How Do You Know
We receive many calls for peddler’s knocking on doors, whether legitimate or not. For the record, as of today, these are the only businesses that have been issued peddler licenseseses (they are valid 2/1 – 1/31 of the next calendar year):Eastside Tree Works, Tree of Life Chiropractic, Edward Jones, and Evergreen Tree Care. Something to keep in mind—just because someone may knock on your door and NOT have a peddler license, does not make them a criminal.
Some people are not required to have a license—for instance, local newspapers, charitable organization, religious organization , non-profit organization, if items being sold door to door are being shipped from outside the state of Washington and the business has no physical presence in Washington State, etc. Regardless, these people will normally carry some sort of official ID.
For more information, please see: http://www.codepublishing.com/
Some people are not required to have a license—for instance, local newspapers, charitable organization, religious organization , non-profit organization, if items being sold door to door are being shipped from outside the state of Washington and the business has no physical presence in Washington State, etc. Regardless, these people will normally carry some sort of official ID.
For more information, please see: http://www.codepublishing.com/
From a safety perspective, best advice on dealing with these knocks—simply talk through the door and tell them you aren’t interested (if you aren’t). Yes, they may be legit. They may be legit but don’t know they need a peddler’s license. They may be burglars who are hoping for an empty house so they can go around back and break-in. That’s why it’s important to let them know someone is there and you aren’t interested. If interested, ask them to leave info by the front door so you can research it. Read More >>
The Bucket List
Polar Plunge,Saturday March 16th, benefiting Special Olympics, don’t forget! For more info: www.redmond.gov/PublicSafety/
A Few Good Men (one of the greatest movies ever!)
Part of our department that often goes unrecognized is our Redmond Police Explorers. This group is made up of young men and women ages 14-21 who have an interest in law enforcement—some want to learn more about the field, some are considering career/major in law enforcement, and some are looking to be involved in the community. Regardless, they are a hard working group of individuals who continuously train, fund raise, compete (explorer competitions), and they are an integral part of our department. They have posted a greattribute video thanking the entire City of Redmond for their support in 2012:www.youtube.com/watch?v=
The Rebel Rousers
We have been hit hard lately with car prowls mostlyoutside of restaurants during dinner hours. We are guessing people leave work, stop by for dinner and/or happy hour(s) but leave their laptop, etc. in clear view. Almost every one of them has had a laptop stolen. Always remove items from their vehicles or at least put them in the trunk. For more info: www.redmond.gov/PublicSafety/
Mars Attacks!
Perhaps one of the most popular questions we get is, “how do I know when to call 911/police?” People are embarrassed to ask, and it sounds like an easy answer, yet it’s often difficult to do (although we do have some regulars who don’t hesitate calling). Many people don’t want to call 911/police unless there are dead bodies or blood. If ever in doubt…if you ask yourself (or someone else), “Should we call the police?,” then the answer is always YES! We’d much rather be called and it be a “false alarm” than to not have been called when we could have prevented something from happening. Also, it’s important to report all crimes as soon as they occur – not hours later or days later, so that we have an accurate picture of when/where crimes occur. If you realize your car or home has been broken into – don’t enter, don’t touch anything; just call your friendly police department.
Another popular question –don’t you all have a non-emergency number? Yes, 425-556-2500. This is our “administrative” line for general inquiries. Yes, you can call this number to report non-time sensitive calls but you will end up talking to the same people who answer the 911 line, plus 911 is far easier to remember and we can stay on the line if we need to transfer you to Fire/Medics dispatchers (we can’t on the non-emergency line). If it’s a non-emergency, then tell the dispatcher that—if they are dealing with something more important, they’ll put you on hold to answer the most important call. (Also, piece of advice – don’t tell your life story when calling. If you do, they WILL interrupt you to get the most pertinent information. They aren’t there to take a report, only dispatch an officer. Trust me, they interrupt me and cut me off all the time and I’m not even reporting crimes).
Another popular question –should I call from a landline or a cell phone? It’s always best to call 911 from a landline because your contact information will automatically pop up in our computer and the call will go directly to your local agency. This is especially important if you are in distress—if you can’t talk for some reason, then pick up the phone, dial 911, and then set the receiver off to the side so the line remains open. As long as your phone is registered to your current address, then we’ll be en route. Cell phone calls are routed based on the cell tower that is used—we (Redmond Police) never get a direct call from a cell phone so it’s important to tell them your location immediately so you can be patched through to the correct agency. Also, we can’t get a specific location of where you are located when calling from a cell phone, only a general radius.
What should you NOT call 911 for? Hmmm, let us count the ways. These are legitimate calls we’ve received:
· Calling from Seattle to check road conditions in Duvall.
· Reporting an auto theft….while watching your car being impounded from a private apartment complex by a tow truck
· General directions and/or phone number requests (this is 411)
· Dead animals, not blocking the road (King County Animal Control “pick up” line, 206-296-7387)
· Neighborhood parking problems (If a public roadway, yes, call us. But if on a private roadway, apartment complex, etc. then you need to contact your management/HOA)
· Minorities being in Redmond. This is not a crime people. This is 2013, not 1913.
· A neighbor left his cat outside overnight…or constant dog barking (King County Animal Control, they prefer three different complainants who are willing to make a written statement, although perhaps talking to your neighbor would be the most mature thing to try first.)
· Neighbor leaves garbage cans out a day longer than they’re supposed to or putting the can in the street. (If this is really something that concerns you, you can call Code Enforcement Officer McCarthy 425-556-2412 if north of Redmond Way, or Code Enforcement Farris 425-556-2465 if south of Redmond Way)
· Deer sightings close to wooded areas…or coyote sightings….or bear sightings….etc. If they aren’t harming anyone, then there is nothing we can do about them. We do live in the Pacific NW. (Dangerous wildlife hotline, 877-933-9847)
· Motorcycle making noise in broad daylight a mile from your house and you don’t know where they are located
· Report power outage and/or to ask us why the power is out and when will it come back on (PSE)
· To find out what time it is
· To find out if we just had an earthquake
· A “GIANT RAT” in the house
· People hogging tennis courts at a park
· A snake in your yard
· To check on a guy you’re being setup with on a date because he’s told you he’s in the witness protection program
· My neighbor upstairs is walking around when I’m trying to sleep….their kids make too much noise…..their baby cries at night….someone is in my parking space….(contact. your. Management!)
For more information:www.redmond.gov/PublicSafety/
One FLU Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Flu has been in the news quite a bit recently, here’s anupdate on our local situation and information from Seattle & King County Public Health: Emergency Room visits by flu patients has increased across all age groups, and the number of influenza outbreaks at long term care facilities this season is higher than we’ve seen in recent seasons. They track the extent of flu in the county and you can follow weekly flu reports and learn how to help prevent attracting it here: www.kingcounty.gov/
Carnal Knowledge
Great information from IC3 aboutnew scams and a list of 2012’s most popular passwords: www.ic3.gov/media/2013/130107.
The Crossing Guard
Just a reminder to PROTECT. YOUR. MELON. The Redmond Police Department sellsbicycle helmets ($10) and ski/snowboard helmets ($20) at cost. Cash only, appointment required, and the person wearing the helmet must be present for appropriate fitting. Helmets of ALL sizes (adultand little folks) are available. For more info, visit: www.redmond.gov/PublicSafety/
RPD Calendar
March
16 Polar Plunge (Have I mentioned this before?) J
20 Police Citizen’s Academy begins
April
18 Women’s Personal Safety Class
23 Quarterly Neighborhood Watch meeting
July
25 Women’s Personal Safety Class
31 Quarterly Neighborhood Watch meeting
August
6 National Night Out
October
24 Women’s Personal Safety Class
29 Quarterly Neighborhood Watch meeting
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