Caught on video: Three burglars ransack four floors of DSHS offices

Tacoma police are hoping three burglars can be identified from surveillance video showing them burglarizing all four floors of the State Department of Social and Health Services offices at 2121 S. State Street in Tacoma.

Police say the break-in, which happened on Sunday, was recorded on surveillance video.

Officer Loretta Cool told KIRO 7 the burglars took computer equipment, personal items from DSHS workers' offices and two state vehicles from the parking garage.

"At first they appear to be wandering around aimlessly," Cool said, noting how the suspects cased the first floor of the DSHS offices.

Even though it's a Sunday and no state workers were in the building, Cool pointed out how the burglars seem very nervous they might be seen from inside or outside.

The burglars broke in wearing Halloween masks, but while the cameras recorded them, they often tipped them up to get a better view, exposing their faces.

Officer Cool said they broke into every DSHS worker's office and storage area. "There, they hit a jackpot," she said. They found boxes which had new laptops in them which had not even been issued to DSHS workers yet.

"They were able to access the right car keys into the right cars and load two cars up with the property that they took from in the building," Cool said.

Officer Cool added taxpayers are the ones getting taken by the burglars, because everything that has to be replaced has to come out of the state budget.

And Cool said it's a big setback for DSHS workers who deal vulnerable families in need.

"It is taking support from someone who is vulnerable," she said. They're basically taking money out of someone's mouth who needs it, if you look at it that way."

If you have information about these suspects, Tacoma police are asking you to call Detective Thomas Williams at 253-591-5801.

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