Retail Theft Pilot Loses Funding
Opinion: Washington is No. 1 in the nation for retail theft. The state found a fix that worked, then killed it over $500K
Forbes ranks us as the state most impacted by retail theft in the country. Third-worst for value of goods stolen per resident. Second-worst for larceny per capita. No. 1. Out of 50 states.

A lot of it is organized. A state pilot program tracked the problem across King, Snohomish, and Spokane counties for five months last year. Retailers filed 5,868 organized-theft reports in that window. One crew, same faces, same vehicle, worked cosmetics counters across three counties before anyone caught up to them.

Police responded to 402 of those 5,868 reports.

Before you blame the cops, look at the staffing. Washington has the fewest officers per capita of any state in the country. Dead last. We run 1.38 per 1,000 residents, compared with a national average of 2.31. You can’t answer 5,868 calls with a force stretched that thin, and Olympia is the one that stretched it.

The state found a fix. It worked. Then Governor Ferguson cut the funding by more than $500,000
The pilot worked anyway.

The money paid for a dedicated prosecutor. King County’s office used that position to file 142 retail-theft cases in six months, two and a half times its usual pace. The state’s own Commerce Department reviewed the program and called it “highly effective.” For once, the government found a lever that actually moved.

Then the original money ran out in June of last year. When lawmakers tried to restart and expand it this spring with another $500,000, Governor Bob Ferguson struck the line as he signed the budget, saying the state faced a shortfall and had to balance its books. This is the same governor who backed the original $1 million pilot the year before.

Five hundred thousand dollars. Out of a budget of nearly $80 billion.

He’ll tell you he hasn’t gone soft on theft. As attorney general, he stood up the state’s first organized retail crime unit, and it’s filed more than two dozen cases. Fair enough. But the program he cut is the one his own Commerce Department had just praised. We found something that worked, and let it die over a rounding error. mynorthwest.com


Murder Clearance Rates Rebound
Murders in 2025 Were Likely Solved at the Highest Rate This Century
Right around 63 percent of murders were cleared in the US between 2000 and 2009 with the clearance rate this century peaking right at 66.5 percent in 2009. Going back to 1960 gives the full picture of steady drops over the last few decades, but it also shows just how far murder clearance rates have increased over the last few years.

The CDE has the 2025 murder clearance rate at 66.5 percent which is up massively from the 2021/2022 low of around 50 percent. If the CDE is slightly understating last year’s murder clearance rate, then you probably have to go all the way back to 1999 to find a higher rate (67.5 percent).

Measuring the relatively high clearance rates in the US (relative to the last 25 years, not relative to the optimal 100 percent clearance rate) in 2025 raises the natural question: why has it gone up?

The US clearance rates in the 1960s and 1970s were unbelievably high — and by that I mean that they probably shouldn’t be believed. Philip Cook wrote a great piece a few years ago where he analyzes the great drop in murder clearance rates. Per Cook, a major factor is the “upward trend in the standard for arrest”, meaning police are making better arrests that are more likely to lead to conviction nowadays compared to 50 or 60 years ago.

But why are they rising now? I would point to two factors that are major determinants in explaining why clearance rates are rising. First, the number of murders has fallen dramatically, and a smaller denominator (murders) with roughly even numerator (murders solved by police) leads to a naturally higher clearance rate.

Another major contributing factor in my opinion is that the share of murders being committed with a firearm has fallen. According to data from the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR), around 72 percent of murders committed in 2025 involved a firearm. This is higher than the historic norm, but down a decent bit from more than 76 percent in 2021 and 2022. jasher.substack.com


Retail Safety Takes Center Stage
Reframing Retail Safety: Protecting People, Performance and the High Street

Insights from a Retail Bulletin Private Leadership Roundtable, in partnership with Peoplesafe

Retailers are facing a sharp escalation in safety challenges across the UK high street.

Rising theft, increasingly volatile customer behaviour and reduced police response are combining with cost pressures and leaner store models to create a new operational reality.

At a recent private Retail Bulletin roundtable, senior leaders from organisations including Lush, JD Sports, The White Company, Angling Direct, Brewers, Bravissimo, Card Factory, Hotel Chocolat and Benson for Beds came together to share frontline insight.

The discussion, held under Chatham House Rule and chaired by Liz Jewitt-Cross, revealed a clear and urgent shift. Safety is no longer a standalone function or compliance requirement: it is now a core operational priority tied directly to colleague retention, store performance, brand trust and the resilience of the retail operating model.

This paper captures the key themes, challenges and emerging approaches shaping retail safety strategy today, while highlighting where technology, better reporting and stronger implementation can help retailers move from concern to measurable action. theretailbulletin.com


Cracking Down on Violent Protesters
A conservative think-tank wants to upgrade some misdemeanors to felonies for protesters. Experts say this could have a “chilling” effect
The Manhattan Institute has been a front-line supporter of Trump's efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the U.S. It also championed "broken windows" policing, the idea that cracking down on smaller offenses like vandalism can help deter more serious crimes.

Now, they're advocating for state lawmakers to target protest-related crimes by introducing harsher penalties for groups of demonstrators who commit offenses like vandalism, blocking roads or property destruction.

Tal Fortgang, a legal policy fellow at the Manhattan Institute, is urging state lawmakers to introduce bills that would classify protest-related crimes, like disorderly conduct or vandalism, as felony "civil terrorism" offenses.

Since these crimes are typically treated as misdemeanors, upgrading them to felonies would likelymean harsher consequences for offenders, such as years-long prison sentences and higher fines. A felony conviction can also impact your ability to vote, own a gun and get a job.

Fortgang defines "civil terrorism" as the "mass commission of minor crimes to intimidate or coerce people into adopting a policy," he told The Independent. Earlier this month, he published "Model Legislation: An Act to Combat Civil Terrorism,"with the intention that lawmakers can use it as a blueprint to draft their own "civil terrorism" laws. aol.com


U.S. murder rate approaches a record low

Supreme Court limits police use of cellphone data to find crime suspects