Next year could be a good time for thieves in unincorporated like North Highline, according to Sgt. John Urquhart, spokesman for the King County Sheriff's Office.

Proposed King County budget cuts may force the sheriff's department to eliminate investigations of property crimes in which less than $10,000 in goods are stolen, Urquhart noted.

While unincorporated areas are expected to feel the brunt from cuts, cities like Burien and SeaTac that contract their police services from the county won't be as severely affected.

"It doesn't have an effect on our contract," said Burien Police Chief Scott Kimerer. "We've been told that there are no staffing cuts that would affect our service."

It is possible there will be less police backup from unincorporated areas.

"We could see some impact in response time," said SeaTac Police Captain Rob Mendel.

But, except for emergency calls to unincorporated areas when backup is needed, the officers of SeaTac and Burien are dedicated to their respective cities.

"We don't pull resources out of the city," Mendel added.

However, in incorporated area like North Highline, the cuts could be serious.

If you call 911, you'll get a uniformed officer. Urquhart said. The officer will conduct primary interviews, dust for prints, and write a report.

Then, according to Urquhart, if the loss is less than $10,000, a robbery detective will file the report away and there will be no follow up.

If you're not caught on the scene, "you're going to be home free," Urquhart said.

"The only people who would be more unhappy" with this than the sheriff's office, Urquhart said, are those who will be burglarized.

With costs outpacing revenue growth, King County has projected a $68 million deficit in the general fund making it impossible to continue to support county agencies at their current levels of service.

Sheriff's representatives estimate they may have to cut up to 75 positions, including staff and officers, in order to reduce their budget by $10 million.

There could also be fewer investigations of identity theft, fraud, and bad checks. Cuts could also come in homicide detectives and special case detectives to investigate child abuse and sex crimes.

Sheriff Sue Rahr has also proposed eliminating cold case investigations that have been reactivated after 10, 15, or 30 years.

Urquhart explained that an old case can be looked at with new eyes and new science

These investigations, Urquhart said, "are very effective, primarily due to the advances of science."

In addition, according to Rahr, "Certain drug investigations, police storefronts, youth and crime victim outreach programs will all be in jeopardy."

"When you have a limited amount of funds you have to prioritize what you do," Urquhart added.

"I've been a police officer for 28 years," Rahr said at a recent press conference. "Never in those 28 years have I seen an event that will so significantly change how the sheriff's office responds to crime."