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Seattle break-ins, porch theft, and home security
Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes told The Seattle Times in February 2026 that overall crime fell 18% in 2025 versus 2024. Homicides were 37 versus 58. Burglaries were 7,341 versus 8,912. That is progress. It is not a reason to leave the side door unlocked on a Tuesday in Ballard while you sit downtown.
What Chief Shon Barnes told The Seattle Times in February 2026
Citywide, overall crime was down 18% in 2025 versus 2024. Homicides were 37 versus 58. Burglaries were 7,341 versus 8,912 — also down 18%. Those are citywide Seattle Police figures. They mix Capitol Hill, Ballard, Queen Anne, and West Seattle. A quieter street is not 24/7 monitoring, and a neighbor on the porch is not an ADT operator. We do not publish neighborhood crime rates.
Direction on the citywide numbers is real. Property crime here is still porch packages, break-ins, and houses that sit empty after drop-off or a commute on I-5.
Porch packages on Ballard stoops and Capitol Hill steps
Walkable strips are why people add a doorbell. Ballard, Capitol Hill, Fremont, and Green Lake collect boxes on stoops while owners are at work, on 520, or downtown. A camera you check yourself is useful. It is not the same as ADT calling you when a door opens.
The system is for the hours no one is looking out the window — not a claim that Queen Anne is dangerous.
Empty houses after school drop-off and the Eastside commute
Seattle Public Schools drop-off empties in-city two-stories. Bellevue, Lake Washington, Issaquah, Shoreline, Highline, Renton, Kent, Federal Way, and Edmonds empty the suburbs until pickup. A flight out of Sea-Tac empties the same doors. That is when people want the system armed.
What people actually order after a missing package or a leftover keypad
Door and window sensors, including the garage and any ADU door. A doorbell camera if packages sit out front. Outdoor cameras if the driveway holds a car overnight. Cellular backup so the panel still reaches ADT when Seattle City Light or Puget Sound Energy drops. That is the Seattle order, not a twelve-camera quote unless you ask for one.
Get a quote: (425) 600-9043 Neighborhoods we serve
Source: Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes, as reported by The Seattle Times, February 2026 (overall crime down 18% in 2025 vs 2024; homicides 37 vs 58; burglaries 7,341 vs 8,912, down 18%). Numbers change. We cite the date. We do not publish neighborhood crime rates.
Is Seattle “safe enough” to skip monitoring?
Citywide crime was down in that 2026 report. Porch theft and empty houses did not take the year off. Monitoring is for the hours you commute, fly out of Sea-Tac, or leave for school drop-off — not a verdict on your ZIP.
Do quieter streets like Queen Anne still order ADT?
Yes. Queen Anne, Green Lake, Bellevue, and Kirkland orders are usually school-day empties, leftover keypads, and packages on the stoop. Same ADT watch as Capitol Hill. Independent cities are not Seattle Police. We name the desk from the ZIP.
Will Seattle Police come if the alarm trips?
ADT can request help based on the alert type. Inside Seattle that is typically Seattle Police. Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and other cities dispatch differently. Confirm the office from your ZIP. Seattle does not issue a subscriber permit; the company can be billed if SPD arrives on a false alarm.