All posts by Kirk Hall

Traffic counters on 136th Ave. E. on both sides of Shawnee Ridge Dr.

Neighborhood Events
Carol Silvernail reports that traffic counters were installed by Pierce County today (9 June 2015) on 136th Avenue East on both sides of Shawnee Rd. E.  Pierce County had installed counters once earlier this year but the locations of these counters are slightly different. They will probably only be there for a few days. This is in support of our continuing effort to have a STOP sign placed at the intersection of 136th Avenue East and Shawnee Rd E.

Scam Phone Call – Attempted Extortion

Neighborhood Security

I received a call asking for my daughter Kimberly.  I informed the caller that Kimberly was not at home and asked if I could help him. The caller said his name was John Baker and Kimberly should call him at 909-545-6529  (the caller ID said Ontario, CA).  I asked what it was about and “John” said it was a tax mater.  I then informed “John” that I did not believe his name was John Baker because of his pronounced Middle Eastern or Indian accent.  Whereupon “John” threatened to have Kimberly jailed “within 48 hours” if she did not call him.

This was obviously a scam and since “John” did not even know that Kimberly does not live at home I have to wonder how he expected to have her jailed “within 48 hours”.  I have read of this type of thing before.  The caller attempts to scare you into giving some sort of payment to keep from being thrown into jail, so you will have time to sort the mess out.  The caller will ask you to send the money in some way that makes it impossible to retrieve if you come to your senses later.  Frequently they ask you to purchase a prepaid bank card and send it to them to stop the legal action against you. It does not work that way folks.

If you get such a call check the number out on the Internet.  You will most likely find lots of comments.  Be certain to report it to the Do Not Call List  https://www.donotcall.gov/   {copy and paste this link to go directly to the National Do Not Call Registry}

 

 

Caught On Camera: Elderly Woman Mugged, Dragged By Car In Attack Outside Oakland Home

Neighborhood Events

Below is the link to the video and a short article.  You may have to sit through a commercial to be able to view the video.

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/04/06/elderly-woman-mugged-dragged-by-car-in-attack-outside-oakland-home/

This is a good illustration of the value of a CCTV camera which looks out on the street.  If more than one of the lady’s neighbors had a camera looking out on the street the license plate of the vehicle might have been captured.   The street on which the attack occurred is a dead end, and therefore a perfect place to monitor comings and goings in the neighborhood.

Burglary Suspect Apprehended

Neighborhood Events

Today I received an e-mail from one of the burglary victims in our area.  She wrote that the police had apprehended a suspect.  Below is an extract of her e-mail.  If you have been burglarized within the last several months you might want to contact the detective who is handling this case.  Please contact me at kahall@hotmail.com or (253) 840-0411 and I will provide you the necessary contact information.

I was just notified this morning that the police have our burglary suspect in custody.  They are trying to look at other burglaries and see if there is a connection.  The investigator that analyzed the cell phone left at our burglary, and traced it to this female suspect is looking at other burglaries in the area.  He can make sure the other detectives are aware that our burglaries are most likely linked together.

Crazy Driver — A Note from Lori

Neighborhood Security

Hi Kirk. This is Lori Reiman. I just wanted to let you know that our daughter had a very scary near miss car accident on Saturday night. (7 March 2015)  She left our house after 11:30 PM and was driving south on 136th Ave E past Shawnee Road. A small, white SUV crossed the centerline and was coming towards her in her lane. It then went up on the sidewalk and  traveled on the sidewalk with two wheels on the road and the other two  wheels on the sidewalk. It was frightening.

Late Breaking News — Break-In 12 Jan 2015

Neighborhood Security

Some late breaking news.  I was recently contacted about a break-in which occurred on 12 Jan 2015, just one day before the Hrivnak’s break-in.  The homeowner believes the burglars had a vehicle for a number of reasons. (1) It appeared that they wanted to remove a wall mounted flat screen TV but could not get it off the wall (2) They used an aluminum ladder to gain access to the backyard deck, where they forced open a door. (The ladder did not belong to the homeowner and was not stolen from a neighbor, so they must have brought it with them.) The ladder was abandoned at the scene, along with a half eaten popcorn ball, after the alarm went off, .

There were tool marks around the locks of all doors accessible from the ground, and they ripped open a bathroom window screen, but then probably  thought the window too hard to open. They pulled open the homeowner’s shed window, but the door of the shed has a heavy key lock on the outside, so they could not open it to take things out.

There were other similarities to the Hrivnak’s break-in. Probably the same team.  Women’s boots were taken, and the burglar took off her old high heeled boots and left them after switching to the homeowner’s lavender UGG boots.

Anyway the incident happened on 120th Street East, at precisely 1130 hrs, 12 Jan 2015, because that is when the alarm tripped.  The homeowners and their neighbors how have cameras and the homeowners are now on our Alert Notification Roster.

A comment from the homeowner about home security: “One thing we learned is that if only one sensor goes off, the alarm center cannot call the police.  Two sensors have to trigger for the police to be notified.  So think about that when evaluating your own home security.”

 Lastly I’m informed that Celebration Lutheran sent out an e-mail about a break-in which happened on 3 or 4 March.  Unfortunately we do not have a location. The burglars again entered through a dog door.  This just reinforces the opinion that dog doors are an invitation to burglars.

More Security For The Neighborhood

Neighborhood Security

We have our third hosted Internet Protocol (IP) Camera with Sunrise Terrace Snapshot Repository now on-line!  Several other people have indicted that they are interested in hosting IP Cameras at their residences.  This is a very good sign.  Someday soon we hope to be able to view every section of the streets in the Sunrise Terrace Neighborhood.

If you are interested in hosting an IP camera please contact Kirk Hall (253) 840-0411 (kahalljr@comcast.net) or Dav Eide (206) 790-8199 (daveide@comcast.net) and we will tell you how and help you estimate the cost to you before you commit to the job.