Thieves steal packages from condo, access key box only for SFD

Seattle police are investigating how a pair of thieves accessed an emergency key box meant only for the Seattle Fire Department and stole packages from a residential building.

Surveillance video shows the thieves hiding their faces with their hands and hats as they got into the First Hill condo building twice.

Follow this link to see several images of the suspects.

The boxes are called Knox boxes, and they are outside buildings all across the city. They contain keys, fobs or keypad codes for the Fire Department to get inside during an after-hours emergency.

The Fire Department told KIRO 7 that all of its own keys are accounted for.

Now a worker at the building that was broken into is concerned the thieves will use whatever tool they have to steal from more buildings.

“I think there's a very creative thief out there that's found a way to get into these boxes,” the worker, who asked not to be named, said.

The worker, who also asked KIRO 7 not to use the name of the building, said he wants management at other buildings and their residents on alert.

He walked KIRO 7 through surveillance video, which seems to show a man tampering with the building’s Knox box around 4 a.m. on May 29.

Inside the box was an office key and a key code assigned only to the Seattle Fire Department.

“So whenever we saw that entry code, we would know that they had access to the building,” he said.

In the video, the thief leaves, then comes back at 4:08 a.m. with an accomplice. He types on the keypad.

The building’s records show the Fire Department’s code was entered into the keypad at the exact same time.

“When they entered that code, they didn’t hit random codes,” the worker said. “They specifically entered that code once and gained entry.”

Once they get in, they are spotted by a resident, and they exit into the parking garage.

Video shows them return Friday morning.

The woman covers her face and uses material to cover her hands as she opens the door.

Again, the Seattle Fire Department code is used.

The thieves take packages from the lobby and also use the office key that was inside the Knox box to steal more packages from the office.

Resident Loren Anderson said he worries what the thieves will do next with their Knox box access tool or key.

“That's the bad thing about this key, now, they don’t have to limit,” he said. “They can go to the higher end ones, rents like three, four thousand dollars a month.”

The worker told KIRO 7 he’s also worried about residents’ safety if they surprise thieves.

He said they’ve increased security, changed locks, and even put a phone number in their Knox box for the Fire Department to call in an emergency, instead of a code.

Break-ins like this can be costly.

In 2013, a man named Norman Bottem was charged with obtaining a "shaved key" he used to access Knox boxes at three Seattle apartments.

Police reported about 40 Knox box burglaries in total, though Bottem was only charged for those three specific break-ins.

Prosecutors announced that the Seattle Fire Department was rekeying all of the boxes for more than $500,000.

KIRO 7 asked Seattle fire officials whether anything was done in 2013 to improve security on the boxes and is waiting for a response.

The worker said he would like to see the Fire Department check Knox boxes throughout the city to see how many others have been accessed. He also urges condo and apartment management to check their logs and see if their own codes for the Fire Department have been used for access to their buildings.

• Jun. 21, 2016 report: Major Crimes Task Force takes on Knox box burglary investigation

Cox Media Group