We’re about to hit one of the worst car prowl seasons of the year, and some good folks in the police department have asked me to relay a bit of information and a few tips to you.
An officer I spoke with this week—who repeatedly, angrily referred to car prowling as a “disgusting crime”—says:
Checks and credit cards are hot items these days for car prowlers, along with iPods and GPS units. SO TAKE THAT STUFF WITH YOU!!!
But if you don’t: “Leave [your car] open with nothing in it. That way they don’t have to break your window to get in,” the officer says.
If your car is broken into, do not expect the CSI treatment from SPD (I know, I was disappointed too when David Caruso didn’t show up to my building and swab my car for fingerprints and DNA) as police consider burglaries and armed robberies to be higher priority cases which eat up a lot of resources. “[Car prowlers are] kind of under the radar unless they get prolific,” our source says, adding that a few car prowlers busted recently have been found carrying weapons.
King County prosecutors have only filed charges against about 20 car prowlers in the last year. (We don’t have the muni court case numbers.)
Car prowlers will only end up in district court if they take more than $750 worth of stuff or do an equivalent amount of damage to a vehicle.
Do not park at the Woodland Park Zoo, Discovery Park, or Northgate. “But how will I visit the monkey house/go for walks in the woods/trample someone to death on Black Friday?,” you ask. Have you ever heard of a bus prowl? Me neither.
Finally, if you choose not to heed any of this advice, getting your window fixed will probably cost you $160-200. Do not get swindled by some of the bigger companies (ahem, Safelite) who will quote you a ludicrously high price and then call back an hour later after you tell them you’re not interested and offer you a significantly better deal. F that noise.
