It appears that once Squatters have settled into a house for a while it is much more difficult to get them out than if the problem were addressed in the first day or two of their occupancy.  For this reason, we are requesting residents of our Neighborhood to be especially vigilant about vacant houses on their street.

We would offer these suggestions:

1. If a real-estate sign goes up, make a note of the agent’s name and phone number.  If someone moves into the house, call the realtor to make certain that it has been sold or rented. If the realtor says the property is supposed to be vacant, call 911 and report a possible burglary in progress.

2. If there was never a sign, call the owner to make certain that the new occupants are not Squatting. ( This is one of the reasons we need to keep the Neighborhood Directory up to date.  ) If the owner says the property is supposed to be vacant, request he call 911.

3.  If you can’t do either 1 or 2 above, then call and e-mail Kirk Hall (253) 840-0411, kahalljr@comcast.net . I will pass the message to  one of the Architectural Control Committee members, and give them all the information you have (house address; when people living there showed up; how many people; what sex are the people; number of vehicles present; changes they have made to the property ( example: garage door removed/ broken; windows/doors broken ); whether you have already called the realtor or owner, and what kind of answer you received.

4. There is a lady named  “Amanda” at the Sheriff’s Department.  She is the  Community Liaison Program Coordinator.  Her number is 253-798-4814.  She said to call her if we notice any further damage to the house or any criminal activity.  If necessary she will pass the message along to the Community Liaison, Deputy Jeff Papen.

If someone calls in a crime they should take the Deputy’s name and phone number and request a follow up from him/her. That way they know an officer checked on the situation.

Note:  Many of our neighbors do not read the post we put on the Blog.  Sometimes it is because they do not get the Alert Notifications we send out when something new is posted, because they never asked to be on the Alert Notification List.  This is a particularly important post.  Please take time to ask your nearest neighbors if they get the Alerts and if they have read this post.