Seattle, Washington, business owners are running out of options to protect their stores, saying a weak response from city officials has forced them to consider hiring personal security guards, according to KOMO News.
Tara Espinoza, owner of Queen Anne Dispatch, reported tens of thousands of dollars worth of losses this year, adding that just last week someone attempted to break into her mailing services business, according to KOMO. Business owners have been working to meet with Seattle City Councilman Andrew Lewis for a while, finally scheduling a virtual meeting on Dec. 9, yet the city council’s efforts have been “weak” so far, Espinoza said.
“I feel a little bit defeated. Brick and mortar business owners, we’re just hunkered down trying to get out work done,” Espinoza said. “At a certain point you just don’t want to do it anymore. There’s no help.”
Without the support of the city council to help address the ever-increasing crime affecting the profit margins of Seattle businesses, many owners have begun looking into private security to protect their stores, according to KOMO. The situation has escalated to a point where many business owners feel it will be cheaper to pay for private security instead of paying for damaged and stolen property, according to Espinoza.
In another recent break-in situation at Seattle’s Veraci Pizza, thieves broke into the building and robbed the cash register. All that the business owners are asking for is that the criminals are held accountable, Espinoza said.
On Wednesday, the Seattle Police Department lost 80 potential officer positions after the the Seattle City Council voted to defund the unfilled positions, according to The Seattle Times. Staffing goals at the department have dropped over the last year, leaving non-patrol officers to respond to 911 calls.
“As I look at this in a broad perspective, in terms of the budget, I’m seeing more activist moves to take the money away from police and put it to projects that fulfill an activist talking point,” President of the Seattle Police Officers Guild Mike Solan said on the “Jason Rantz Show.” “For me, we need cops, and we need people that want to be cops. And we need to be given the confidence to go forth and conduct policing to hold criminals accountable. Because we’re seeing the decay of the city.”
The Seattle City Council did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundations request for comment.
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