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."

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

"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."

When seconds count, police are only minutes away. [crickets]

[Jerryskids]

This is at best a C- brickbat, there's no surprise ending or outrageous outcome or anything. The guy calls the cops, the cops say they're on the way, the cops don't show up. Big woop. See now, if the cops showed up and arrested the guy who called them and gave the thief the stolen goods and sent him on his way, maybe tased or shot the guy, that would be a better ending to the story. You need to work on your material some, this was definitely not a strong effort on your part. I would have gone with something more like this.

[Jerryskids]

This would be the brickbatty part:

“This was never a situation where he was selling anything. What he was doing is trying to put gas in his car and food on the table,” Gualtieri said. “It’s really a very sad situation for somebody that is down on her luck. Going through some tough financial times, having problems with his wife and getting involved in a domestic incident. You know, people have hard times in their lives and sometimes do desperate things.”

This Gualtieri person, by the way, is the Sheriff, who obviously moonlights as a defense attorney.

[Acoscirq]

"This is at best a C- brickbat, there’s no surprise ending or outrageous outcome or anything. "

Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the Seattle Times? Here's the surprise statement in the piece:

"But their own records confirmed the man's story. "

The Seattle Times is famous for never verifying what the police say against what they actually write in their reports. The police can say the most outlandish things in Seattle and you can literally wall paper the Seattle Times News office with the Officer's own statments to the contrary and the Times will act as if it does not exist and stick doggedly to the lies to the police told.

In Seattle we call it the "Sara Jean Green rule."

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

Remind me, what are we paying them for, again?

[Conchfritters]

To pull people over for speeding, “smell marijuana”, search the car and find the $5,000 they just won on the slot machines at the casino, and then take it without filing any charges.

[croaker]

_+1000

[Conchfritters]

Also, reduce the dog population.

[MatthewSlyfield]

To "guard" Crispy Cream and Dunkin Doughnuts franchises.

[Longtobefree]

Wait. $2,500.00 worth of stuff, the cops knew where it would be, and NO asset forfeiture?
Fake news.

[croaker]

Not drug related.

[Juice]

But in a city where it has become a given that when your stuff gets stolen the police won’t have the resources to help much, acts of amateur vigilantism are becoming increasingly common.

Is that how they're spinning it? They just don't have the resources to help much?

[0x1000]

Basic will (or interest) is a resource…

[markm23]

Socialists don't _want_ to protect private property.