Seattle resident complains police don't seem to care about solving car break-in despite key evidence

SEATTLE -- Car prowlers targeted Kate Jiggins' Mount Baker neighborhood but she isn't just angry with the criminals, she is mad at police.

Jiggins said Tuesday that Seattle police were slow to respond and don't seem to care despite key evidence that could help solve the case.

From start to finish, surveillance video shows two men breaking into a car.

"Their faces are clear, the vehicle is clear, their license is on it,” Jiggins said.



The men ran off with $1,200 in cash from her nanny's car last week, but Jiggins felt confident the evidence would help the Seattle Police Department track down the thieves.

“We gift-wrapped this case for them and handed it to them and they still haven’t done anything,” Jiggins said.

Jiggins added that an officer promised they would be back for the surveillance video once it was put on a disc.

“That evening, our nanny’s son called the police, said, 'Hey, we have the video and some other information.' They said, 'We will pick it up tomorrow', and we never saw them again,” Jiggins said.

She understands police are busy with more urgent cases, which is why she is one of many Mount Baker residents who have hired a private security guard to monitor their neighborhood.

“We want to curb crime in whatever way we can, but it seems like when crime does happen, it would be nice to get a little backup from police."

Frustrated, Jiggins wrote a detailed email to Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole.

On Tuesday, a representative of the department told Q13 FOX News that communication could have been better in this case.

“I understand that she is frustrated,” spokesman Sean Whitcomb said.

Whitcomb emphasized that property crime is a priority for the force.

“The investigation has been going on for days,” Whitcomb said.

Police say detectives did not have the surveillance video but had the still images since the day of the crime.

“It’s absolutely invaluable we have crystal-clear images,” Whitcomb said, adding that detectives have leads and hope to make an arrest.

But Jiggins said she won’t believe it until it happens.

“It’s very, very frustrating. What do we have to do to get an arrest in this case?'

Police say car prowls are actually down in the Mount Baker area this year compared to last year, in part because of the emphasis they put on property crime.

SPD followed up with Jiggins and promised to pick up the disc with the surveillance footage later on Tuesday.