Bellingham Police: Home break-in thieves targeting business owners of Asian decent
Burglars targeting homes of business owners of Asian descent in Bellingham
Bellingham Police say a crew of burglars are targeting Asian homeowners who live near green belts and trails for easy escape.
BELLINGHAM, WASH. - Bellingham police is warning business owners of Asian descent after about a dozen home break-ins, since December, and seem to be targeting their community specifically.
Lieutenant Claudia Murphy helping spread the message; "to target their private homes is just a travesty," she said.
She says a crew is targeting homes near greenbelts and trails, an easy way to keep eyes on when the home is alone and the ideal escape route.
It's a trend Fox 13 has been following closely and tracking from Issaquah to Redmond, Bellevue and now Bellingham.
RELATED: https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/issaquah-residents-questioning-why-us-after-they-say-police-told-them-thieves-targeting-asian-homes
"It's very specific and that's just awful any which way you look at it," Murphy said. "A burglary of your home is is awful, anyway, there's an intrusion it makes you feel unsafe."
Their homes are ransacked while they’re working between 6 and 9 p.m. The thieves reportedly make of with priceless family heirlooms, jewelry and their hard-earned money.
"This is not a crew that just comes in and cold hits a house," Murphy said.
The thieves are said to sneak up around greenbelts and trails to watch the homes; they know when no one's home.
"It's a quick easy getaway and so that's the only assumption is that it's not suspicious for people to walk down a trail because our trails are being used all the time, especially in this weather," Murphy said. "So blending in you take your face mask off or even leave it on for this matter, still in this day and age, right? You still have a face mask on you're not necessarily suspicious and so it's an easy way in easy way out."
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Bold and brazen invasions of privacy, carefully planned attacks officials say have been happening up and down the I-5 corridor and have now made their way to Whatcom County.
A question, many are asking why these specific families?
"We won't know the true answer until we are able to either identify somebody or arrest somebody from the crew who's willing to speak about why," Murphy said. "But one can imagine if it's a business owner, there may be some cash or jewelry that is kept at the house. It could be some business owners are first generation immigrants and the banking system is not necessarily trusted. There could be family heirlooms that are brought with them here to the United States where they're starting a new life and they could be kept at the home."
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Police are urging everyone to protect their homes.
- Secure valuable items, preferably in a safety deposit box
- Keep lights on, interior and exterior
- Mount cameras on the exterior of the home, front and back
- Taking pictures of your jewelry and other valuables can help assist in recovery
"The other thing that we encourage people to do is watch out for each other and watch out for each other's properties," Murphy said "Reach out to your your community, your neighborhood, especially those that may be working late, especially if you fall into this burglary crews' MO and you're Asian business owner. reach out to your neighbors if you're you know you're closing at the restaurant and you're not coming home till nine or 10 to keep an eye on on your house."
Call 9-1-1 if you see suspicious people or vehicles in the area or people wearing dark clothing and full-face masks.
RELATED: https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/residents-in-redmond-tracking-more-than-two-dozen-home-burglaries-possibly-by-same-crew
You can always email the BPD tip line or call them at 360-778-8611.