NEWS | CRIME
Calculating Crimes
Spokane Police Department Crime Analyst Tom Michaud looks at a crime hot spot map YOUNG KWAK PHOTO
Spokane police say new efforts have slowed the rise in property crime rates, which have increased since 1985 despite national trends BY JACOB JONES AND LISA WAANANEN
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bout 2,095 vehicles got stolen off Spokane streets in 2012. Records show 3,114 residential burglaries and 713 commercial or non-residential burglaries. At least 675 bicycles went missing. Nearly everyone in the Lilac City can share some horror story — either their own or another’s — about returning home to discover a door kicked in, experiencing the shock of an empty parking space or cursing a broken
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bike lock. Spokane crime rates in 2012 show nine out of every 100 city residents could expect to be victims in a property crime. While thefts and break-ins rarely make headlines, each crime shakes its victims, leaving them feeling violated and frustrated. “If you’ve been victimized, your whole world’s been turned upside down,” says Christy Hamilton, director
of the Spokane Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. In crime data going back to 1985, Spokane shows a long history of struggling with property crime rates that run against national trends. The numbers vary depending on the time frame: Up 10 percent since 1985. Up just 4 percent since 1987. Up 13 percent since 2000. But the pattern is clear — property crime has gone up or held steady in Spokane while falling dramatically in most major American cities. In 2012, Spokane’s property crime rate ran higher than corresponding rates in Seattle, Portland, Detroit and New York City. City officials and residents have voiced outrage over the increasing rates. After infamously announcing the elimination of its Property Crimes Unit in 2011, the Spokane Police Department has since reversed course, introducing new patrol initiatives, policies and investigation units to crack down on property crimes. So far this year, crime rates remain high, but they have come down from peak rates seen last fall. ...continued on page 21