Thoughts on crime in western WA (Kitsap/Mason/(north)Pierce) (Seattle: car registration, insurance)

[mthelm85]

Hello - I'm looking to move from Florida to the Kitsap County area and I'm seeking feedback, specifically related to crime. I visited the area last year and absolutely loved it (particularly Gig Harbor & Poulsbo). However, one thing that I'm concerned about are the levels of property crime in the area.

When I dream of my ideal Washington lifestyle, it involves exploring all of the wonderful natural beauty that the state has to offer, but I'm seeing a lot of news stories and posts online about car break-ins specifically at trailheads. I'm just wondering how much of an impact (if any?) this actually has on the day-to-day life of locals. Is it something that people are thinking about? Is it just something you consider when parking in remote locations? Is it common for people to be concerned about this, or is it just an(other) example of things being blown out of proportion on the internet?

The lifestyle I envision involves visiting the numerous waterfronts, national & state parks, trails, etc., as well as occasional trips across the sound to Seattle (I'd love to go to a Sounders game from time to time) on the weekends. I'm looking to gain some perspective and insights from folks who live in the area to try to understand whether the threat of crime is significant enough that I should reconsider my PNW dream, or if it's not serious enough to prevent me from living the lifestyle that I'd like to live.

I understand that there is crime everywhere and you can be victimized in places with very low rates. What I'm trying to grasp is how much the threat of crime is having a tangible impact on people's lives. In other words, I know I can be robbed at gun point in the low crime area I currently live in, but it's not something that concerns me at all. When I go walking on trails or at the beach here, I don't think twice about leaving my belongings in my vehicle because the prevalence of car break-ins is (relative to much of western WA) very low.

I would hate to move from one corner of the country to the other only to find that living the lifestyle I envision feels risky because of a small group of degenerates that prey on others. Thanks in advance for your thoughts - I really appreciate any feedback on this.

[mayfair]

Car break ins at trailheads are a fact of life here, but that doesn't mean your car will always get broken into. Violent crime isn't a huge risk. People still hike and do all the things you want to. You can use an older car to park at trailheads and don't leave your garage door opener or car registration or valuables in the car.

[Diana Holbrook]

I read local social media and crime watch kinds of pages, and it can make one paranoid! Especially increases in car and catalytic converter thefts.

It's really hard to say whether there IS more of it or we just hear more about it. I've always been alert and suspicious... Always been into self defense and locking things up. Don't leave tempting valuables or bags in view in a car all day. That's not new.

That said, being here every day, and not having a lot of recent experiences with other places to compare it to, I'll say I personally wouldn't be afraid of parking in public places and trailheads as long as there isn't a homeless camp right near it. I don't think remote areas are a bigger risk than places in town. I live in a rural area, and that's where I am most of the time. Most of the crimes we hear about near here are near the homeless camps. There are definitely areas that have more of a problem than others.

[Hemlock140]

By coincidence we are considering moving to the same area from here east of Seattle when we retire later this year or next so have done a lot of research, and have family in Gig Harbor and in Sequim. I was surprised by the property crime in Gig Harbor, but it seems to be mostly in the downtown/waterfront area. Where our relatives live it's been very peaceful and quiet, in the Artondale area. Worst though, is the most reasonably priced city, Port Orchard. Bremerton is a military city and that tends to bring with it some additional crime for some reason. It too has nice areas, but not very much. Look at the city's own map below.

One way we investigate is spending time in a place, visiting the local Walmart tells a lot. Though more expensive we have decided to concentrate on Silverdale (in the hills) and Poulsbo. Where we live now has always been such low crime that people leave the doors in the cars and house unlocked except at night. We only had a few mail thefts and porch pirates, but since Covid that has all changed. You will not find any place in Western Washington where you can leave belongings in the car any more, those days are gone. We have beautiful trails in the woods but car prowls in the parking areas now, we get fuel and catalytic converter thefts, and even a murder a couple of weeks ago. This is in Sammamish where homes are over $1 million and median family incomes just below $200k. We still hike but take everything out of the car, so if anyone breaks in there is nothing to be found. We do have alarms on both of them. Other than the popularity of car prowls at trailheads, we still consider this to be very safe compared to big cities like Seattle and Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula. We still plan to move there, but will be aware and prepared for it. If you want to avoid crime completely it means living in a place like Medina, where median home is at 5 million, there are no retail businesses, and with less than 3,000 residents there are 9 police officers.

https://bremerton.maps.arcgis.com/ap...1ca3cd673c156b

[04kL4nD]

I have found crime maps to be pretty accurate/trustworthy, so do some Googling and try to find areas that are shades of darker green and stay as far away from darker red areas as you can. Property crime in Washington State is higher than the national average, but it's all pretty relative. Coming from a place like Oakland, my particular area feels far, far safer; however, I still notice some of the same problems when I go to big box stores like Target/Walmart/CVS/etc where shoplifting is out of control and it's impossible NOT to notice... It doesn't feel 'unsafe' to run errands or anything, but I know better than to shop late at night, or leave visible objects the car. We also have a home security system, good homeowner's insurance, and anti-theft technology on a newer model vehicle, but all of that is pretty standard/common sense in 2023.

[CalWorth]

When I take a day hike, I drive an older car, have no valuables in it, take vehicle registration & insurance info with me & leave the car unlocked so the window won't get busted out. When I moved here some years ago, I was surprised at the number of cars with busted out windows.

There is also a good amount of mail theft & porch piracy that increased proportionately with the increase in online shopping, but that isn't exclusive to this area,IMO.

About 5 years ago I remember that a woman who was born & raised here was shocked b/c she had parked at a certain trailhead, shoved her purse (with ID, cash, cards) under the car seat, only to come back & find car window smashed & purse taken. She had been used to living that way, but things have changed, unfortunately.

You have to practice street smarts here as much as anywhere else. There are a lot of tweakers & homeless here. Protect your property, keep your head on a swivel, don't be naive & you should be OK.

[Transmition]

Trail heads are generally remote so it is an easy crime. I've only been hit once since it started to become a bigger problem, and not before that. The inconvenience and expense of replacing a window is the worst part, you shouldn't be leaving any valuables in a car anyway. Empty out your glove box and consoles and leave them open, you'll probably be left alone.

[mayfair]

WA ranks third in the nation for car thefts: https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/was...LN5GWE43PCLAQ/

[CalWorth]

Originally Posted by mayfair

WA ranks third in the nation for car thefts: https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/was...LN5GWE43PCLAQ/

Wow. Well, I have certainly seen plenty of evidence to attest to that, but I wonder why? Washington is so much smaller, pop & geo, than CA or TX!

[509]

I was talking to LEO more than a decade ago about the stolen car issue particularly in Seattle.

He said, that in Seattle a car thief on average steals 50 cars, before they end up with a jail sentence.

Remember this was more than a decade ago, with today's woke judges I suspect car theft is no longer considered a major crime. So do the crime, and you don't do the time that is a real economic incentive to continue in that line of "work".

BTW...the crime wave is statewide, not just western Washington and Seattle.