City has responded after dozens of break-ins at area park, Olympia officials say
The summer months have brought a spike in car prowls to Olympia’s Watershed Park, causing officials to increase patrols of the lot and issue vehicle safety reminders to locals.
But there are no plans to significantly alter the parking lot to discourage break-ins.
Lt. Paul Lower said twelve car prowls have occurred in July alone, with 27 total break-ins taking place this year in the parking lot. Lower said Olympia police have increased patrols of the parking area, located at 2500 Henderson Blvd. SE.
Park rangers have done the same, according to Park Stewardship Supervisor Amy Stull. The rangers have spearheaded the response from Olympia’s Parks, Arts & Recreation department.
“We are discouraged that park visitors are being victimized by people with criminal intentions while they are visiting Watershed and understand that this has caused concern,” Stull said.
Stull explained that park rangers work with Olympia police when crime impacts visitors’ enjoyment of local parks.
At Watershed Park, rangers have alerted visitors to increased car prowls through signs, conversations and social media alerts.
Visitors may have noticed one of these signs stationed under Watershed Park’s wooden information board, which reads a neon orange warning: “Always take valuables with you. Vehicle prowl increase.”
Though there are no plans to change the parking lot, Stull said, park visitors concerned about their vehicles can use entrances other than the Henderson Boulevard parking lot. The map of the park can be found here.
How to prevent a break-in
At least four cars were broken into July 5, The Olympian previously reported. One of the vehicles belongs to Jonathon Seaborn, 46, whose rear passenger side window was smashed. Seaborn returned from a hike in Watershed and found a crowd of people surrounding similarly damaged cars.
Seaborn said no valuables were stolen from his vehicle, but that his toddler’s car seat was covered in window chunks.
Lower said the parking area has particular qualities that make it challenging to keep vehicles safe.
For one, the parking lot is in a dark area shaded by trees. Once people enter the thickly forested path, the trail heads down into a ravine, so there’s no direct line of sight back to the parking lot.
Visitors can prevent break-ins by locking cars and leaving valuables out of sight, Lower said, but added that those impacted by car prowls at Watershed Park have largely followed these instructions. He noted that suspects do not appear to be targeting a specific item.
“The suspects have essentially broken into the vehicles and taken whatever they think is valuable or whatever they can find,” Lower said.
Lower explained that a vehicle break-in may only take a few minutes, making the incident hard to stop in the low visibility area. While police regularly patrol the area around Watershed Park, Lower urged park visitors to report suspicious activity.