Civilian Watchdog to Seattle Police: Stop Telling Crime Victims to Meet with Burglars

The practice was reportedly common at the controversial North precinct. stlouis-mo.gov

Seattle police should stop telling victims of property crimes to arrange perilous meet-ups with thieves to recover their stolen items, according to the department's top civilian watchdog, before someone gets hurt.

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In a thorough report released last week, Office of Professional Accountability (OPA) Director Pierce Murphy dug into a complaint about a failed attempt at a citizens' arrest near Northgate Mall on February 3. The citizens thought police were going to arrive and help, but the man who'd stolen thousands of dollars worth of their carpentry tools tussled with then, brandished a handgun, and got away.

Where did they get they idea they should confront the man in the first place? From Seattle police officers.

Murphy found evidence of a "de facto practice" at the Seattle police North Precinct—the precinct that officials want to replace with a $149 million flagship station—of "encouraging crime victims to become directly involved in the recovery of their stolen property."

"Fortunately, in this case, no one was hurt," Murphy wrote. He said the practice incurs significant "risks to public safety."

Police first received reports of stolen tools from construction sites in North Seattle in late January.

A woman who was part of the group seeking to recover the tools later filed a complaint with the OPA. Her allegation: Police at the North precinct told her to set up a "buy-bust" operation with the person she believed was selling the tools. Police would show up to apprehend the man, she was promised. She'd spotted an online advertisement of the stolen goods and arranged a meeting at 11 p.m. that same night.

From the report (names are redacted):

Named Employee #1 is alleged to have indicated that SPD does not have the staff resources necessary to directly follow up every time a property crime victim spots his or her stolen items for sale on-line, but that arranging to meet the seller themselves can work, so long as 911 is called about an hour before the arranged meeting with the seller so the police can be there at the time. Named Employee #1 told OPA this is essentially what the complainant was told, with one important difference. Named Employee #1 said SPD does not encourage victims to conduct "buy-bust" operations. Rather, victims are told they can arrange to meet the seller in a public place and then bring the police along while it is determined if the items for sale are, in fact, the victim's property. Named Employee #1 also indicated she has been directed by the supervisor of her unit to make this suggestion to victims in similar situations.

The woman alleged she talked to second officer who said the same thing. She alleged a third officer refused to stop and assist the group while the attempted recovery of the stolen tools was underway.

She called 911, too. She alleged the call-taker promised to send police who never showed up. The employee denied saying so, but in the audio of the call, the employee said, "I'm going to go ahead and send someone out and they will be there as soon as possible. If anything changes, call 911."

The OPA recommended against disciplining all of the employees in any way, citing a lack of overwhelming evidence to back up the allegations, misunderstandings, or, in Named Employee #1's case, the fact that he was following instructions from his supervisor.

What happened out in Northgate that night? KOMO reported:

The seller engaged in a physical struggle with the contractor for the keys until the seller reached into the Bronco and pulled out what appeared to be a black handgun, according to the probable cause. The seller pointed the gun at the contractors, who reportedly gave back the keys and stepped away. The man with the gun jumped back into the Bronco and drove away, allegedly waving his gun and yelling, "You want some?"

SPD detectives eventually tracked down the 23-year-old man, arrested him, and recovered the tools.

Police chief Kathleen O'Toole hasn't formally responded to Murphy's call for ending the practice of telling crime victims in North Seattle to arrange meet-ups with thieves. But in a statement, the department said it's "very grateful" for Murphy's recommendation and is determining next steps. Council Member Debora Juarez, who represents North Seattle, did not respond to a request for comment.