Shoreline Police seek help to identify serial burglar

Shoreline Police are seeking your help to identify a serial burglar who struck the Parkwood and Meridian Park neighborhoods between December 29 and January 3.

The burglaries occurred in the late afternoon to early evening hours. Most of the burglaries were to unsecured homes. If you saw or heard anything suspicious, call 206-296-3311.

In an article posted to the Shoreline Police website in 2013, Shoreline Police share information from a different serial burglar who was in custody, thanks to an alert neighbor who called 911. When asked how he chose houses to hit, he provided this information:

Carports – If the suspect didn’t see a car in the carport he assumed no one was home  

Doorbell or Knock – The suspect would almost always ring the doorbell or knock on the door. If someone answered, he would make up an excuse, such as he was looking for someone. If no one answered he would prowl the house looking for unlocked doors or windows. If he didn’t find an unlocked door or window he would force his way into the home. 

Dogs – The suspect avoided houses with dogs. 

Tall hedges and fences – The suspect targeted houses with tall hedges or fences as they afforded him privacy and more time to break in.

Being a victim of a residential burglary can be very traumatic as it happens where we should feel safest –our homes. A large number of such burglaries could easily be avoided. Every month, Police see 30 to 50% of burglaries in Shoreline homes being non-forced entries where burglars enter homes via unlocked doors or windows. A simple sweep of your home before leaving to make sure all of your doors and windows are locked can go a long way in protecting your home from a burglar.

One of the best ways to protect against burglaries, aside from locking your doors and windows, is to watch for suspicious activity in your neighborhood and be a good neighbor.