Thumbs up to the government and law enforcement leaders who have turned the tide on car thefts in King County.

From 1984 to 2007, stealing automobiles was the lowest-level felony in the county. During that period, a car thief had to be convicted seven times before earning a paltry one year of jail time.

That’s outrageous for anyone who has been the victim of a car theft, or has worried about the possibility of it. Police and prosecutors such as Dan Satterberg, King County’s prosecuting attorney, weren’t happy, either. They and others around the state helped lay down the law in the 2007 session of the Legislature. The result: State lawmakers changed the rules on punishment for car thieves. Now, after the third conviction, an offender is locked up for at least 17 months. And for each conviction after that, the motor miscreants get sentences of about five years.

The thieves apparently have gotten the message in King County. In the first three months of this year, the rate of car thefts is expected to be down 55 percent from 2005, according to Satterberg.

“The chances of you today finding your car where you parked it is twice as good as it was two years ago,” he said. That’s more like it.

Thumbs up to the organizers of today’s Maple Valley Fishing Derby. The annual angling extravaganza at Lake Wilderness takes a lot of work to put together The effort by the Maple Valley-Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce and others deserves appreciation from all who join in the fun.

Editor Pat Jenkins