The Redmond Police Department’s Auto Theft Tactical Analysis Center of King County (ATTACK) was named a finalist for the Webber Seavey Award for Quality in Law Enforcement.
The award is presented every year by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The ATTACK program was chosen from over 150 nominations as one of seven finalists for the top award.
Developed and housed at the Redmond Police Department, ATTACK works to lower the rate of auto thefts and vehicle prowls through coordination, analysis, and intelligence-gathering for over 40 law enforcement agencies. It includes 260 partners involved in the identification, apprehension, and prosecution of auto theft and vehicle prowl suspects. Plagued by a 30 percent increase in vehicle thefts in King County from 1997-2004, Redmond Police developed the regional analysis center, which has seen the following improvements:
• Auto theft rate in Redmond declined 55 percent from May 2005 to June 2008.
• Redmond PD has tallied 162 arrests and the recovery of $1,485,000 of stolen property in 2006 and 2007 .
• Auto theft rate in King County has declined nearly 37 percent since 2005.
• Several high-profile offenders have received sentences of five to eight years in prison for auto theft, a sentence unheard of just two years ago.
• The King County Prosecutor’s Office staffs a four-person team solely devoted to prosecuting vehicle crimes.
“Receiving a finalist award for our ATTACK program reflects what persistence, team work, and reaching across agency boundaries can do to solve crimes,” said Detective Lt. Doug Shepard.
For more information, visit www.theiacp.org/awards/webber.
