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SPD, King County Prosecutors Renew Effort to Go After Career Criminals

In response to an increase in property crimes, primarily auto thefts, in the city, police and prosecutors are renewing two previous efforts, the Repeat Burglar and Auto Theft Initiatives, to aggressively pursue cases against career criminals.

This week members of the Coordinated Criminal Investigations Section—including SPD’s Auto Theft Squad and Major Crimes Task Force—and Chief Criminal Prosecutor for the King County Prosecutor’s Office, Mark Larson, agreed to collaborate on renewing the Car Theft Initiative Program.

SPD will also be coordinating with regional law enforcement partners through the various task forces in and around the greater Puget Sound area to the problem on a greater level. Since these cases go hand-in-glove with many of the burglary and mail theft cases, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Darren Thompson, who oversees the Repeat Burglary Initiative, was also part of the conversation.

“Burglary and car theft are quality-of-life crimes that make people feel less safe in their homes and their neighborhoods,” said King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg. “The King County Prosecutor’s Office is committed to addressing this issue with SPD and with our respective special emphasis units, we will give these cases, and the serial offenders, the priority that they deserve.”

“I don’t like burglars,” added Satterberg.

SPD’s Investigations Bureau will also be coordinating closely with Patrol Operations personnel to ensure cases do not fall through the cracks, and that officers have all the tools necessary to compile strong cases for prosecutors.

We understand the impact these crimes have on Seattle residents and we are working closely with our partners in law enforcement to ensure you feel safe in their neighborhoods and in your homes.