On July 15, Erica Manns woke up early in the morning to the sound of glass breaking and other odd noises, and when she looked out the window, she saw broken glass.

It was around 4:30 a.m. so the 11-year-old woke her father to tell him what she had seen and heard.

“In our neighborhood, it’s such a safe neighborhood,” she said. “It ran in my mind that something wasn’t right. That’s not normal in my neighborhood.”

Erica and her father called 911 to inform the police of what was happening. This call led to the arrest of a 32-year-old man from Seattle who was involved in at least a dozen vehicle prowls linked to that night.

Crucial help from the community

Julie Beard, neighborhood resource officer for the Redmond Police Department (RPD), said the family did exactly the right thing in alerting the police. She said they did not interrupt or get involved and were able to provide descriptions for the police and RPD was able to catch the suspect in the act.

“We’re not usually that lucky,” Beard said.

She said RPD has 17 square miles to cover so they can’t always be where the crime is happening. The police depend on tips from community members about suspicious behavior because “nobody knows your neighborhood better than you do,” Beard said.

“It’s hugely important,” she said about calls from the community. “It’s the majority of   how we catch bad guys…citizen tips are how we solve these crimes.”

She added that if someone is calling in to report a crime, they should call 911, not RPD dispatch.

To recognize Erica’s role in apprehending the suspect, RPD recently presented her with the first-ever Citizen’s Award of Appreciation. According to a letter from Police Chief Ron Gibson, the award “recognizes those citizens who render outstanding assistance to the department in preventing crime, apprehending criminals and providing outstanding service to the community.”

“She’s a remarkable young lady,” Beard said about Erica.

Anita Manns, Erica’s mother, said she appreciates RPD showing her daughter such care and recognition.

“I loved seeing how special she felt,” Manns said. “(Erica) commented that one of the officers gave her his business card. She has it next to her bed. She says it makes her feel as if they are ‘personally’ protecting her (which they are).”

Beard said they don’t want kids — or adults — trying to stop or interrupt a suspicious situation because it could be dangerous or scare the suspect away, but they also don’t want people to ignore what is happening.

“This was a pretty high-risk call,” Beard said, explaining that the Seattle man was caught after engaging the on-scene officer in a foot pursuit, and at one point, a car traveling in reverse sped toward the officer and suspect.

Despite her quick action, Erica admitted that she was nervous in the moment.

“I was a little scared that they might still be there,” she said.

A lifelong lesson

Erica was able to help RPD thanks to some lessons she learned from Debbie Green, a special education teacher and paraeducator at Benjamin Rush Elementary School, where Erica studied until last year (she currently attends Northstar Middle School in Kirkland). Green is also the school’s safety patrol coordinator and has given tips and advice to students to use if they ever come across suspicious circumstances or witness a crime.

She tells students to make sure to stay in pairs and if they have to memorize a license plate, to split the work and have one person memorize the letters and another person memorize the numbers. Green also tells students to make sure to make note of anything else that may be helpful such as a vehicle and/or suspect description.

Erica used these tips when she heard the odd noises in her neighborhood that July morning.

“It’s very heartwarming, to be honest, to know that they’ve learned a life skill that they can use forever,” Green said about Erica applying the advice she gave the girl and being recognized for it.

Green, who is proud of Erica and her accomplishment, was also recognized by the RPD with a letter of appreciation from Gibson for her role in educating Erica and her “worthwhile efforts in keeping our young citizens safe and well prepared.”

“I was really taken aback that I was (recognized), as well,” Green said, adding that it feels good to be part of the students’ learning. Manns said she is also grateful to Green for being a “great safety patrol teacher and example to Erica of quick thinking and doing the right thing.”

“The entire experience has strengthened Erica’s confidence even more,” Manns said.

Erica agreed, saying she was happy about receiving the RPD award and proud to be a role model for other kids who can look to her and see that even if they’re scared, they can still do the right thing and help.