COVINGTON, Wash. — In South King County, Covington police have increased shoplifting patrols as retail continues to grow in the city.
With around 20,000 residents Covington is fairly small, but commercial businesses bring in many shoppers from surrounding cities. Residents have noticed a lot of theft inside these businesses and drug use in parking lots and have been calling the city with complaints.
Over the next few months police will be in plain clothes and unmarked cars as part of a retail emphasis. Officers will work with businesses to target specific times and locations where a lot of this theft is happening.
"By having our officers be a little more visible (in) presence and by trying to arrest some of our high-impact offenders we are hoping to have a little control of that before the holiday season starts," said Covington Police Chief Andrew McCurdy. "The goal is not always incarceration, the goal is – sometimes it's that arrest that gets the person motivated to go and seek treatment for drug addiction or whatever the other issues are."
Some of the most recent areas police have targeted include the Covington Walmart and Kohls. For the next emphasis they plan to have a presence at Fred Meyer.
If shoppers don't want to become victims, McCurdy suggested being aware of your surroundings. He also said don't leave your purse in the cart while shopping and never leave valuables in plain sight or in your car.