To lock or not to lock? It’s a tricky question being pondered by many in the Wedgwood-View Ridge area, which seems to be experiencing a rash of car prowls lately.
In the early morning hours of last Friday, prowlers hit 15 cars between NE 80th Street and NE 88th Street on both sides of 35th Avenue NE, according to one victim who got the information from police that morning.
The victim, who lives on NE 83rd Street, is a “non-locker” — in other words, doesn’t lock his car doors at night. It has worked for him for about 12 years, although he says his car also has been rummaged through about once a year during that time. He’s never had any items taken, other than spare change, because he doesn’t keep anything of value in the car. The most recent incident resulted in him ruminating about the locking question in an email thoughtfully titled, “The Peregrinations of a Wedgwood Prowler.”
Block Watches in both Wedgwood and View Ridge have circulated the email. The locking question was the subject of another email from a View Ridge resident in the 6500 block of 48th Avenue NE who said her neighbor’s car was prowled recently and thieves found the family’s garage door opener. They opened the garage but nothing appeared to be missing. The same neighbor reported a car prowl early Sunday in the 6800 block of 49th Avenue NE — the car was broken into but nothing was taken.
Non-lockers say that providing easy access to the inside of the car can help them avoid getting a broken car window. Of course, they say it’s important to not leave anything of value in the car. Lockers say locking works as long as you don’t leave any items of value visible from the outside.
Car prowling is an issue most of us have pondered, given that it’s the most common crime in the city. Seattle Police recommend locking. What are your thoughts?
