Slog - Comments on SPD Offering Reward in UW Assault Case

Comment by Thin Blue Line Is An Overstatement

Thin Blue Line Is An Overstatement — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:00:25 -0800

While you're at it, why not ask them what it takes to get them to clear some cases other than those of Capitol Hill jay-walkings.

Useless fucking token police force. Jay walking tickets, reactionary racism and always there to laughingly take your report when someone breaks into your car. Occassionally available for shutting down a party in the U.

Seriously, clock milking, shiftless layabouts with a badge.

Just give us Private Security Vouchers and disband this worthless piece of shit department.

Comment by DOUG.

DOUG. — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:04:18 -0800

Ditto @1. Mia Zapata took only, what, 15 years?

Comment by Mahtli69

Mahtli69 — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:04:59 -0800

Maybe SPD offered this reward after reading Bellevue Ave's rants yesterday about how we only care about white people.

Comment by COMTE

COMTE — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:06:02 -0800

Q: What does it take for SPD to offer up a reward?

A: The likelihood that the public will make their lives easier and turn in a viable suspect without them having to do any actual police work.

Comment by HL

HL — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:07:52 -0800

It's not the Seattle Police Department offering the reward. It's CrimeStoppers of Puget Sound which is an independent organization with no active law enforcement officials on its board.

They do however, have a liason with the SPD:

Detective Chris Gough
Seattle Police Department Regional Coordinator

Detective Chris Gough works with Seattle and federal groups and law enforcement agenies. Since he has been assigned to Crime Stoppers full-time by the Seattle Police Department, he handles a wide range of activities.

That's probably who you should ask.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:14:47 -0800

Why? Because when people are dead they can pretend they never existed.

If the cops don't know who did it within 72 hours, there is a more than 90 percent chance they never will convict anyone - and if they do, half of the people on death row turn out to later be proven innocent by DNA evidence (which is usually suppressed anyway).

Comment by Hernandez

Hernandez — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:33:44 -0800

That has to be the most generic, catch-all suspect description I've ever read. Seriously, don't they realize that it describes at least half of the adult males in the entire U-District?

Comment by Will

Will — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:40:38 -0800

@7: You beat me to it. Yeah, that description is a joke. I hereby nominate every male student at UW. I guess Dan Savage should shut his damn pie-hole 'cause we can rule out all the fat guys.

Comment by Gomez

Gomez — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:06:19 -0800

That physical description doesn't really narrow anything down. They just described about 50% of the guys on frat row.

Maybe the reason a reward is offered here and not with the other cases is because the other cases are directed, premeditated attacks towards certain individuals or isolated, random incidents... whereas this attack is a random act of violence in an area that has seen multiple random acts of criminal violence. This is the 3rd violent attack on that block in recent memory.

Comment by Greg

Greg — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:11:56 -0800

Where is Bellevue Ave with his claim that the media (and the white public) only care about white girls getting attacked? Hmm?

*crickets*

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:24:29 -0800

I actually ran into three people who met the description - in Fremont.

The cops really need to grok that we don't all have fros like Charles ... and most of us fit the lame description.

(my guess is Bellevue Ave is still stuck in his car)

Comment by tsm

tsm — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:25:57 -0800

Perhaps they felt, for whatever reason, that the guilty party in this particular instance is likely to have acquaintances that would turn him in.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:26:59 -0800

(and @8 - you're one of about 10 Wills on here - make up an acronym like Will on Broadway ...)

Comment by kid icarus

kid icarus — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:34:40 -0800

@12 - Exactly.

Comment by poltroon

poltroon — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:38:52 -0800

#12
My thoughts exactly.. I doubt the description is of interest. They're wondering if his roomies might notice a bloody hammer, or something. Although given the apparent obliviousness of people in the vicinity during the attack, I don't have much hope.

Comment by the bloop

the bloop — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:21:33 -0800

The victim said that many cars passed by her as she was screaming for help*.
Maybe the police thought money would encourage those witnesses to grow a conscience.
That might explain why they released such a vague description.

*see Seattle Times article http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004126465_webuwassault15m.html

Comment by stunner

stunner — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:03:50 -0800

Gomez, it's called GREEK ROW.

Do you call it frat row for the pejorative effect? Because you're jealous? Because they're attractive?

Comment by Fuck Your Frat, Cracker

Fuck Your Frat, Cracker — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:47:42 -0800

If it's pejorative I wanna pat you on the back Gomez.

Comment by stunner

stunner — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:27:06 -0800

Careful you don't lose your hand in his rolls, 18

Comment by diana

diana — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:23:50 -0800

Funny how this coincides with the "State of the State" address this week. I mean the attention to this rather than the murder that happened on 15th. There was a lot of press about it because the governor was announcing the allocation of the budget surplus and any incident that involved the UW is mentioned often.

Hey, I have an idea: Since Crimestoppers is going to pick and choose a reward for an assault rather than a murder, why doesn't the Stranger offer a reward?

huh?