Brickbat: Leaving Him Hanging

Shortly after someone broke into his shed and stole $2,500 in power tools and sports equipment, a Seattle man spotted them for sale on a marketplace website. He called the cops, who suggested he arrange to meet the thief to buy the stolen goods, and they would arrest the thief when he arrived. The man arranged the meeting, but the cops did not show up as promised. Still, the man confronted the thief and got his stuff back. When the Seattle Times asked police what happened, they initially denied they would ever involve private citizens in an arrest. But their own records confirmed the man's story. "It's immensely problematic for us," said police spokesman Sgt. Sean Whitcomb. "He had the promise, or the suggestion, of a police presence, and then that police presence wasn't delivered."