Seattle-area deputies can now pursue burglary suspects, according to a new policy from the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO), after the Washington state police department previously limited vehicle pursuits to those committing dangerous felonies or driving under the influence.
The policy change comes as a result of business owners providing feedback about law enforcement’s pursuit policy, which has been and continues to be more restrictive than the state’s counterpart law.
“KCSO’s vehicular pursuit policy has historically been more restrictive than the state law, and that’s worked well for us,” KCSO undersheriff Jesse Anderson said, according to local news station KING 5. “It was important for us to listen to community members asking us to go after dangerous criminals putting people at risk. That really helped drive our decision.”
While King County continues to restrict the frequency of police pursuits, the state recently removed a large portion of those restrictions.
In June, Washington’s Democratic-controlled legislature amended a controversial 2021 state law that allowed law enforcement to pursue suspects only when there was probable cause that a violent offense had been committed. That law is now rolled back, permitting police to engage whenever there is reasonable suspicion that a person has committed a crime, violent or otherwise.
King County law enforcement had blamed the 2021 legislation for an increase in crimes, including car theft, and refusals to pull over. Before it took effect, only 41 suspects refused to stop per quarter. Between 2021 and 2023, however, that number grew to 138 suspects.
Policy changes to police pursuits are also being considered elsewhere on the Pacific Coast. Last week, California governor Gavin Newsom urged Oakland officials to change their police department’s chase policy as it remains too strict.
Now that burglary has been added to the list of crimes for an authorized vehicle pursuit, King County can tackle organized retail crime, which has been hurting big-box stores and pharmacies across the nation over the last year.
Target, for example, made headlines last fall when it announced the closure of nine stores across four states due to theft and safety issues; two of those stores were based in Seattle.
Following suit weeks later, Rite Aid filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and initially closed 154 underperforming stores due to a number of factors. It didn’t cite rising theft as a reason, but it likely played a role in the company’s decision. The drugstore chain has since shuttered nearly 550 locations, about a quarter of its total stores. Only three 24-hour pharmacies, none of which are owned by Rite Aid, remained in Seattle as of October 2023.