Politics Northwest
October 13, 2008 3:19 PM
Police officers back Rossi on sex-offender issue
Posted by Emily Heffter
A group that represents police officers in Seattle, King County and several other jurisdictions weighed in on Gov. Christine Gregoire's record regarding sex offenders today. The group -- the Law Enforcement Coalition for Dino Rossi -- held a lightly attended news conference in Seattle to talk up Rossi's plans to keep track of sex offenders via GPS tracking devices and release a new web ad featuring police officers.
Rossi advertisements have criticized Gregoire's handling of homeless sex offenders. There are 1,300 homeless sex offenders in the state, and the Department of Corrections only recently started using GPS tracking bracelets on the most violent offenders for the first month after their release. After Rossi began criticizing Gregoire on the issue, a group of law enforcement officials and prosecuting attorneys held a press conference to defend Gregoire's record.
Rich O'Neill, the president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, said at today's press conference that Rossi, if elected, would "set the tone" of more accountability for sex offenders. He tied the homeless sex offender issue to other problems with DOC oversight: at least three police officers have been killed by felons under state supervision.
"We need a governor who will think of the rights of the victims and who will err on the side of keeping the felons where they belong -- behind bars," he said.
The new ad can be viewed here.
UPDATE: The Gregoire campaign e-mailed me to say: "Not only does Gov. Gregoire support GPS monitoring of sex offenders, but she has been a leader on the issue. She has expanded the program in our state and has given more resources to local law enforcement to track sex offenders."

nwautos
Associated Press Study: Fatal crashes down in Washington Last year Washington's roads were the scene of the fewest fatal crashes since 1955. According...
Post a comment
nwjobs
Post a comment
Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Five reasons to stick with a job you hate -- for now
Post a comment

- Steve Kelley | My treatment of Bedard has been unfair
- Is Washington's tax exemption on bullion a gold mine?
- 747-8 soars smoothly on first outing
- Super Bowl ads: Betty White, Bud Light, big laughs
- Man found shot dead in pickup truck in Seattle
- Sex, drug rumors swirl about N.Y. Gov. Paterson
- Lewis-McChord soldier charged with abusing 4-year-old over alphabet lesson
- Alaska Air dropping Jones Soda beverages, going back to Coca-Cola
- Seattle is first U.S. stop for Picasso exhibit
- Body found in landing gear of NY-to-Tokyo flight
- Republicans may be no-shows at health-plan summit
273 - Obama: GOP and Dems together can spur job growth
204 - Fort Lewis soldier charged with abusing 4-year-old, holding her head in water
193 - Pac-10 expansion to get consideration over next year
186 - State Senate votes to clear way for tax increases
175 - Rivals names Martin one of Pac-10's best recruiters
143 - Belltown boulevard could be completed by early next year
124 - Lee undergoes foot surgery
120 - Tobacco ban in Seattle parks affirms citizen right to breathe smoke-free air
73 - Alaska Air dropping Jones Soda, going back to Coca-Cola
67
- Seattle is first U.S. stop for Picasso exhibit
- 747-8 soars smoothly on first outing
- City, Vulcan push higher South Lake Union height limits
- Commentary: Microsoft's creative destruction
- Snap out of your photo funk: How to make sense of all those piles of images
- Wine Adviser | Oregon's quality pinots join the bargain ranks
- Belltown boulevard could be completed by early next year
- All You Can Eat | Portage chef Vuong Loc takes Cremant space in Madrona
- Jerry Large | Learning not to copy China
- Rigorous college-prep classes skyrocketing in Washington state

May
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
| 1 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 |
Andrew Garber
Covers politics and state government from Olympia.
Jennifer Sullivan
Covers the state Legislature from Olympia.
Chantal Anderson
Covers the state Legislature from Olympia.
Emily Heffter
Writes about the city of Seattle and local politics.
Mike Lindblom
Covers transportation.
Jim Brunner
Writes about money and power from Seattle.





