City-Funded Security Guards for Seattle Grocery Stores Will Likely Only 'Observe' Theft, Critics Say

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is facing criticism for rolling out city-funded security guards for grocery stores to buffer them against theft instead of focusing her efforts on stopping crime citywide by jailing criminals in the first place. The socialist mayor earlier this week debuted rollout of the security funding as part of a $1.7 million grocery-support initiative from the city’s 2026 budget, saying in a statement reported by Fox News: “Keeping our neighborhood grocery stores safe and supported is essential to making sure every Seattleite has a reliable, affordable grocery store near them.” Fox reported: The plan will help 10 independent grocery stores pay for improvements and get a year of business support, while stores hit hard by retail theft can get one-time funding for security upgrades and repairs. The security funding is already drawing criticism from residents and conservatives who argue the city is spending public money to help businesses absorb the consequences of crime rather than focusing on preventing it. “The best way to support grocery store — and all businesses — is to actually enforce the law with a fully staffed and funded police department. Giving money or resources to fix businesses that are broken by crime is a bandage on a bullet wound,” Seattle Red host and conservative commentator Jason Rantz told Fox News Digital. “We don’t need to think outside the box here. Just enforce the law and put criminals in jail. That works like a charm and will save everyone money and headaches,” Rantz added. Fox Digital posted numerous responses from around social media on the Wilson plan. “That used to be called the police department,” one user wrote about the security guards. “What are these security guards going to do? Make arrests? Observe & report? The criminals will walk right past the security with their stolen goods. If they detain they will be sued. Cops will not arrest the shoplifters or prosecute.” Many retail outlets, like Kroger, Safety, and Whole Foods, have corporate rules that prevent employees from stopping and detaining shoplifters, measures created to prevent false imprisonment lawsuits. Washington state laws do allow stores to confront and detain shoplifters if probable cause is established. Theft under $750 is considered a misdemeanor punishable by fines and up to one year in jail. “Goodness! imagine how much nicer the city would be if they simply arrested and charged criminals and put them in jail? Normal people shouldn’t have to shop at stores with security guards. NONE of this was necessary in most parts of Seattle 15 years ago,” an X user wrote. The grocery security funding reportedly was first proposed by former Mayor Bruce Harrell in his 2026 budget to target retail theft, property damage, and other crimes. This followed the cuts in police spending amid the violent 2020 “Black Lives Matter” protests, with the department falling from nearly 1,500 officers in 2019 to a two-thirds of that by 2024. Theft remains significant in Seattle, where police recorded nearly 7,500 larceny-theft offenses across the city’s five precincts through May, Fox reported, making it the most commonly reported crime category in every precinct. Breitbart contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.