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.0-; *(9+ ;/0,=,: *(5Âť; :;67 CHRISTMAS FOR ONE FAMILY By David Rose Correspondent
Finders keepers, losers weepers, right? That’s what two men thought when they picked up an envelope full of gift cards DAVID ROSE they knew belonged to someone else four days before Christmas. Last week, a young mother to four kids in Duvall reached out to me for help identifying the suspects after she accidentally left the cards on the checkout counter at Target. They were donated to her by her church to buy gifts for her kids. Right after the surveillance video aired on Q13 FOX News, the two men, who turned out to be brothers, called 911 and surrendered. They even apologized and told deputies they used the cards to buy gas and gifts. That could
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID ROSE
HOLIDAY HERO. Seen here with Washington’s Most Wanted host David Rose (on left), Provost Marshal George Hight from American Veterans Post 1 in Tacoma and his wife Donna saved Christmas for one family targeted by thieves.
have been the end of the story if not for Provost Marshal George Hight from American Veterans Post 1 in Tacoma and his wife
Donna. Thanks to their generosity, Christmas for the woman’s family was saved. Last Friday, George and I delivered two new
boy’s bicycles, Barbie dolls, an Easy Bake Oven and numerous other stocking stuffers and toys to her kids. The Hights purchased the toys that were wrapped by trustees from the Purdy Women’s Prison. Crime Stoppers of Tacoma-Pierce County donated the two bicycles. Hight says, “Every child deserves toys from Santa. When David called us and told us how the grinches had stolen the gift cards, it gave Donna and I the opportunity to make things right for this family and continue spreading the joy of Christmas.� The woman, who we are not identifying for her safety, says she believes the thieves were sincere in their apology and if they repay the money, she will not press charges. And for the record, I don’t believe in “finders keepers, losers weepers� and neither does George. Happy Ending!!
Tacoma Weekly is interested in caught shoplifting at the 38th what Aisman happening in our community. street send Goodwill Jan.and 15story learned that Please your on news ideas everyone can have Jason Bournetonot news@tacomaweekly.com.
LOG 1: Unfunded Mandates By Paul Pastor Pierce County Sheriff
Government seems to attract more than its share of idealists. This is a positive thing. We want our elected officials to aim high and strive to accomplish positive PAUL PASTOR results for all of us. But idealism alone doesn’t cut it. There are certain real world limitations which idealism must confront. There is one that is pretty much universal: “There is no such thing as a free lunch.� I have the privilege of serving as your Sheriff. And that privilege brings obligations and responsibilities. I see it as my responsibility to respect and uphold the law, to the best of my ability. In the United States and the State of Washington, the law is defined by legislation and by court rulings. Legislation can and often does direct that my department takes on new programs or adopts specific procedures or practices. There are times when these directives make good sense to me and there are times when they do not. But it is my responsibility to implement what the legislature and, ultimately, what Court decisions direct.
I often support the intent of legislation aimed at improving public safety and I want to see them succeed. The difficult part comes in implementing the laws that the legislature passes. Laws do not implement or enforce themselves. When a directive comes with no resources, it falls to us to re-prioritize what we are already doing. I am often required to cut back on things the Department is already doing in order to do the new, legally-required things the legislature wants us to do. What is wrong with this picture? You and I can figure it out in a heartbeat. More things to do with no more resources means something has to give. Even while working smarter, with reduced staffing over the past several years, a specific legislative directive to do one thing usually means that we will need to stop doing something else. Examples of unfunded mandates include increased monitoring of serious sex offenders, requiring the collection of DNA samples for serious violent offenders and mandatory jail booking for drunk drivers on the repeat offenses. Are these good ideas? You bet. I like these ideas. They represent a willingness to support community safety and I applaud this mindset. But there is just one problem: they came
with no funding. In a rush to implement good and worthy ideas, legislators can forget that all these things involve costs. And meeting the costs of these unfunded mandates has caused our existing resources to be spread thinner and thinner. All the while, the public wonders why we can’t do more of “the basics� that they expect from law enforcement. Specific unfunded mandates can get in the way of our overall general obligation to provide public safety services. What is the fix for this? First we need to recognize that anything worth doing is worth doing right. Any law worth passing is worth paying for. There is no such thing as a free sex offender registration program or a free approach to jailing drunk drivers. We need to remind legislators that translating legislation into action takes time and resources. Decisions to write checks on my Department’s account means fewer resources to do other things including things like day-today property crime enforcement. There are some basic truths that apply universally in the real world. Foremost among them is this: there is no such thing as a free lunch. It is a simple caution that should guide our state legislators as they go to Olympia this month. Lunch is certainly not free when local law enforcement is forced to foot the bill.
esque aliases. When caught stealing clothes, the man was confronted by the manager, who called the police. When the officer arrived, the manager claimed he wouldn’t press charges, as long as the thief identified himself. Thinking he found an easy way out, the thief decided to give a fake name. The officer, suspicious of the way the answer was given, ran the name given and found that it did not exist. When informed of this, the thief claimed that the officer had misheard him, and gave another fake name. This name did exist in a database....as a fake alias used by the thief previously. When confronted with this information, the Goodwill manager decided to press charges. The shoplifter was then transferred to the Pierce County Jail for outstanding warrants, shoplifting and obstruction. After a woman pulled over on South Tyler Street was informed she was being placed under arrest for DUI without incident on Jan. 12, she decided personal shots were the way to go. After repeatedly calling the officer a “sell out� and “snitch� on the way to Tacoma Police headquarters, the woman became quiet and didn’t speak at all while being informed of the breathalyzer test. After refusing to take the test, the driver spoke up again, this time saying negative things about both the officer’s mother and wife. The woman’s words didn’t persuade the officer to let her go, and she was transferred to Fife county jail for driving under the influence. Compiled by Derek Shuck
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#1 BEST OF TACOMA 2014 BALLOT #2 DAVE MATTHEWS BAND CARAVAN WILL RETURN TO THE GORGE LABOR DAY WEEKEND #3 STUPID CRIMINAL OF THE WEEK #4 WILSON CLOSES OUT FOSS TO STAY PERFECT
CHARLES WRIGHT GETS NONLEAGUE WIN OVER TACOMA BAPTIST
#5 TACOMA CELEBRATES THE LEGACY OF REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
-)33).' 0%23/. Tacoma Police detectives need your help to locate Mardelle Carmickle, who has been missing under unusual circumstances since June of 2013.
female, 59 years old, 5’7� tall, 115 lbs., with brown hair and hazel eyes. She does not drive, and is not known to have a vehicle or a cell phone.
Mardelle Carmickle’s family reported her missing in late August of 2013 after failing to see or hear from her in two months. Carmickle’s family members have visited her apartment in downtown Tacoma several times and found no indications she has been there since she disappeared.
Carmickle suffers from several medical conditions requiring medication. She has no previous disappearances and it is unusual for her to not be in contact with her children. Detectives are looking for any information regarding Mardelle Carmickle’s disappearance and/or her whereabouts.
At the time of her disappearance Mardelle Ann Carmickle was a white
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Receive up to for information leading to the arrest and charges filed for the person(s) in this case.
Call 253-591-5959 www.TPCrimestoppers.com
All Callers will remain anonymous
1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
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