



SEATTLE -- Downtown retailer Simply Seattle is TIRED of being robbed.



The retailer -- which sells Seattle-centric sports apparel and has stores both downtown and in Pioneer Square -- posted on Twitter page that it is removing Supersonics jerseys from its Pioneer Square location after being robbed for the fourth time this year.



"Retail in Downtown Seattle is plain old exhausting these days," the store's team said in a note on Twitter. "We, and other retailers, have to constantly be on edge against thieves and robbery. They're relentless, whether harassing our employees while we're open for business or breaking in at night."









The thieves made off with thousands of dollars worth of jerseys, "with little to no recourse for us," the business laments.



Seattle Police officers told business owners that suspects had been arrested for the recent burglary of a neighboring business, but they were released on bail days later.



"We don't have the answer but we're tired and something needs to change," Simply Seattle said.



And they're not alone. Downtown business owners have been voicing nearly identical complaints for the past several months. They blame the increase in property crime downtown on repeat offenders who are arrested dozens of times, only to be released back on the streets and commit more crimes.



City and county leaders responded by forming a working group to address repeat offenders. That led to a four-point plan aimed at reducing the number of repeat offenders cycling in and out of jail.



The plan includes, among other measures, expanding capacity at the King County Jail’s enhanced shelter; better transition services for offenders released from jail only one or two days after arrest; smaller caseloads for some probation counselors who have special training in harm reduction; and evaluating existing diversion and court methods to see who's falling through the cracks.



The new programs will start late this year and early next year.



