By Michael Ko, The Seattle Times
Last fall, when some Seattle Police Department leaders asked Sgt. Gary Nelson for ideas on grappling with an explosion of auto thefts, he was less than enthusiastic about what he considered an “astronomical” problem.
But Nelson, who’s considered a departmentwide troubleshooter, concluded through analysis and interviews with other officers that approximately 100 people and their associates were responsible for the majority of auto thefts in Seattle last year.
Auto theft has been examined before, with little impact: about 6,900 auto thefts were reported in Seattle in 1995, and the number reached a record of more than 9,000 last year. The value of all cars stolen last year in Seattle totaled more than $40 million, according to police.