KC Prosecutor seeks to set record straight after South Sound mayors link office to rising crime

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg is laying out the facts for South Sound mayors who publicly criticized the office earlier this month as one of several factors to blame for rising violence and other crime.

“The mayors of the South King County cities Auburn, Black Diamond, Enumclaw, Federal Way, Kent, Pacific, Renton, and Tukwila are united in our ongoing plea to our King County and Washington state criminal justice partners to help us stem the rising tide of crime and violence in our communities,” read the open letter. It was released to the media and signed by the mayors Aug. 4.

“King County cities are seeing a disturbing rise in violent crime, as well as drug offenses and property crimes including auto thefts, burglaries, and robberies. Our community of residents, businesses, and visitors – the victims of these crimes – are fed up and action is necessary,” the letter continued.

In addition to new laws limiting police pursuits and drug arrests alongside a county jail system that they contend routinely does not allow bookings, the mayors called out the prosecutor’s office for being slow to file felony cases – if they are filed at all – and for deferring juvenile cases to hard to find and expensive restorative programs.

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In a letter responding to the mayors Monday, Satterberg acknowledged the concerns about rising crime and shootings across the region, but also noted this was not specific to King County, with many cities and the nation experiencing similar trends in crime in the wake of the pandemic.

“We must also recognize that multiple factors contribute to crime rates: domestic violence, behavioral health disorders, the widespread availability of guns, population increases, substance abuse and addiction, and decreased police staffing, to name a few,” said Satterberg.

Not only are the logistical challenges preventing cases from being tried, but the blame should also be shared with police departments themselves, which are having their own struggles with staffing officers to prevent crimes and gather evidence necessary in the criminal prosecution cases. He pointed out that prosecutors can only respond to police referrals.

“Prosecutors cannot investigate crimes,” Satterberg said. “As a result, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office can only charge felony cases that are first referred to us by law enforcement investigators. In that context, it is worth noting that felony referrals from your police departments dropped 28.5% between 2019 and 2021.”

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Satterberg explained his office was prioritizing violent crimes and repeat property offenders, but stressed that doesn’t mean the office ignores other types of crime. He also provided a link to all of the charges his office filed in July.

On average, Satterberg said his office files 20 to 30 adult felony cases daily, with the majority involving violent offenses or repeat offenders (including property crime).

“Our deputy prosecutors are in the courthouse each day, working closely with detectives, including at night and on weekends, to draft and approve search warrants, help with case development, respond to homicide scenes, and attend autopsies,” Satterberg said. “Our deputy prosecutors are also trying cases every day. On the day of your statement, there were 10 felony trials in process in adult Superior Court. These trials included three murders, an attempted murder, three sexual assault cases, and a domestic violence arson.”

Beyond that, Satterberg points to the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects that it has had on the legal system. He pointed to the issues of having to transition to virtual courtrooms, issues in limited availability in trying these cases, and complications in communications between different parties, as well as the illness itself, as reasons why case resolution numbers have gone down.

“The Washington State Supreme Court, following public health guidelines, largely closed courts throughout the state during parts of the pandemic,” Satterberg said. “This included a lengthy suspension of jury trials and plea hearings … Pre-pandemic, roughly 200 cases would be resolved annually by jury trials in King County Superior Court. This year, assuming there are no additional public health restrictions, we are hoping to reach 100 cases resolved by jury trial.”

While Washington is still recovering from the pandemic, it will continue to cause hiccups in the criminal legal system and how these cases are processed by the KCPO.

Overall, Satterberg stressed, the legal system is a collaborative process between lawmakers, law enforcement, and prosecutors, and no one side is responsible for the rising crime rates in the area. He wants to work together to move forward to make the whole community safer for everyone.

“We all share the goal of keeping our communities safe and we will always work in collaboration with you to protect public safety,” Satterberg said. “We are working to address the impacts of the pandemic and the rise in violence and we want to keep working collaboratively to address the most serious cases and prolific offenders.”

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