|
|
|
|
Following the presentation to Diane, the meeting was immediately
turned over to the featured guests of the evening - CSI Seattle! Absent
the haunting refrains of “who are you” (CSI’s theme), Detective Mark Hanf introduced Detectives
Brian Stample and Don Ledbetter, also from the Seattle CSI team. The first order of business was to make clear that the real world
of CSI forensics is a far cry from the three weekly TV presentations.
None of the crimes are solved in an hour! Unlike the TV version, the real work of the CSI is NOT glamorous. In fact it
tends to be a little dirty. There
are lots of dumpster diving, blood evidence
to be collected, and toilets to be plumbed. All too often the crimes that the CSI Unit
gets called to are in areas that are, well let’s just say “seedy” (and you’ll not find any Seattle CSI in the
field in a Nordstrom suit). However, much like the popular program on the tube, the unit does
have a lot of “goodies” to play with.
For starters, they have three cargo vans filled with tools to
aid in their investigations (very
plain vans - no tricked out show cars). The unit also has a lab
with a wide variety of forensic test equipment.
The CSI’s brought
with them a selection of the tools most often used in the collection
of evidence. We got to look at
things like the device that emits light of different frequencies (looks
a little like a small vacuum cleaner and costs about $15,000.00), and
another device
allows the CSI to find fingerprints that are invisible to the eye without
“dusting” an entire car or room. The
unit uses LOTS of film (as many as 20 rolls of 24 exposures per crime
scene). Areas of investigation are captured on celluloid
film as well as digital photography - and ALL the images are kept! (Even the ones that get screwed up.) There are special kits
for the collection of blood samples, footprints, and DNA (Deoxyribo-Necluic Acid. just so you’ll know). A
valid DNA sample is just 1.0ng. (REAL small). Before the Unit was formed, the personnel that were to make up the unit engaged
in 8 1/2 weeks of training from the Captain Oliver had a few words for us also. The
Auto theft epidemic is getting out of hand.
We are up from 450 units to 600 per month. (That’s a lot of stolen cars.) A big part of this problem
seems to be in the court system (JUDGES!) that will not put the offenders
in jail. A car thief has to be
CAUGHT at least seven times before they will ever see the inside of
a cell (and even then it will not be for an extended length of time). Part
of the problem is that these crimes are being charged as a felony. Conviction brings at most a year in prison (complete
with basket ball, TV, exercise rooms, shop classes, three meals, movies
and other forms of entertainment). There is a move afoot to
have these crooks charged with multiple misdemeanors, and that would
mean “JAIL’ time (without any of the
amenities of prison life). There is also a movement afoot to petition the
City Council to support this idea and identify
those judges that keep turning crooks back on to the street or offer
“alternative sentencing.” (YOU do get to VOTE for them, or against.) A letter
should be forthcoming. We’ll
be hearing much more about this at next month’s meeting (from Tom Carr?). Another great example might be the recent shooting incident over
on I think there might be trouble brewing between the Cops and the
Courts. Stay tuned, eh? The following report was presented by Diane Horswill, Crime Prevention
Coordinator (a 30-year veteran
of the Seattle Police Department). Again, this pertains to
the ongoing problem of auto thefts. REDUCING AUTO THEFTS: Auto theft rates in They have learned to take a car key, modify or shave the key cuts so that, in effect, it
becomes a universal key for that particular model and age range. As a result, they are able to open the door
and start the engine as quickly and easily as the owner, thus avoiding
the hassle of breaking in, hot-wiring the ignition and possibly arousing
suspicion in the process. Owners tend to be a little more casual about the security of older,
lesser value or
second cars.
Do not leave a spare or valet key in the glove
box or anywhere else in the car, as it is likely to be used to steal
the car. If you are lucky enough to have a garage,
be sure to use it. As with car break-ins, most auto thefts happen
overnight and often they are the same thieves who commit both crimes. They often steal a car and drive it to another
area in order to break into other cars. They then
continue the cycle by dumping or trading the first car and stealing
another to get to the next neighborhood and so on. It is not unusual for an
active thief to steal several cars a night. They know
that the longer they keep a
hot
car, the greater the chance of getting caught, and since it’s so easy to steal another, why not?
Stolen cars are also involved in other crimes
but the bottom line remains the same; they are being used as a means
of temporary transportation. License plate thefts are also common, especially the theft of the
front plate only. The thief will steal a plate from a car that matches,
in color and model, a car he has stolen and install the new plate on
the stolen car. Since many car owners do not report the theft
or loss of one plate, this gives the thief extra time to drive the stolen
car. Keep an eye on your plates and be sure to
report the theft or loss of one as well as both plates. While most stolen cars are eventually recovered, they can sit at
the place they were left by the thief for weeks, or until a neighbor
notices the car does not belong on the block and calls it in to Parking
Enforcement as an abandoned car. In addition to the inconvenience, stolen cars
are often damaged or vandalized. Police often
catch auto thieves but, unfortunately, they do not spend much time in
jail. Gone are the days when
Grand
Theft Auto meant years behind bars. With jail
overcrowding, and a high standard of proof required to prosecute, those
who commit property crimes serve much less time than those convicted
for offenses that include violence. There are some fairly simple things you can do to help protect your car from theft. One is buying (and using!) a steering wheel blocking device. The Club is one example but there are several brands. It’s not that they are so inherently strong that they can’t be cut off, but few thieves wish to take the time or carry tools. It is much easier to go to the next Honda Civic or Toyota Camry that isn’t protected. The other advantage of this type of device is that it is visible from a distance. Another choice is an ignition cut-off switch that can be installed in a hidden but accessible location near the driver’s seat. The driver must flip the switch before the
engine can be started. These devices are moderate in price. Finally,
there are alarm systems, which work quite well. Newer systems
take advantage of better technology and fewer annoying false alarms.
If you have a high risk, older car with an
alarm system you may wish to augment with a steering wheel device, cut-off
switch, or update the alarm. Lastly, it is common for owners of lower value cars to reduce their
insurance to minimum coverage. But if your car is damaged
as part of being stolen, which happens frequently, you may suffer a
considerable loss. Consider retaining your comprehensive coverage,
perhaps with, a higher deductible. Welcome
| Local Interest |
Neighborhood in Action |
