Thefts a sign of the touchy political times
Most political-sign crimes are unsolvable, but Husick may have cracked the case of a repeatedly mangled John Kerry sign in her neighbor's yard.
The Medina resident used a video camera to stake out the sign after it was repaired and re-planted in the lawn. Within 24 hours, she had a tape showing a man taking the metal-framed sign out of the lawn. The tape recorded the man removing the sign, which was later found in a neighbor's trash can.
It wasn't the only sign sabotage captured under the cover of darkness.
Shortly after 10 p.m. on Sept. 20, an off-duty Washington State Patrol trooper witnessed a woman uprooting five signs from the right of way along Juanita-Woodinville Way, breaking them over her knee and throwing them into the bushes. This time, the signs were for Rob McKenna, Republican candidate for state attorney general.
In the latter case, the suspect was arrested and could face criminal charges.
"People should be very careful about removing [signs], because it's against the law," said Sgt. John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff's Office.
Indeed, sign stealing and vandalism are illegal and can get expensive — if you're caught and prosecuted.
But area law-enforcement agencies concede that cracking down on sign thieves and vandals is a tough task.
"Short of catching somebody red-handed, either an officer doing it or a homeowner doing it, you're going to have a real hard time doing anything," said Mercer Island Police Sgt. Lance Davenport.
According to state law, a person may not remove or deface lawfully placed political advertising, including yard signs or billboards, without permission. Knocking over or stealing a sign are both considered third-degree misdemeanors and may carry up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine for each count. If a person is found guilty of stealing signs worth $250 or more, collectively, the crime is considered a Class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
But such cases are rarely sent to the prosecutor's office, said Dan Donohoe, a spokesman for the King County prosecutor's office. If someone is charged, the offense typically has been a misdemeanor.
Political overtones
Husick turned her video over to police, who were able to identify the man and forward the case to the city prosecutor for review.
"I actually found it very disturbing," Husick said of the vandalized signs. "When people start trying to silence people, no matter which side they are on, it's not good for democracy."
The 41-year-old Kirkland woman spotted by the state trooper was booked in the county jail and released the next day. The case is still under review, Donohoe said.
Given the inherent political overtones of such crimes, law-enforcement officials said they approach the police work carefully.
"You want to be nonpartisan, so you write up the complaint and ship it to the prosecutor and let him decide," said veteran Bellevue Police Capt. Bob Baker.
In Seattle, if there is evidence that sign vandalism or thefts are part of efforts to intimidate or harass people because of their political ideologies, the culprits could face malicious-harassment charges, said Seattle Police Department spokesman Sean Whitcomb. That's because, unlike many other places, political ideology is protected by city hate-crime legislation.
"In the city, if you're holding a particular political belief, it's the same as if you're targeted for your race or your religion," Whitcomb said.
No one has been cited in Seattle in past five years under the state sign law, but city prosecutors have pursued two cases for malicious mischief, according to the city attorney's office.
Turf wars
While the number of reported cases so far this season is no more than usual, according to local law-enforcement agencies, some have sparked angry responses.
• In Snohomish County, a small turf war over campaign signs has broken out on one busy street corner in Mukilteo. Vandalism on the tiny bit of real estate where Harbour Pointe Boulevard meets the Mukilteo Speedway (Highway 525) has resulted in one arrest so far, said Mukilteo Police Chief Mike Murphy.
"It's gotten to the point where about a week ago, people took to physically guarding the signs," Murphy said.
• In Issaquah, a homemade, 4- by 8-foot plywood Kerry sign planted along busy downtown Front Street was covered over with two smaller pieces of plywood attached with glue and about 100 screws. The wood was painted black, with an anti-Kerry message in white lettering.
"My officers actually spent about an hour and a half unscrewing it by hand," said Issaquah Patrol Commander Stan Conrad.
• The Eastside Democratic Coordinated Campaign said between 50 and 100 signs for Democratic candidates have disappeared from public spaces within the past month. Rather than post new ones, the group is handing out signs to people to post on their property, said Lauren Hall, a campaign volunteer.
• And in Kitsap and Snohomish County, Bush signs have been set on fire, according to the Washington State Republican Party office.
Meanwhile, Husick is getting out her video camera again after someone took a Kerry sign from her Medina lawn last week. This time she has another strategy as well.
"I've ordered a whole lot more [signs] to get us from here to November," she said.
Information by Brandon Sprague of the Seattle Times Snohomish County bureau is included in this report.
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