May 2013

There’s no better way to figure out what motivates a burglar than to go directly to the source--Just ask the burglar.

A new study by a researcher at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte examines hundreds of convicted offenders to gain a look inside the mind of a burglar, providing remarkable insight into an intruder’s motivation and methods.

The study was funded by the Alarm Industry Research and Educational Foundation (AIREF), which is supported by the Electronic Security Association (ESA), the largest trade association for the electronic life safety and security industry.

Dr. Joseph B. Kuhns of the university’s Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology conducted the survey, entitled “Understanding Decisions to Burglarize from the Offender’s Perspective,”

The Burien City Council is set May 20 to approve the compromise with the state Department of Ecology over Shoreline Master Program. Lake Burien setback regulations will remain the same without any zoning of buffers.

The West Seattle Food Bank's 6th Annual Instruments of Change fundraiser event, held on May 3 at the Hall at Fauntleroy, was a roaring success with nearly $100,000 raised.

Judy Yazzolino, the food bank's new development director, shared the story:

The West Seattle Food Bank, dedicated to providing food security and community connections, welcomed 200 guests for their 6th Annual Instruments of Change held at the Hall at Fauntleroy on Friday evening, May 3rd. Thanks to the generosity and community spirit of the attendees, the event raised almost $100,000.

The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council will learn how to better safeguard homes from burglars and how to recover stolen items from burglary detective Jill Vanskike at their May 21 meeting, which is open to the public.

The meeting is held at the Southwest Precinct community room (2300 S.W. Webster St.) from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Here are the details from WSCPC:

Our guest will be burglary detective Jill Vanskike, she will discuss factors that attract burglars to specific homes, the most common points and methods of entry, target hardening and the protective devices that are the most effective at preventing burglaries. Also, tips that can aid in the recovery of stolen property and the use of Craigslist, Ebay, pawn shops, and flea markets in the recovery of stolen items. Next meeting June 18th, 2013. Our safety walk at Lincoln Park will take place on May 28th and begin at 7:00pm, we will meet by the North parking lot. All are welcome at both events.

May 1 was a tragic reminder of the dangers West Seattle bicyclists face in their daily trek downtown as a 54-year-old cyclist from Federal Way lost his life in a tangle with a semi-truck along E. Marginal Way S. in SoDo.

The incident rallied cyclists across the city together in calling for improvements to bike safety on the West Seattle route and elsewhere.

On May 14, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn announced a proposal to commit $3.25 million in transportation investments (saved from the Spokane Street Viaduct project) to be used to improve rider experience and safety along E. Marginal Way and Lower Spokane Street, along with other projects throughout the city.

City Council approval will be needed to make these improvements a reality.

“We have heard from the public that they want safety improvements on our roads,” McGinn said in a statement. “These improvements will help protect safety for people on these busy corridors whether they’re in their cars and trucks, on foot, or on a bicycle.”

From the Mayor's Office:

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, in a meeting at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in Delridge on May 14, announced that every student in the Central Pathway of SPS will “receive a minimum of two hours per week of arts education programming, as well as support for the purchase of instruments and other arts supplies for classrooms,” according to a press release on the plan.

The $500,000 investments comes from “higher than expected admission tax revenue, primarily due to the new cultural facilities Chihuly Gardens & Glass at Seattle Center and the Great Wheel on the waterfront,” McGinn’s office said.

“This investment will allow us to deepen our existing partnership with Seattle Public Schools to improve access to arts education for all students in our community,” McGinn said. “Arts education has been consistently shown to improve educational outcomes, increase attendance rates and decrease discipline rates.”

Here is the full press release:

Mayor announces $500,000 investment in arts education
Higher than expected tax revenue allows city to advance partnership with Seattle Public Schools

Carrying a stolen firearm is never a good idea. Carrying a stolen firearm while smoking marijuana in public as a juvenile is an even worse one.

Seattle police arrested three juveniles in West Seattle on May 13 after they were spotted smoking marijuana near Westwood Village, leading to a K-9 unit finding a stashed stolen gun belonging to one of the youths.

According to SPD Det. Renee Witt, officers responded to 25th Ave. S.W. and S.W. Trenton St. shortly after noon to reports of four juveniles smoking marijuana. One of the males ran away when police arrived and they were able to catch him within a few blocks.

Witt said officers knew the juvenile, who was found with four bullets in his pocket, to be armed and brought in K-9 “Boomer” to sniff around. He was successful in his hunt.

Another complainant told police two of the males associated with the male in custody had threatened him with a gun, and they were also arrested after being positively identified by the victim.

Witt said the gun was reported stolen from a burglary on April 30, and the owner came to the Southwest Precinct to retrieve his stolen property.

If you're headed to the off-leash dog park at Golden Gardens, watch out for work being done.

Fifteen parking spots will be taken up as Parks and Rec workers remove 450 cubic yards of wood chips and temporarily place them in the middle parking lot, according to Joelle Hammerstead, spokeswoman of the Seattle's Park and Recreations Department. Workers will be replacing the wood chips with gravel, for better drainage.

The dog park will be closed through Friday, May 17, at the latest. The parking spaces will be closed through Friday, May 24, at the latest

Zachariah Bryan can be reached at zachb@robinsonnews.com

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With a tasty fast-food lunch and a cool beverage this woman had the right idea about how to take in last week’s summery weather as she sat on a bench at Seahurst Park in Burien.

Press release:

Joey Martinez has filed for Burien City Council seat number 7. The seat is currently filled by Brian Bennett, who has decided not to run for re-election.Bennett has endorsed Martinez for the seat.

33-year-old Burien resident Martinez has been married since 1999 to Jackie Martinez and has two boys, both of whom attend Highline Public Schools. Martinez has volunteered for both of his boys sports teams in one way or another all their lives. He’s spent the last two years volunteering with the Burien Bearcats, first as an assistant coach then as the Head Coach for one of the teams.

Martinez has worked for Seattle City Light since 2007 and was recently promoted as supervisor to a new business unit within City Light IT. Martinez has also worked for the city of Auburn from 2001-2005.

Martinez was born in East Los Angeles, California and is a 1st generation Mexican-American on his mother’s side and 3rd generation on his father’s side. Joey is fluent in both English and Spanish, and Spanish is actually his first language.