More low-level crimes going unpunished in Seattle
May 15, 2014, 7:24 AM | Updated: 7:36 am
Some city leaders are concerned that officers are choosing to avoid initiating contact because they might get a complaint under the new scrutiny of the department. (MyNorthwest.com Photo/File)
(MyNorthwest.com Photo/File)
Are Seattle cops looking the other way when they see suspicious activity because they don’t want to get hit with a complaint? Some people think so now that they’ve seen the numbers on misdemeanor enforcement.
Seattle Police officers are not investigating low-level crimes like they have in the past.
Cases where officers initiate contact when they see something suspicious have dropped 44 percent in the last four years, and officer checks of suspicious people and cars have dropped by 80 percent.
The Seattle Times reports the number of misdemeanor cases referred to municipal court have also dropped by 49 percent.
Some city leaders are concerned that officers are choosing to avoid initiating contact because they might get a complaint under the new scrutiny of the department.
Others say it’s too soon to say why the numbers are falling. The data comes at the same time the city has made misdemeanors less of a priority for officers.
