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Holiday Crime Prevention Efforts Are Paying Off

Police officers in every precinct are focusing visible and plainclothes patrols in known crime hot spots in order to address holiday related property crime. Property crime and package theft were recently the subject of conversation during a Reddit AMA this past Tuesday.

On Monday, plain clothes officers spotted a car that they knew to be associated with complaints of package theft. Members of this same team had caught a package thief in the act just the week before.

Officers watched two people get out of the car and walk into the Rite-Aid in the 5200 block of California Avenue SW. One of the plainclothes officers followed the two and saw one of the shoplift, setting off the door alarm during her hasty exit.

Officers stopped the car and questioned the occupants in the near 34 Avenue SW and SW Findlay. Officers also stopped the shoplifter and arrested her at a nearby 7-11.  Further investigation revealed that the woman was a likely suspect in several recent neighborhood car prowls. She was also hiding methamphetamine in a small violin case and claimed to have health concerns.

Officers brought the suspect to Harborview Medical Center, where she received treatment. Once hospital staff discharged her, officers booked her into King County Jail.

In the North Precinct, officers have been hard at work preventing crime at Northgate Mall. When they aren’t staffing the ‘Skywatch’ tower, officers are conducting visible patrols in nearby parking lots.

Yesterday, an officer working high visibility patrols in the Northgate Target parking lot, spotted a car without license plates. When the officer contacted the occupants, the driver suddenly backed into the patrol car. Realizing that he wouldn’t be able to bumper car his way to freedom, the driver got out of his car and made a run for it. The officer gave chased and caught him. While the officer was chasing the driver, the other two occupants seized the opportunity and made their own escape.

The suspect told officers that he was overdosing. Officer called for medics and they transported the suspect to Harborview Medical Center for evaluation. The suspect will be booked into King County Jail upon release.