Group hugs anybody? How many here will tell us that this just is "the cost for living in a big city"? Or the other great advice to "never leave anything of value in your auto"? What happened to law enforcement? We just can't sit back much longer and wait for 911 to remedy this. Let's just move another gazillion people into this area and expect utopia. Welcome to LA. I'm sure hizzoner McCheese is all over this too then? Perhaps this is the reason gun sales are high? After all, it's what a cop brings when ya call 911.

Hrm...I wish I had a picture because it sounds like that girl who is always spare changing on Ballard Ave. The one who had a puppy last year.

I have have been a victim of crime so many times in Ballard over the past two years I'm actively looking for places out of the city. I love the neighborhood but the old group of neighbors who use to look out for each other is gone now.

I have a friend who lives in a condo on the West Slope of QA, along Gilman (as you shoot up the hill from 15th). Ever since she has lived there car prowls on the street and break-ins to their gated garage have occurred. Even when residents and guests are vigilant and keep things out of their cars the thieves become vandals and will just smash windows.

I hope that they will release pictures from the surveillance video.

Seattle has the smallest police force in the nation. They aren't staffed to investigate nonviolent crimes. It's pretty simple: crime ain't going to investigate itself, and it ain't going to solve itself. We won't pay people to go and do the job, so the job does not get done.

The surveillance video of the burglars is on the Ch13 TV web page. You need to scroll to the bottom right hand corner to find it. It does show the male suspect pretty well, but he's wearing a mask on the lower part of his face. The woman is wearing a hood.

Welcome to LA? Apparently you haven't lived in LA. I did for years, and never once was a victim of a crime of any nature, and I sure didn't live in a gated community. I have had my home broken into twice...in Ballard.

elenchos is right, we don't have a large enough police force. Why is that exactly?

Because nitwits would rather have tax-cuts than police?

Thanks Jim,

I was just clicking on the little picture at the top. I think the woman is too thin for it to be her but the text description was spot on for that couple who hand out on Ballard Ave.

"elenchos is right, we don’t have a large enough police force. Why is that exactly?"

A good start would be to stop voting for anti-police a**holes like Licata. Then maybe the police will actually be able to do their job instead of attending sensitivity training.

HEY, THATS MY BUILDING! :P

Oh, and I am working on getting the picture. If I can't get it electronically, I'll try and scan it tonight.

Which condos at 15th and Market? I don't think they've been built yet.

Bark More Wag Less - If only you had correct information. Licata has CONSISTENTLY called for the hiring of more police officers in the city.

The Ballard Place condos which are at 17th and 57th across from the post office. They have been there for 5 years.

I used to live in The Ballard (at 15th & 57th, behind the Denny's), and it used to get prowled all the time. I never understood why thieves preferred a lit, monitored parking garage over, say, a random street or Shilshole.

Anyway, to the comments about lack of security: what about a private police force? Is there any way the Ballard neighborhood could hire Ballard-specific cops?

I ask only because I'm not sure how much good adding 1, 2, or even 12 general City of Seattle cops will be for Ballard, specifically. My guess is: not much good at all.

Here are the pictures of the dudes : http://ninaforsyth.org/gallery/main.php?g2_item...

What a moron! How much closer could his face get to the security camera ...? Won't take long for this idiot to be caught.

"elenchos is right, we don’t have a large enough police force. Why is that exactly?"

Simple: cops don't work for free and people in Seattle whine about paying too much in taxes!! Seriously, I'm really getting fed up with the "our tax are too high" crybabies. In case you'd forgotten, we don't have a state income tax to pay. I make more money now living in Seattle than I did in either NYC or SF yet I still pay less in taxes. If you want anything - cops, public transit, smooth roads, etc. - you have to pay for it. This isn't advanced economics. Why do so many people in Washington state seem to have such a hard time grasping this concept??

BTW, one tip I learned from my old man (who spent more than 10 years as burglary detective) is to put a deadbolt lock on the door between your home and garage. A lot of burglars will open your garage door, park inside your garage, close the door and then spend hours cleaning out your home. Most places don't have a deadbolt on the door between garage and home giving them easy access. Also if you're so dumb as to leave your GPS, purse, iPod etc. sitting on your front seat you do deserve to have it taken. Stuns me how often I see this in parked cars.

Thank you for "This isn't advanced economics."
My most egregious experience of the short-sightedness of the tax-cut whiners was in about 1964, when the Fed came shopping a bag of money up and down the West coast, looking for mass-transit projects to try-out. They offered Seattle and environs a subway for the whole region at 5 cents on the dollar, but the benighted tax-complainers of our faint city whined we "just can't afford it." so the Fed gave it to San Fransisco, which is still enjoying and expanding BART. People - you either pay or you doesn't get a ticket.

What's annoying to me, if these two are caught, they are quickly replaced with a new crew.

+1 to Cyclo's recommendation for a garage door deadbolt. As coincidence would have it, I just said goodbye to a guy from Seattledoor, who was here to measure for a more sturdy, deadbolt-equipped garage door.

I am willing to bet they're going to start after the new buildings behind Walgreen's and Wendy's now, if they haven't already. Luckily my entire building has eagle eyes...we'll be a looking for those losers!

Doggone, I think I have seen him around Ballard and at Fred Meyer, specifically.

What a couple of assholes. It's like he's taunting the camera is the photos.

I think I've seen those people around Market near the sip and ship hanging out, but that was back in December.

Petty crime like this is just such an annoying nuisance. Leave other peoples' s#!+ alone!!! I don't blame the police for this, they can't be everywhere.

Same to you, Mr 5th and Union bank robber--a big F_U to you for making a huge mess of downtown. Could have just robbed the bank, but nooooo, gotta make a phony bomb threat and completely screw over thousands of commuters.

Having lived in quite a few places over the years, it certainly does seem like Seattle is woefully under policed. I read a piece in the Stranger about this, but other than complaints on the blog comments (mine included) how do we get more police in this town?

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/the-very-thi...

The EPI apartments down in fremont (purple building above PCC) had a break-in and have posted pictures of a couple that looks exactly the same. Probably the same.

We should start a neighborhood crime watch!

My name is Joel Booth and I work for a company called Sonitrol Pacific. We install and monitor security systems that actually catch criminals. I am very active in the Ballard community and we have several customers down there. Please give me a call for more info.
425-760-0390

On February 16, 2009, the Seattle Police Department arrested both Suspects. They are currently in custody. Good Job Seattle PD!