Posted on 11/17/2024 4:04:23 AM PST by george76
In 2022, Seattle Police spent 18,615 hours responding to organized retail crime calls, equivalent to a year’s worth of work for nine officers...
The damage from COVID-era policies has lingered for many years.
For example, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) could not book individuals arrested for minor offenses, including shoplifting and other non-violent property crimes, into the King County Jail. The COVID era rules, designed to “slow the spread,” resulted in a de facto “catch and release” program.
Now, years after the contagion has morphed into an endemic disease that people will contract many times over the course of their lives, the city has rescinded this policy.
The change, which went into effect earlier this month, reverses pandemic-era restrictions by King County that kept Seattle police from booking all but the most serious misdemeanors into the slammer.
Officials in the Emerald City argued the policy hamstrung prosecutors and cops.
But now Seattle’s ne’re-do-wells will face a jail cell if they flaunt the law.
The move is a win for local law enforcement, which has long pushed for more tools to fight a four-year crime wave that has continued since the pandemic — despite crime in nearly every other major city declining, an analysis by the Seattle Times showed.
The city became an epicenter of organized retail theft as a result. In 2022, Seattle Police spent 18,615 hours responding to organized retail crime calls, equivalent to a year’s worth of work for nine officers. This high volume of incidents strained police resources and made it challenging to prevent even more crime.
With no consequences, the problem became continually worse.
FOX 13 News spoke to Seattle retail workers who say they are constantly dealing with thieves.
“Growing into an exorbitant issue that really we don’t know how to get a handle on,” said Derek Pinder.
Derek Pinder is the assistant manager for Simply Seattle. He says on any given day, he’ll have three to five people come into the store trying to shoplift.
“There’s no real consequences for their actions. So, it is just continuing to expand,” he claimed.
There are so many valuable lessons to be learned related to pandemic polices. Perhaps one of the most important is to not sacrifice effective criminal justice programs due to pseudoscience and press-induced fear.
Hopefully, the businesses in the Seattle area will fully recover from this poor decision and public safety from criminals will be prioritized in the future.
Well what’s it gonna be Seattle? I’m very confused about my future. Can I steal shit or not? 🤣
A manager at the Walmart in NC was shot and killed a few weeks ago when he tried to stop a shoplifter. I fully expect shoplifting to skyrocket as the criminals know they are untouchable now.
I just don’t know what the answer is. Jail them at the very least. Hard labor - no watching cable tv in a/c and take assets to cover court costs, attorney costs and restitution.
Covid era??? Covid caused democrats to do stupid things?
The Antifa-cratic party didn’t let the COVID “crisis” go to waste.
” Covid caused democrats to do stupid things?”
It was an excuse to do the things they couldn’t have done otherwise. How could anyone resist? Afterall, it’s for our own good.
A sign outside of a local family restaurant read. “The Sheriff shut us down because he didn’t like the separation between booths. But McDonald’s is still open with even less space between the booths.”
This was where the Leftists got to pick the winners, Walmart, and the losers, any family-owned operation.
“This was where the Leftists got to pick the winners”
Churches were closed, while bars remained open.
Social distancing for normal people, but Fauci said it was OK for homos to hook up.
“Social distancing for normal people, but Fauci said it was OK for homos to hook up.”
A friend sent me a link to a porn movie saying, “Yes, it’s porn but this is hilarious.” It was two people doing the typical things you might imagine but wearing masks. It took the guy driving alone in the country in an airconditioned car while wearing a mask to the exponential power.
It took me a while, but I finally realized there were two reasons to wear the mask. One was so they wouldn’t be mistaken for a Republican and two, it’s a magical talisman like a rabbit’s foot. One of my doctor’s said, “This (the mask) is the most ridiculous thing I’ve had to deal with.”
I stopped worrying about Covid when I saw the border was wide open for illegal aliens—no masks—no nothing.
At that point I knew the leftists were just making up rules—and applying them arbitrarily.
If there were a true killer pandemic on the loose the border would have been sealed tight—the number one national priority.
“””After Rescinding Covid-Era Policy, Seattle Police Begin Jailing Petty Criminals Again”””
And as a result of this policy change, crime statistics will increase during the next four years under the Trump Presidency.
If Seattle is doing this, you can be pretty sure that the other Leftist cities will be doing the same.
The headlines will soon be screaming: CRIME IS UP!!!!
Keep debating, Seattle, while anyone with a lick of sense leaves for more sane cities and states.
Covid caused democrats to do stupid things?
correction they did planned things
including shoplifting and other non-violent property crimes
= = =
If someone steals from my store, thus threatening my income, livelihood, and resultingly my life — that is violent.
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