By Det. Robert Onishi,
Renton Police Department

On July 2, a Renton resident who had parked his pickup truck at the Henry Moses Aquatic Center discovered that it had been stolen. He contacted the Renton police, and an officer responded and took a report of the theft. This kind of personal violation happens throughout King County every year, and as the Renton Police Detective handling auto thefts, I see how traumatic it is to these victims.

Fortunately, the City of Renton has taken proactive measures to help deter auto thefts and other crimes, and to help catch criminals who victimize the public. I had a new tool to work with in this case — integrated video systems and high-end cameras that the city has installed in public facilities such as Renton Transit Center and the Henry Moses Aquatic Center parking lot.

The cameras at the Henry Moses Aquatic Center not only captured the actual theft but did so with such fidelity that I could read the license plate of the car that the two suspects drove to the scene. That car turned out to be another stolen vehicle that had been taken earlier in the day.

The image from the camera was so clear that when I distributed the photos, the thieves were immediately recognized by other auto- theft investigators. Both suspects, a 38-year-old Seattle man and a 32-year-old women whose last known address was in Cle Elum, were arrested and have been charged with the theft of the truck and the possession of the stolen car.

In addition to this recent auto theft case, there are other instances where the city’s cameras and video surveillance systems have been effective. Recently, the cameras at Renton Transit Center helped document the events leading up to a stabbing. When a young woman was shot last year at Liberty Park, the city’s video-monitoring system provided important information on the actions leading to the tragedy.

The systems installed by the City of Renton are very sophisticated, with high-resolution digital images that make it easier to identify offenders. The video feeds are accessible from the computers in police patrol cars, allowing officers a better view of dangerous situations as they evolve. Renton continues to upgrade older cameras and components to enhance the value of these systems.

Again, these video systems are limited to City of Renton public facilities.

I believe these surveillance systems, along with our in-car recording capabilities, help us deter criminal activity, solve crimes, document police actions, and aid in the arrest and prosecution of criminals. They are only one tool, though, in the face of rising challenges.

In the past year, we have seen a significant increase in auto thefts in our region. While rates are up by a significant amount throughout King County, Renton auto thefts year to date are almost 44 percent higher than during the same period last year.

Older vehicles still comprise the bulk of our thefts. Many of the cars that we see stolen were manufactured in the 1980s and 1990s, before the development of sophisticated anti-theft systems.

Other newer types of vehicles, such as commercial vans and many pickup trucks, are targeted because manufactures have only recently started putting anti-theft systems into them, and because such “working vehicles” often contain tools or salvageable metals.

While in the truck case, thanks to the cameras, we were able to arrest and charge the offenders, I’d like to stress that we’re all better off if these crimes never take place at all.

A number of auto thefts occur when a car is left running and unattended, or when a spare key is left inside the vehicle. Thieves can see the exhaust from an idling car from blocks away; they even have a slang term for such targets: “steamers.”

Even if you’re just running inside a building for a minute, it takes a thief just a few seconds to take your car.  If you leave a spare key in the car, even if it is hidden, a thief breaking into your car to rummage for loose change can find the key and steal the entire car. And a simple auto theft can quickly turn deadly. Many thieves are under the influence of drugs, and once a car gets into the hands of a thief, it can become a 3500-pound projectile in an instant.

Through innovations such as our video monitoring of public facilities, the City of Renton will continue to work to better protect the public. Ultimately, it’s the actions of citizens working with us to protect what’s theirs and to look out for each other that will help keep all of us safe.