Crime & Safety
Bellevue Police Advise Changes to Boost Safety
The Bellevue Police Department offers tips for ways that residents can enhance the safety of their homes and families.
What are some ways that Bellevue residents can protect their home, families and neighborhoods?
The Bellevue Police Department offers the following tips for ways that you can enhance safety at home and on your block:
The sun is out, summer is here and it is a good time to take some easy steps to better protect your home from crime. Residential burglaries are a nationwide concern and Bellevue’s Police Department is working hard to help improve community efforts for crime prevention. Criminals are always looking for the “opportunities” to commit their crimes. When you give them these opportunities you can then become a victim. Please take a pro-active approach in “hardening” your person and property to ensure you are not taken advantage of.
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Call before you blog
Many of our neighborhood associations have blogs or Facebook pages dedicated to the sharing of information among neighbors. We encourage this excellent and expedient communication, however, it does not substitute for calling 9-1-1 for Bellevue Police Department’s to respond to suspicious events or subjects. Please record car descriptions and license numbers (even partial). For suspicious individuals, a description including approximate height, weight, build, facial hair, clothing, etc. is helpful. Never put yourself at risk to get this information.
Find out what's happening in Bellevuewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
To protect your own home from break-in, BE VIGILANT and remember the tips below:
Call 9-1-1 to report any suspicious activity.
Lock all doors and windows. Ensure the interior doors leading from the garage to the home interior are locked.
Keep garage doors closed at all times.
Walk the perimeter of your house to ensure there are not items left unattended that could pose as an opportunity for a thief; such as garden tools including lawn mowers; ladders; bicycles; UPS, FEDEX or US Postal items delivered to your doorstep when nobody is home.
If you have an alarm – use it! Post the yard stakes or adhere the window labels advertising to the thieves that you have an alarm.
Hide jewelry and valuables – most of these burglars are grabbing electronics, cash and jewelry (especially gold) that are in sight and accessible If you have a safe use it to secure valuables (passports, blank checks, credit cards, extra house and car keys and firearms ) a safe should be heavy and bolted down to concrete.
If you are away, leave a radio or TV and/ or light on and ask a neighbor to periodically check your house. Timers on interior and exterior lights are also good even when you are not away-vary the times they are turned on and off. Make sure newspapers are removed daily in addition to garbage cans brought in from the curb.
If you have a car parked outside, remove garage door opener and registration/insurance information and do not leave anything valuable in plain view.
If someone is knocking on your door, especially in the daytime, they may be casing your home. Address them from inside your home, so they know someone is home and call 9-1-1 if you feel this is suspicious; don’t open the door for any reason. Try and observe any vehicles or other subjects associated.
Don’t “advertise” what you have just purchased by leaving the packing boxes from your new television or computer next to your recycling totes; break them down and put them inside.
The City of Bellevue is committed to ensuring our community is safe for its residents and visitors. The Bellevue Police Department and the Neighborhood Outreach Program works in partnership to involve, educate and plan with our neighborhoods to ensure they are communicating with their residents and taking a pro-active approach to crime prevention. This is done through organized Block Watches and getting involved with the Neighborhood “ACTS” Program. This is an innovative approach to community-oriented policing where you can play a vital and active part in making your neighborhoods safer and get to know your neighbors. If you are interested in this program, please contact Detective Richard Chinn. If you have questions, please contact one of us listed below. Please call 9-1-1 to report suspicious activity though.
Mike McCormick-Huentelman
Neighborhood Outreach Manager
City of Bellevue
425-452-4089
LT Lisa Patricelli
Detective Supervisor-Fraud, VICE & Crime Prevention
City of Bellevue Police Department
(425) 452-7921
Detective Richard Chinn
Detective-Crime Prevention
City of Bellevue Police Department
(425) 452-6915
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