Ep. 22 Today’s episode is with Katie Nelson, Public Information Officer (PIO) for the Mountain View Police Department. We talk about how police agencies are connecting with community at the local and national level. Katie has a prominent role as the Chair of the PIO Section for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) – the world’s largest and most influential professional association for police leaders with more than 31,000 members in more than 165 countries. I tap her insight into what’s going on around the country in terms of new legislation in certain states, the elimination of qualified immunity for some, and new laws that are affecting not only law enforcement, but also community members and victims who have not necessarily been fully updated on how these new laws affect them. 

We also discuss #PathForward, the IACP’s digital initiative to help enhance law enforcement's efforts to better tell the story of all that policing is and the good work officers do every day. I highly recommend checking out the posts on Twitter. If you are in law enforcement, use the hashtag to highlight the stories in your own community, the stories that don’t make the news.

I also want to provide the press release issued by Auburn WA Police Department about a recent incident and a link to their Facebook post that explains why officers were unable to take action. I reference this in the episode. You can always reach me at [email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/AuburnWAPolice/videos/377749317316960

*****Press Release/Stolen Vehicle*****

08-31

Around 2:30pm Officers with Auburn PD were dispatched to a stolen vehicle report near the Auburn Police Substation on Lea Hill. The victim at the scene told the officers she had been robbed at gunpoint and her vehicle, a white 2016 Lexus RX, had been stolen.

Using a photographic montage, the victim was able to identify the suspect. Officers learned, the vehicle was equipped with Lojack and it had been activated.

Just after 3pm, while searching for a suspect on an unrelated call, King County Guardian One reported that they had been receiving pings from the stolen Lexus. Guardian One followed the Lojack signal and at about 3:15pm located the vehicle backing into an apartment complex in the 900 Block of 12 ST SE.

Not long after, Guardian One saw a male had left from the backseat and another male had left from the front passenger seat. Neither of these males were able to be identified. The male from the back seat walked across the parking lot, while the male from the front passenger seat got into another vehicle.

As patrol units began to converge on the area, Guardian One said a patrol unit had just driven by the Lexus as it pulled out of the apartment complex parking lot. The Lexus had come close to one of our patrol vehicles and drove around our officers.

Officers and Guardian One continued to try and track the stolen vehicle, but they eventually fell too far behind and could not keep up. Without anyone observing the driver, identifying the driver or any other possible occupants in the vehicle, there was no probable cause for anyone in the vehicle regarding this robbery case.

Due to the recent legislative changes regarding vehicle pursuits and use of force in Washington State, we were not legally allowed to pursue the vehicle.