May 3, 2010
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Missing Lindbergh Senior, King County Sheriff Updates
Fairwood Area Safety Updates

Renton Police Department recently requested the public's help in finding local Lindbergh Senior Kathy M. Chou, 19, last seen on Sunday, April 18 at approximately 7 pm in the Benson Hill area. According to the Renton Police, Chou is an Asian female, approximately 5'7" and 180 pounds. With black hair with blonde streaks, blue bangs Chou also has a piercing in her bottom right lip.

She usually wears a pair of pink rimmed glasses, and was last seen wearing blue jeans and a horizontally striped, multicolored shirt. She does not have any physical disabilities.

A high school senior, she has no history of running away or missing school.

It is extremely unlike Chou to be out of contact, and family and friends have been unable to contact her since Sunday, according to police. She was last known to be in the area of south Renton and Southcenter.

Anyone who has seen Chou since 7 p.m. on Sunday night or knows of her whereabouts is asked to call 9-1-1, contact the Renton Police Department at 425-430-7500, or contact Detective Keith Hansen at 425-430-7526.

Safety Update from King County Sheriff Sam Shirley

Below is the current safety update from Deputy Sam Shirley.

	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar
Burglaries -Residential	7	9	9	7	12	4	5	6
Burglaries - Commercial	0	2	2	0	1	1	1	0
ID Theft	2	7	5	4	4	3	2	2
Stolen Vehicles	1	1	1	1	3	1	0	2
Vehicle Recoveries	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	2
Vehicle Prowls	11	9	12	0	3	5	6	6
Mail Theft	1	0	1	3	4	2	3	1
Larceny	14	12	9	10	9	10	10	10
Robbery	0	1	0	1	0	0	2	0
Homicide	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Vandalism	7	4	6	5	9	1	3	3

March Crime Re-cap
Residential burglaries increased to six from five.  This is below our average, and it leaves room for improvement. 

There were no reported commercial burglaries in March.  There have been a few reported cases of unauthorized use of debit/credit cards.  Please remember to shred all documents containing sensitive information before throwing them out.  Also, be aware that thieves have developed card scanners that they attach to ATM’s or gas pumps that can record your cards info. 

If you are at an ATM or gas pump and it card slot looks unusual, or does not look like you remember it, then don’t use it!  Better safe than sorry. 

The are also had a slight increase in the stolen vehicle category, up to two from zero.  We have made an arrest, and hopefully, this will bring the number back down to zero.

Deputies Deliver Baby
This month Precinct 3 Deputies were involved in a vehicle pursuit that ended when the suspect vehicle crashed at SE 231 – Hwy 18, near Precinct 3 in Maple Valley.  After the suspects were in custody, Detectives arrived to investigate the crash. 

While investigating this crash, the Detectives suddenly heard screaming coming from a vehicle that had parked nearby.  They went over and found a woman in labor, who had been on the way to the hospital.  The baby apparently was not interested in waiting any longer. 

At 0010 hrs, Detective Hiemstra asked for an aid car to respond, which was only about one block away.  The baby was not even going to wait for this, and at 0011 hrs Detective Hiemstra delivered the baby and announced, “It’s a girl!”

Both mom and baby are doing fine.

Due to the large number of inquiries, I am re-running this “Sexting” article, which ran last month.
The following information on sexting was authored by King County Volunteer Florence Pruitt and Deputy Tara Wilson. 

“Sexting” Sexting (a combination of sex and texting) is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos electronically, primarily between cell phones (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexting). It is when a person takes a sexually explicit photograph of him or herself or someone else, and sends it as an MMS and SMS via a mobile phone. These images can then be posted on the internet or forwarded electronically to other people. Let’s look a little more closely at the subject.

Sexting and Its Possible Consequences
•     Sexting is currently illegal under federal law. It falls under the creation, distribution and possession of child porn and is a felony offense. For teens, the consequences of Sexting are the same for adults in most states, but could also prevent students from receiving college scholarships, job offers, in addition to the embarrassment of having your nude photographs floating around the Internet.
•     Photos and videos sent privately can easily be shared with others.
•     Once digital images are out there, they leave a digital footprint, especially online. You can't "take it back."
•     51% of teen girls cite pressure from guys as a reason to send explicit messages, while only 18% of teen boys say so.

What can parents do to help stop this? Here are some suggestions:
1) Parents need to be informed of this type of increasing behavior. (Parents: talk to your school's administration about this!)
2) Let your kids know that this is NOT just harmless fun. Possibly suggest that your schools invite someone from the law enforcement community to address the students and let them know that this behavior is a felony and what the legal ramifications can be.
3) Talk openly to your children about the risks involved.
4) Let kids know that their or others' reputations can be scarred for life.
5) Set clear rules about the children's proper behavior and expectations in using their cell phones.
6) Explain to the kids that once something is posted on the Internet, they can't change their mind and get it back. ANYTHING posted can haunt them for life and can be seen by anyone years in the future (potential college recruiters, employers, etc.).

One very valuable and user friendly resource is The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. You can visit them at:  http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?
LanguageCountry =en_US&PageId=200

One of the great programs that they offer to parents is called NetSmartz. NetSmartz411 is a first-of-its-kind, online service provided by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to answer questions about Internet safety, computers, and the Web. NetSmartz411 is provided at no cost to the public and made possible by a generous donation from the Qwest Foundation.

Visit the website at: http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/ServiceServlet?
LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=3072

They can answer many common questions such as:
• How can I access my child's text messages?
• What is Omegle?
• How many teens are actually engaging in sexting?
• What do online abbreviations/acronyms mean?
• How can I protect my child’s online reputation?
• What does it mean to "tag" a photo on Facebook?
• Is monitoring software available for cell phones?
• How do I select the right monitoring software for my family?
• How can I protect my child when he or she uses a cell phone?
• What is Craigslist? What are some safety tips for using this site?
Educate yourself and help keep your kids safe and out of trouble!

Join or Start a Block Watch in your neighborhood
Neighborhood Watch, Block Watch, Town Watch, Building Watch, Crime Watch—
Whatever the name, it’s one of the most effective and least costly ways to prevent crime
and reduce fear. Neighborhood Watch fights the isolation that crime both creates and feeds
upon. It forges bonds among area residents, helps reduce burglaries and robberies, and improves relations between police and the communities they serve.  If you are interested in starting a neighborhood watch please contact me (Sam Shirley) at the Fairwood Storefront Office.  The number is (206) 296-3846.   

Sex Offender Website – OffenderWatch®
Provided below is a link to the King County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender website.
http://www.sheriffalerts.com/cap_main.php?office=54473

Block watch Captains List
I am currently attempting to establish a list of Blockwatch Captains in the Fairwood area.  If you are a Blockwatch Captain, or know one, please email me with the information at Samuel.shirley@kingcounty.gov   

Washington Statewide Victim Information & Notification Service
The Washington Statewide Victim Information & Notification Service will tell you if an offender is in custody and will give you other important custody information.  This service will also let you leave a phone number where you want to be called automatically when that offender is released, transferred, escapes or dies.
You can register for this service from a touch-tone phone at 1-877-846-3492 or go to www.vinelink.com and follow the directions.

*Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs