Police & Fire

Gig Harbor Now reporters stay alert to crimes and emergencies and relay information that allows readers to understand and react to incidents.

Prosecutors charge security guard at TCC-Gig Harbor with theft, forgery

Sep 05, 2024 | By:

Pierce County prosecutors charged a security guard at the Gig Harbor campus of Tacoma Community College with theft and forgery, alleging that she deposited $63,000 worth of fraudulent checks into her own bank accounts. The 10 checks drew from an Umpqua Bank account belonging to the Tacoma Community College Foundation, according to documents filed in

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Gig Harbor Police Blotter | Fake 911 call helps man with arrest warrants evade police

Sep 05, 2024 | By:

Editor’s note: The Blotter is written based on information provided by Gig Harbor Police , Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. Someone called 911 around 7:45 p.m. Aug. 28 to report a scary kidnapping outside the YMCA on Harbor Hill Drive. Officers concluded that the kidnapping never happened, and that someone made the 911 call

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Courts charging fewer people with DUIs, despite increase in traffic fatalities

Sep 04, 2024 | By:

Throughout August and Labor Day weekend, law enforcement agencies across the state deployed high-visibility patrols aiming to crack down on drunk drivers and prevent roadway fatalities. Traffic deaths have increased sharply across Washington and the Kitsap Peninsula since 2020, with impairment involved in about half of those incidents.  Yet courts on the Kitsap Peninsula —

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Firefighters have stalled progress of blaze on Olympic Peninsula

Aug 22, 2024 | By:

Firefighters appear to have a handle on the wildfire that ignited on the Olympic Peninsula last week, as cooler temperatures and light rainfall have aided the hundreds of personnel battling the blaze five miles west of Brinnon.  The 2620 Road Fire, which ignited near Mt. Jupiter on Aug. 14, has remained at approximately 398 acres

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Fire near Brinnon now estimated at 445 acres

Aug 16, 2024 | By:

More than 100 firefighters are battling a wildfire in Jefferson County, five miles west of Brinnon. The 2620 Road Fire had burned 445 acres near Mt. Jupiter since igniting Wednesday evening, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Jan Glarum, director of Kitsap County Emergency Management,

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Wildfire burning on Olympic Peninsula, but air quality is still OK here

Aug 15, 2024 | By:

Air quality remains good in the Gig Harbor area, but that could change quickly with a 150-acre wildfire burning on the Olympic Peninsula. A fire near Brinnon in Jefferson County started at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 14. A statement from the state Fire Marshal’s Office distributed around 3 p.m. Thursday said the fire is

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68 dogs seized from home in Lakebay

Aug 13, 2024 | By:

Pierce County Animal Control officers and Sheriff’s Department deputies rescued 68 dogs from a home in Lakebay on July 18, the department said on social media this week. One of the puppies died on the way to an animal hospital. Two others were euthanized following the raid, the department wrote. A person who purchased a

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Gig Harbor Police Blotter | Officers find gun when suspect asks him to retrieve his meds

Aug 13, 2024 | By:

Editor’s note: The Blotter is written based on information provided by Gig Harbor Police , Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One  and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. An officer checking on the welfare of three people passed out in a running car at Crescent Creek Park found a possibly stolen firearm and a cache of illegal drugs. A passerby noticed three

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Communication is key for Pierce County Deputy of the Year Nathan Betts

Aug 12, 2024 | By:

His route to law enforcement wasn’t typical, but Nathan Betts has been collecting accolades as a Pierce County Sheriff’s deputy for years. His latest came Aug. 7, when he received the Deputy of the Year Award.  Prior to becoming a deputy, Betts spent years in sales with the Seattle SuperSonics basketball team, in real estate,

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Air quality is OK for now; here’s how to monitor it if conditions get worse

Aug 01, 2024 | By:

Wildfires are burning across the Pacific Northwest, and public health officials are encouraging West Sound residents to prepare for the possibility of smoky conditions and poor air quality. What are conditions like now? Washington is in the midst of what is likely to be an unusually hot and dry summer, according to the state Department

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