Following the implementation of a position focused on prosecuting retail theft crimes, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office reported that retail theft filings increased.

According to a King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, in 2025, the office filed 142 retail theft cases through June — two and a half times the average through June across the past four years.

According to the office, while case filing can fluctuate year-to-year for a variety of reasons, the jump in filing appears to correspond with the creation of the KCPAO’s Retail Crimes Deputy Prosecuting Attorney position in 2022.

Filings also spiked in the first half of 2025 due to a temporary second retail crimes deputy prosecuting attorney position, the office reported. A grant created by the Washington State Legisla

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