The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO) has announced significant progress in its efforts to combat retail crime, reporting a 2.5-fold increase in case filings through June 2025 compared to the average of the past four years. As of June this year, King County Prosecutors have filed 142 retail theft cases.

This substantial increase in filings, which began to spike in 2022, is largely attributed to the KCPAO's strategic initiatives. Key factors contributing to this progress include:

• Dedicated Retail Crimes Deputy Prosecuting Attorney (DPA) Position: In June 2021, the KCPAO established a specific DPA position dedicated full-time to retail crime cases. This led to a sharp increase in filings from 52 felony retail crime cases in 2021 to 157 in 2022.

• Temporary Second DPA Position: Filings in the first half of 2025 saw an additional surge due to a temporary, second Retail Crimes DPA position. This position, active from January to July 2025, was made possible by a grant from the Washington State Legislature, administered by the Washington State Department of Commerce and the Washington Organized Retail Crime Association.

King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion emphasized the impact of these resources. “Our team is working hard to bring accountability for retail crime – which can involve organized retail theft, tens of thousands of dollars of losses and physical assaults on workers – and these temporary resources made a big difference,” said Manion. She expressed gratitude to legislators, the Washington State Department of Commerce, and the Washington Organized Retail Crime Association for their partnership in addressing these serious crimes.

The KCPAO's commitment to tackling retail crime is also reflected in broader organizational changes and collaborative efforts:

• Economic Crimes and Wage Theft Division: In early 2023, Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion created a new Economic Crimes and Wage Theft Division to provide a unified focus and approach to economic crimes, including retail crimes, and enhance accountability. The Retail Crimes DPA is housed within this division.

• Partnerships and Collaboration:

    ◦ In 2023, the KCPAO participated in a pilot program aimed at enhancing retail crime prosecution in partnership with the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, law enforcement, and the Retail Industry Leaders Association.

    ◦ The KCPAO maintains regular communication with the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, including calls about prolific offenders. These discussions have led to multiple instances where individual misdemeanor cases have been combined into felony cases.

While case filings can fluctuate, the data demonstrates a sustained effort and increasing success. After filing 157 felony retail crime cases in 2022, the KCPAO saw similar rates of prosecution with 105 cases in 2023 and 121 in 2024, leading up to the 142 cases filed through June in 2025. These cases frequently involve multiple codefendants or multiple incidents per defendant.

The KCPAO remains committed to working collaboratively to address retail crime and organized retail theft, aiming to improve quality of life for King County residents and small businesses