As has been usual for years, crime is becoming more common all over the Seattle area. The police departments of Seattle and other local cities are under-staffed, for multiple reasons including the “Defund the Police” movement that took hold in 2020, the hostility of the City Council to law enforcement in general, and King County judges releasing prolific criminals back onto the streets with a slap on the wrist. Here’s what’s going on lately.

The big story today is the sordid tale of seven shootings along Interstate 5, from Seattle to the South Sound in Tacoma. Here’s one story. And another, with video. It seems that a suspect has been arrested as we speak. Even with the Washington State Patrol helping, catching a suspect took time.

In another incident, a woman in Renton was killed in a drive-by shooting. In neither of the above stories was the race of the perpetrator mentioned.

In Tumwater, near Olympia, a jail inmate was re-captured after being on the lam for four days.

In Seattle, criminals with a front-loader rammed into an ATM in an attempt to steal it. This kind of crime is becoming more common, often involving a car or truck slamming into a store. We see a story like this at least once a week lately.

In Kent, south of Seattle, a homeowner shot a burglar attempting to gain entrance to his house. Here in Deep Blue Washington, the homeowner may find himself in hot water, rather than the burglar. Not this time, per the story.

In Auburn, south of Kent, police are working to find whoever stabbed a 34-year-old man to death. Surveillance video is available, which is a big help for police searching for a suspect. More and more homeowners now have doorbell cameras, which enable them to see who is at their door without having to open it.

In the South Sound town of Graham, police are looking for whoever shot a high school student on his way to school!

Except for the Tumwater escapee, all of the above towns are in King County, where the judges have a reputation for releasing repeat offenders rather than putting them in jail. This has endangered every resident of our area, and led to increasing incidents of crime perpetrated by well-known suspects.

In other stories, a woman was shot during a”disturbance” at Hing Hay Park in Seattle, and a man was stabbed in the face and ear in an incident near downtown low-income housing.

In another type of crime, a Pierce County nursing assistant has been accused of stealing money from a deceased client’s bank account.

It’s interesting that all this crime, both violent and non-violent, has happened under the city governments run almost entirely by the Left. The increase in homelessness and rampant drug use and sales has also contributed to the increasing amount of crime around here. Residents are upset and angry, but they do seem to continue to vote for those who let this happen. I guess not enough Puget Sound residents have mugged by reality yet. It’s a shame.