Here are my personal experiences with the Seattle PD’s capacity to respond to property crime:
1. September 2014: Current holder of my stolen MacBook Pro with serial # verified by Apple support is heading to South Center at 6 pm for a Genius Bar appointment. The option I’m given is to call the Tukwila non-emergency # and ask for an officer to accompany me to retrieve the laptop. I’ve also handed contact details of the support call to Seattle PD to follow up (the laptop holder provided a phone#) / response pending.
2. February 2014, the burglars who broke into my home used a credit card to buy gas that evening. I provided Seattle PD with the transaction details and manager contact at the convenience store with the surveillance video. They didn’t follow up on it.
3. Early 2000’s. Home burglarized. Expensive (at the time) LCD monitor shows up on eBay. Police unwilling to follow up. Credit cards used at a nearby OfficeMax. When thieves try to return the merchandise they purchased for cash, store employees whom I’d spoken to take photos of them and their license plate. By the time Seattle PD detectives follow up, they said they believed the thieves have left town.
4. Late ’90s. Girlfriend’s car stolen. Police pretty much disinterested. Someone found her stuff in West Seattle, when I went out there to pick it up for her, I came across the thieves driving her car … only then did the police respond (and they did make an arrest). I think the case was ultimately dropped because the police didn’t show up to testify (but I am not certain).
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