King County Prosectuor Norm Maleng announced today he is cracking down on a record spate of car theft
In coordination with local police agencies, the new car theft initiative will create a special unit of three deputy prosecutors to work full time on auto-theft cases. It also will "rush-file" car-theft cases within 72 hours of arrest, to make certain that the accused thieves stay behind bars while their cases move forward, and will create a "Ten Most Wanted" list of the worst car thieves to be targeted for aggressive prosecution.Sounds good to me.
Maleng will be saying more about his car theft prevention initiative and answering your questions at Monday's dinner meeting of the Downtown Seattle Republican Club. Space is still available. Come and join us! Details here. RSVP today!
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at August 10, 2005 05:16 PM | Email ThisToo little, too late and sentences will continue to be handslaps.
Maleng is like Reed - a wimpy excuse for a Republican!!!
Posted by: Norm on August 10, 2005 05:34 PMSounds like he didn't want to show up and have to answer too many questions about elections, gas taxes, and other really "significant" stuff.
Maybe someone will ask him why it's taken him years in office to come up with a plan to crack down on car thieves?
Posted by: Mike on August 10, 2005 05:42 PMBut at least I understand now why they refuse to write tougher laws on this and other crime...it would just net more hard criminals and put them away longer, and that would mean more felons who would lose their right to vote. And that means fewer democrat votes. (why didn't I think of that before!)
So you see, the election scandal issue and car theft really do have a connection.....
Posted by: Michele on August 10, 2005 06:16 PMInstead of catching criminals, they are more interested in conducting the gender feminist's War on the Patriarchy.
Posted by: BananaLand (aka Iguana) on August 10, 2005 06:19 PMI am suprised we don't have a "Celebrate Car Thieves Day".
Besides many cars are obnoxious statments of personal success. Unless everyone can afford a BMW, no one should be allowd to own one. If we outlaw the private possession of automobiles, the government can issue Fords to those who can prove a need for them.
Posted by: Huey on August 10, 2005 06:52 PMIf it was an election year for the prosecutor I would call it political grandstanding to win a few votes from the big city hardcore liberal residents by being tough on something that annoys them. Got a question for you to ask at the meeting Shark: "Why only now?"
Posted by: chokai on August 10, 2005 07:56 PMUntil the cost benefit equation changes in favor of the car owner car theft will continue. Thieves have to get caught 7-8 times before any serious jail time is considered.
If we put juveniles in detention until they were 18 and adults get 5 years for the first offense. Car theft would virtually disappear overnight.
An auto is the single most valuable asset after a home for most people, the true cost of theft is much higher than the value of the car. I know my wife's Camry has been swiped twice. Both it was recovered, surprised me I figure it was parted out within hours. Both times cops "knew" who stole it but could not place them in or with the car. Each time it was a juvey. The cops were apologetic but said if they spend the time and energy to prove the thefts, virtually nothing would happen to the punks.
Stop car theft, make it to "costly" for anyone to steal one. Anything thing else is cosmetic and for political brownie points only, not for effect.
Posted by: JCM on August 10, 2005 08:49 PMLiberals are "soft on crime" because they are the criminals.
Posted by: Njerald on August 10, 2005 09:51 PMIn the past.. many city police departments - had a "what's the point?" attitude after they kept arresting car thieves just to see liberal and lazy King County prosecuters and judges release them in hours!
Some Police Departments recently had the idea to get tough on car theft......I wonder if this is what inspired King County to finally do something?
Posted by: Deborah on August 10, 2005 10:04 PMIt's really a unholy system they have set up, soup to nuts. First, convince as many women as possible that they are being abused, due to things like, " he controls the finances," and "he withholds sex." Then, direct them to "advocates" who show them how to game the system. First you get a restraining order and have the guy kicked out never to return, deny access to the kids, move into a shelter for a little even though you have the house just so she can become indoctrinated with victimhood feminism.
Next, get the guy on the maximum childsupport. That money is paid to the state, who in turn pays the woman. The more money the state gets, the more federal money they receive.
When a guuy looses his job, he is not with the program, and so is jailed.
How can the police have time to catch theives, murderers, rapists, pedophiles, etc ... when they are responsible for driving revenue to the state through dead beat dads?
Posted by: BananaLand (aka Iguana) on August 11, 2005 12:30 AMI wonder if we could call Dimwit Patty Murray, I sure she would help get our prioities straight. After all, almost half her contributions to her 2004 re-election came from right here in Washington. But most, alas, came from femiNazi groups like Emily's List (see opensecrets.org) and fatcat lobbists in California and the east coast. Murray is bought and sold by the abortion industry and other radical leftist causes. Washington votors are idiots to keep returning cretins like Murray to the Senate. It's no wonder we have no political capital in D.C.
Posted by: Saltherring on August 11, 2005 05:47 AMThe practice of letting car theives off for multiple offences has never made sense to me. At least it looks as if someone is finally doing something to correct that.
Posted by: SouthernRoots on August 11, 2005 07:28 AMLOOKS being the operative word.
Is Norm up for re-election this Nov? That might explain the sudden belated interest in car theft.
Posted by: JCM on August 11, 2005 07:39 AMYou've got to peel the onion on the dirty money trail. The trail of dirty money in child support is an embarassment beyond mafia.
Point being is that KC and PC police do a round up of deadbead dads every year- with tons of news coverage- for what??? being in debt? If NORM hasn't been chasing car theives- it's because he's been too busy orchestrating stuff like this. Why? because the trail of money goes WAY beyond feeding kids- it funds a lot of garbage in DSHS. Kids are merely the human shield they use to collect money- otherwise youd see guys like Norm standing up for stuff like shared parenting.
To date- NOT ONCE have I seen as much publicity towards worthwhile stuff from police or prosecutors as there is for DBD round ups.
Posted by: Andy on August 11, 2005 09:49 AMToo few know or care despite the fact that every male that has kids & goes through divorce gets to ride the blade...
Posted by: alphabet soup on August 11, 2005 10:04 AMDon't read it then.
So-called deadbeat dads are put in jail frequently in this state because they are unemployed.
I know because I have worked within this system. Attend the weekly Tuesday morning 10:00 A.M. calendar
at the Regional "Justice" Center and see them in their jumpsuits.
The legal basis for incarceration is "civil contempt of court" for not obeying a court order to get a job.
They can legally put you there for up to 90 days at which time they must release you, and order you to find a job again.
If you fail to find sustained employment after a suitable period of time or you refuse, they can jail you again.
Don't be foolish.
Posted by: Amused by liberals on August 11, 2005 10:07 AMNow--will he attack the voter fraud and other abuses of homeless folks on our streets and parks? Are we now in a law-abiding Renaisannce? I'll drop a turd if Seattle actually "gets tough on crime!" hey--I watched WTO from 20 floors up--my former city would have brought out the 'shooters' and bull dozers with no crap tolerated;
visitors, tourists and residents want peace & order; no handcuffing the police; I'm not a 'rabid right' guy, just a guy who understands law & order; everybody benefits--small business & residents; 'too-much-freedom-chaos' kills us all;
Now if he would just do the same thing about serial murderers, rapists, illegal aliens, and, oh, let's say, certain fraudulent and corrupt county and elections administration officials...?
Posted by: ERNurse on August 11, 2005 10:01 PMI'm confident that 'those on the line' want to clean things up. I gladly & proudly support them. However, like the military, I fear the 'higher-ups' now are too political and miss their original mission and oath--to protect us GOOD citizens from the rabble.
We need more 'just say no's' on juries to stand up to the liberal forces that are fighting harder for the perp's than the people. I for one will if chosen, but they won't choose me on a jury--bet on it-- :)
Posted by: Jimmie-howya-doin on August 12, 2005 12:17 PMWoah--do I smell the sea brine of the morning Seattle fog rolling in or is that REAL testosterone FINALLY oozing out of our leaders' pores?
Posted by: Jimmie-howya-doin on August 12, 2005 09:30 PM