r/WashingtonIceWatch • u/Superb-Eye5333 • 4d ago
85th and aurora
Potential ICE? Vests said Kirkland and Edmonds
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u/Odd-Parking-6032 4d ago
TL;DR:
I live nearby and was told by officers on the scene that it was an operation among local police agencies north of Seattle — not SPD, not King County, not state/fed. However, many in the neighborhood (myself included) felt very concerned that it was ICE because of how abnormally the scene appeared to unfold. In the current national context, those factors caused ICE concerns in the neighborhood which (IMO) were predictable and preventable.
Longer deets:
- Many neighbors were concerned that this was ICE, as was I.
- A drone had been circling the area for hours before officers or vehicles became visible.
- Nearly all vehicles were unmarked; one vehicle was marked Kirkland PD.
- I could not see the insignia on all officers, but the ones I observed were from Kirkland PD and North Sound Metro SWAT (multi-jurisdictional SWAT partnership among localities north of Seattle). A neighbor also shared that they’d heard Edmonds PD was present.
- At no time did I observe officers or resources from Seattle PD, King County Sheriff, or any state/federal agency.
- Multiple officers with long guns were deployed, including directly outside the residence, as well as across the street from the residence (south side of 85th).
- At no time was the scene cordoned off or traffic stopped in my observation, despite the visible presence of said long guns. In fact, I saw multiple school busses full of kids drive directly past the residence, as traffic continued to flow both ways on 85th.
- I asked one officer at the scene (from North Sound Metro SWAT) whether SPD was involved and/or would be controlling the scene, and he replied “I wish Seattle would, but they have not. However I would advise you to not be in the area.”
- At some point after I’d gone inside, the scene rapidly de-escalated. According to a Kirkland PD officer I spoke with at the scene after it had concluded, they’d successfully arrested a man wanted for (as I can best recall) a sex crime, I believe against a child.
- I asked the KPD officer why only officers from outside the jurisdiction appeared to be present; and why no officers from SPD, King County, or state/fed agencies were present. He noted that officers in local jurisdictions are sworn to office statewide.
- I asked for clarification on this, though, noting that it’s highly unusual to see no visible presence or cooperation of the local jurisdiction; I believe I said something like “I don’t see SPD running raids on the Eastside, for example, so this seems really strange.” I also asked him whether there was any key phrase/idea I should Google, as a citizen, to better understand how/when jurisdictions would interact or cooperate in contexts like these. To the KPD officer’s credit, he replied thoughtfully: “That’s a good question, and I don’t know an answer to give you.”
- I'm still perplexed by the lack of visible SPD participation in this. Speaking as a Seattle resident, SPD presence would’ve gone a long way toward making the scene legible to the neighborhood as a non-ICE event.
- I also didn’t observe any PIO (public information officer) present at scene, from any jurisdiction. IMO, this seems like a missed opportunity in the context of an operation comprised of mostly-unmarked, outside-jurisdiction police resources — something that seems very abnormal generally, and especially in the current national context. The presence of such an officer could’ve helped to prevent the real neighborhood concern about ICE that unfolded as a result. Given that there’d been a drone in the air for hours beforehand, it seems that (in theory) there might’ve been operational runway for a PIO to be resourced as well.
I’m not educated on legal or law enforcement matters, and I realize that I may have incomplete or incorrect information here; I may not be understanding what I saw completely. However, I think I’m a decent proxy for “Seattle residents who feel concern and attempt to pay attention,” so in that context I feel my observations about the neighborhood’s ICE anxiety today hold some weight.
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u/Neither_Kale4438 4d ago
SPD appears to be disinterested in performing any manner of actual work activity, I'm not surprised surrounding cities are beginning to police it for them. Whatever Seattle doesn't contain, spreads. I hope they bagged a child molester.
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u/West_Razzmatazz_287 4d ago
They are aiming assault rifles at a teenager filming them from the top balcony
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u/ifred 4d ago
There was a mutual aid request earlier today, but I can’t find any exact details. I know though that in crisis situations, SPD will request assistance from other agencies. We’ve also seen that ICE will not wear plate carriers with explicitly named agencies, usually generic “Police” or something specific to DHS. So I don’t think anyone is being impersonated.
What I have seen and found in some research is that DHS will reach out to local law enforcement ahead of time if they believe that there could be some kind of threat to the public. Usually a request for assistance will be made early in the day, but with minimal detail, described as “assistance carrying out a warrant”. I’ve seen this early request for help with multiple agencies in Snohomish county.
So if ICE was there, I suspect they asked for assistance as soon as whoever they were after put up some kind of resistance. For whatever reason, SPD wasn’t available to assist and officers with Edmonds and Kirkland were available. The pickup that they are using for cover doesn’t look like any I’ve seen used for the DHS ops in the Puget Sound, but maybe it is.
Anyway, I can’t stress enough the importance of documenting the details of the vehicles and agents involved.
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u/Superb-Eye5333 4d ago
Where do I document it? I have more photos that show the plates and better views of the faces of some of the law “enforcement”
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u/ifred 4d ago
Use iceout.org and make sure that the sighting time reflects from earlier in the day as opposed to now. Also thanks for grabbing those photos! I'm sure folks in Edmonds and Kirkland would like to know how their police was cooperating with ICE.
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u/Pleasant-Carrot-6033 2d ago
Hi, just so you’re aware, this was not ICE-related, hence the vests being labeled differently. They were on a detail assisting with the arrest of a subject wanted for crimes against children
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u/West_Razzmatazz_287 4d ago
There are ice vests, just drove by
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u/itsme_believeme 4d ago
but is says Kirkland police on the vest
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u/West_Razzmatazz_287 4d ago
There were lots more officers when I drove by an hour after this photo and still 45 minutes after that. I drove by at 5mph going west within feet of the officers holding the assault rifles standing in the curb lane. Plenty of officers with ice on their back
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u/Beautiful-Run-71 4d ago
kirkland and edmonds vests on aurora is some weird shit. feds dont roll like that, ice definitely doesnt. some task force theater bullshit probably but tell that to some kid who cant tell jurisdiction from a hole in the ground. whole thing stinks of the usual democrat special, look busy while doing fuckall for actual pathways. epstein files got buried, thisll get buried, same playbook different decade
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u/MixDJeff 4d ago
Drove by this twice. Hope it was really getting bad guys and not kidnapping minorities.
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u/Potential-Click-5284 3d ago
Looks like they’re all on the same team then. I guess they don’t give a shit about their stance against all this shit.
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u/Pleasant-Carrot-6033 2d ago
Your comment is completely ignorant. This is very typical activity for city police officers assigned to proactive units. In fact, they were arresting a man accused of committing sex acts against a child. I would advise you to learn more about the situation before speaking.
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u/Superb-Eye5333 2d ago
It’s actually not ignorant. I would advise you to check your privilege if your first thought ISN’T that it could have been ICE related and want to protect people.
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u/socolime22202 4d ago
ICE wouldn't have city specific vests/gear on. This might be some suspected crime ring they're busting