In this week’s guest column, Issaquah Police Detective Corporal Laura Asbell discusses measures citizens can take to protect themselves from property crime.

The Issaquah Police Department recently hosted National Night Out to build neighborhood camaraderie and encourage crime prevention activities. It was wonderful to spend an evening with so many members of our community.

Many of you shared your willingness to help prevent crime in your neighborhoods. So, we’re taking you up on your offer and answering your question, “What can I do to help keep our community safe?”

Part of the solution is simple: If you don’t lock your home or vehicle, you’re making it a potential target.

It’s always upsetting for us to see a member of our community who has had property stolen. We hear personal stories of items that can never be replaced, such as family photos, hours of work saved on a laptop or important financial documents.

One of my recent cases included 122 separate victims. A large amount of stolen property was recovered from inside a stolen vehicle, including a huge amount of mail taken during thefts and vehicle prowls.

As we sorted the stolen items, it was heartbreaking to see the handwritten letters from children, uncashed paychecks and birthday cards that never arrived.

While talking with our officers and reviewing reports, it is apparent that many of these crimes involved unlocked car doors and unsecured windows and doors in homes.

All too often, there’s a neighborhood where items are stolen overnight from an entire street of unlocked cars. With residential burglaries, the entry point is often an open door or window.

Here’s what you can do to keep your valuables and family safe:

• Remove valuables from your car.
• Lock your car doors.
• Secure the windows and doors to your homes.
• If you see something that doesn’t look right, call 911 or our non-emergency number, 425-837-3200.
• Join our social media campaign, and tag your posts #LockItOrLoseIt.

We care deeply about the safety and security of the citizens of Issaquah. It is our mission to work with the community to protect lives and property. We love working for this city and appreciate your help to reduce property crime.

We promise to keep doing everything we can to stop it.

Laura Asbell, a Washington Law Enforcement Medal of Honor recipient, is a detective corporal with the Issaquah Police Department.