who work from home or are retired. If you're going to be out of town, let a neighbor know so they know if they should expect people at your house while you're gone.
  8. If you see something suspicious, call police. "We sometimes hear, after the fact, that someone saw something suspicious but they discounted it or did not want to bother the police with something that seemed so minor at the time. We are happy to respond and to check out the situation." Call 911 or the Sheriff's Office's non-emergency number at 206-296-3311 if you have questions. Β 


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