(The Center Square) – King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci is proposing utilizing new sales tax revenue toward addressing retail crime as grocery stores close in the county due to safety concerns.

Balducci – who is running for King County executive in the upcoming general election – made the announcement on Thursday in response to the retail company Kroger announcing the closure of six stores across the Puget Sound region due to ongoing safety concerns, among other reasons. Three of those stores are located in the King County Cities of Kent, Redmond and Lake City.

Balducci’s proposal specifically funds three positions: two detectives and one prosecuting attorney as a permanent retail crimes task force that will provide support to directly address causes of retail theft.

“We

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