Woodinville Chief 'Frustrated' With Burglaries, Car Prowls

WOODINVILLE, WA - Sometime between 4 and 11 p.m. on March 8, someone burglarized a ground floor unit at the Campbell Run apartment complex along NE 171st Street. The burglar took electronics from the apartment, according to police, but he or she also took away a sense of security at the complex.

"It really alarmed people because that's never happened here before," a Campbell Run resident told Patch about the burglary. He wanted his name withheld because he still lives at the complex.

According to Woodinville police records, there have been over 400 property crimes over the last six months. Nine of those crimes were classified as "breaking and entering," but 107 were either thefts from or of motor vehicles.

After one recent car prowl in Woodinville, someone had a handgun and ammunition stolen. Chief Katie Larson wrote about that incident on Facebook, noting that she is "frustrated" with burglaries and car prowls.

"These thieves spend their days and nights walking around our city and others looking for crimes of opportunity. Don't give it to them! I realize that sometimes we forget and that happens, but seriously people, please lock your car doors!" she wrote.

The Campbell Run resident Patch spoke to moved to Woodinville from Mt. Vernon in part to escape high levels of property crime. He wants the property to be more secure to prevent more burglaries.

"I recommended [to the complex managers] maybe we should perhaps look into surveillance and to advertise our surveillance system widely. There was no interest, and that was weird to me," he said. "I think [burglars] look for low-hanging fruit, and you're low hanging fruit until you do something about it."

Are you interested in crime in your neighborhood? Check out the city's online crime map to look for incidents near you.

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