Opinion: ‘I don’t want to live in a community where criminals know they can commit crimes with no threat of consequence’

Ken Vance argues Vancouver's no-arrest directive on misdemeanors signals to criminals there is no threat of consequence. — Ken Vance argues Vancouver’s no-arrest directive on misdemeanors signals to criminals there is no threat of consequence. File photo

🎧 Ken Vance: Vancouver’s No-Arrest Policy Is Insanity

Clark County Today Editor Ken Vance reacts to city of Vancouver memorandum restricting police from making arrests or issuing citations on a number of misdemeanor crimes

Ken Vance, editor
Clark County Today

Vancouver City Manager Lon Pluckhahn told Clark County Today yesterday that a recent memorandum that restricts Vancouver police from making arrests or issuing citations on a number of misdemeanor crimes was made in an effort to “prioritize cases with the greatest impact on safety.” Somehow, as a resident of that city, I don’t feel safe.

Ken Vance

I am very appreciative that Pluckhahn took the time to give us a thorough explanation of the issue it currently has with the system. It’s obvious the city is in a difficult situation due to a shortage of defense attorneys, which Pluckhahn says has led to the dismissal of more than 50 cases. Pluckhahn emphasized in his email response to CCT reporter Paul Valencia that 10 of those dismissed cases involved domestic violence charges that included assault, stalking, harassment, and/or no-contact order violations.

“While we have the ability to re-file those cases, I am absolutely confident that the community would not want those types of cases dismissed for lack of an attorney because attorneys were assigned to lower-level offenses,” said Pluckhahn, who explained that each case is put into the system in order it is received, not based on the severity of a crime.

“To ensure there are enough available attorneys for crimes involving victims and other community safety crimes such as domestic violence assault and driving while intoxicated, a protocol has been put in place to stem the number of misdemeanor cases that are being cited into court,” Pluckhahn said. He added that this is a way of taking measures to avoid contributing to the bottleneck of misdemeanor cases “clogging the courts.”

I understand the bottleneck of misdemeanor cases that are “clogging the courts.’’ And, I don’t like hearing that 50 cases have been dismissed due to the shortage of defense attorneys, including the 10 he said were more serious than the overabundance of those misdemeanor cases. However, I don’t want to live in a community where criminals know they can commit crimes with no threat of consequence.

Most of us have likely viewed videos on social media or on the nightly news of brazen crime gone wild. I agree with Pluckhahn that some offenses are more egregious than others. But we can’t concede ANY ground while waging this war against evil in our community. I don’t care how many cases get backed up in the system, or how many have to be refiled as a result, criminals need to know they are going to be charged and eventually be held accountable for their actions.

Just yesterday, Clark County Today published a Clark County Sheriff’s Office report of a robbery gone bad. The suspects stole several bottles of alcohol from an area Walgreens. When confronted by an employee, one of the suspects struck the employee in the head with a bottle, causing a laceration, before the group fled in a SUV. The investigation indicates the same suspects may have stolen alcohol from another Walgreens in Clark County shortly before this robbery.

I realize that example wasn’t just petty theft and when they attacked the employee it escalated into more than a simple misdemeanor. So, if it was being investigated by the Vancouver Police Department or addressed by the Vancouver City Attorney’s Office, it likely wouldn’t be one of those cases that are ignored while more serious cases are processed. But we’re talking about deterrence. That crime is an example of how brazen criminals have become. I’m not sure if those three suspects even consider themselves criminals and they sure didn’t act like they were afraid of any consequences. They obviously felt very comfortable driving from one Walgreens to another and just taking whatever they wanted, in this case bottles of alcohol. And it led to a more serious crime.

Once again, under the city’s new directive to its officers, the three suspects in that case would not have been arrested for simply stealing products. It would have only escalated to a “serious” crime after the attack on the employee. That seems like an invitation for more and more people to walk into a store and grab whatever they want, at least in the city of Vancouver.

On Wednesday, the president of the Vancouver Police Officers Guild told Clark County Today that the city is moving in the wrong direction now that the memorandum has been issued. Jeff Anaya said rank-and-file officers just want to serve the public.

“We got into this profession to stop crime, to deter crime, so people can go about their business and go about their lives in safety,” Anaya said. “This is going to ruin businesses. People are not going to feel safe. Criminals are going to flood here.”

I couldn’t agree more with Anaya. Let’s seek other solutions. This is not a solution. It’s insanity, and it doesn’t make me feel safe.