Renton Police looking for suspect in sexual assault in the Highlands

The Renton Police Department is asking for the public’s help in finding a black male in his early 20s who sexually assaulted a 45-year-old Renton woman on the night of Oct. 3.

The victim told police she was assaulted at about 11:30 p.m. in the 2800 block of Sunset Boulevard Northeast by a man who got into the passenger side of her car. She had just returned to her car from a local business.

She described the suspect as a black male, 20 to 25 years old, medium height, slender build and squinty eyes. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, dark puffy jacket and saggy blue jeans.

Read the full story here

The Federal Way Mirror recently wrote an article on tasers which you can see here

Police tasers simply can not seem to stay of the news. Perhaps this is because they are the tool of choice in police cases where emotions, drugs, or violent mental illness have gotten the better of a suspect, and these cases are incendiary and confusing by their nature.

Today the New York Police Department took responsibility for using a taser incorrectly on a mentally ill man who was standing on a ledge, causing the man to fall to his death when he lost control of his muscles. (This appears to be an isolated case of an officer failing to use common sense, since New York Police handled 82,000 similar cases last year with no notable reports.)

Closer to home, the Tukwila Police Department has been answering public concerns about their use of tasers in a case which has made it into the federal court system.

I remember when we introduced tasers in Renton a dozen years ago. Council watched as an officer was shot by the taser in the council chambers, and the tough cop crumpled and fell onto a mattress that was positioned to break his fall. At that time, Then chief Al Wallis made a promise that if we agreed to fund the tasers for all our officers, he promised to make sure they were all properly trained on when and where to use them…and each officer that carried a taser would agree to be tased first, to see how it felt.

Our accredited police department made good on their training promise, and I can’t remember a single incident that has come to councils attention alleging an improper use of a taser in all these years. A few years ago one of our sergeant explained to me that we treat the taser as a higher level of force than some departments do, which may explain why there are fewer uses of them, and fewer complaints.

With several fresh taser cases in mind, I phoned our own Chief Kevin Milosovich for a refresher on our taser policy.

The chief explained to me that when we introduced tasers, we recognized three levels of force in our department.

Level 1, the lowest, was the use of officers presence, voice commands, or light guiding touch.

Level 2, Arm holds, wrestling down to ground, hitting, tasers

level 3, Lethal force, firearms

In this system, Renton police treated tasers as a Level 2 device. But many other departments considered tasers a Level 1 device. Hence, our officers used them less than many other departments.

Our police have since moved from a system of distinct force levels to a continuum scale which responds to suspects behavior with appropriate response. But the taser is still toward the middle of this continuum… it is not the tactic of choice when just voice commands, reason, negotiation, or guiding will work safely.

In a severe conflict, tasers have many advantages for the police, and they are better for violent suspects than most of the alternatives. The taser can be fired from a 30 foot distance, which means the police can take down a suspect without putting themselves in harms way. This obviously benefits the police, but it is also an advantage to an out-of-control suspect; if they can be prevented from harming an officer they can be spared extra years in a criminal sentence.

Tasers are also better than nightsticks for avoiding long-term injury. Almost always, a suspect will recover from a taser on their own in minutes, where a hit from a nightstick can require medical attention and leaves scars or bruises. And of course tasers are obviously better than a gun when lethal force can be avoided; no police officer ever wants to shoot a gun if they can avoid it.

Incidentally, the title for this blog, “Don’t tase me Bro” (which came from an incident a year ago during a John Kerry Speech)was determined to be the most memorable quote of 2007 according to the “Yale Book of Quotations”

Video of the incident became a viral video on youtube, and inspired several songs and amateur video remixes (like the one below).

Councilman Rich Zwicker forwarded this today:

FYI. This is an e-mail I sent my North Renton e-mailing list.
—– Original Message —–
From: Rich Zwicker
Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2008 12:52 PM
Subject: Residential Burglaries on the Upswing

I spoke with Mayor Law this morning and he asked me to assist the City in getting the word out about a rash of residential burglaries that are taking place in the Benson/Cascade area and the Highlands. For reasons unknown, there have multiple burglaries throughout these areas and they are consisting of the usual MOs–occurring during the day; entry through open windows or smashing doors or windows to gain entry.

While this is not a North Renton problem, let’s make sure it does not become one. And encourage your friends and neighbors in the impacted areas to be especially vigilant.

The best way to fight these burglaries is to keep an eye out for each other. So, please keep a sharp eye on your neighborhood and do not hesitate to contact 911 if you see anyone or anything out of the ordinary–strange vehicles; unknown youths, door-to-door salespeople, etc. If you notify the police, they can determine if someone has bad intentions, so just take a moment to report the out of the ordinary and we can help stop this disturbing trend.

– Rich.

Yesterday the Seattle PI reported on some prostitution arrests associated with a Renton business. An observer did not have to be a vice detective to see that the Red Dragon Spa in Renton looked suspicious. In addition to odd activity in the window and out front, their internet advertisements on Craigslist practically screamed “arrest us”.

Here is an excerpt:

“In November, detectives began investigating the Red Dragon Spa at 352 Sunset Blvd. N. in Renton after seeing it advertised on a Web site for erotic services. The ad offered three Asian girls and one Hispanic girl and a “great full hour massage for $100,” according to a search warrant affidavit filed in King County Superior Court.”

And the article includes this seedy detail:

“In addition, a registered sex offender is believed to have helped get a business license for the Renton parlor. In a license application, the sex offender, who was convicted of child rape in King County and now living in Kirkland, is listed as one of three contacts for the business, police and court documents say.”

The article includes a “sound-off” section, where many PI readers are responding to the article.

Like some of the other readers point out, the biggest problem with this type of business is the way it exploits the women and girls who get caught up in it. It’s not an issue of trying to impose puritan definitions of chastity on other people. The real issue here is that far too often these businesses are engaged in human trafficking and virtual enslavement, and they put the women (and girls) in physical and emotional peril. That is the best reason for keeping this activity illegal, and breaking up prostitution rings.

Here is the link to the story

Denis Law sent this email to council today:

Our officers are continuing to do great work in the Cascade/Benson neighborhood. A recent traffic stop resulted in the arrest of a suspect wanted on warrants. And the alert action of one of our new officers may have prevented a tragic outcome.

Officer Scott Barfield made a stop on a car on Petrovitsky Road, and while waiting to confirm that the warrants were valid, Officer Steve Rice, who recently left Seattle Police to join RPD, observed the suspect reaching under the front seat. He quickly reached through the window of the car and grabbed the suspect’s hand and removed him from the car. The suspect attempted to flee and was arrested following a struggle with several officers. A 9mm semi-automatic, loaded with 13 rounds, was found under the seat.

The suspect is a known gang member and convicted felon. All of the serial numbers on the gun had been filed off. Slowly, but surely, the bad guys are learning that this community is no longer free of police protection!

Denis

Yep… there is an interesting archaeological dig going on a block from my house.

This story in the Renton Reporter covers the scene well. I’m hoping they can use the new clues to identify the BODIES (yep, there are two now), and hopefully research the extent of the family cemetery there.