2010 Crime Stats: Tri-Cities Safer Than Ever
TRI-CITIES -- The Tri-Cities was safer last year than the year before.
Local sheriffs, police chiefs and state patrol handed down the hard crime statistics for our region.
KEPR learned overall crime is down, with spikes in individual departments. Overall crime fell just slightly in 2010, at one percent. That still translates to 83 fewer felonies comapred to 2009. Violent crime like murder, rape, robbery and assault fell 11 percent. Though car thefts were down, overall property crimes didn't see any change from the year before. The crime rate was tabbed at 27 victims per thousand, which is far lower than state and national averages.
But gangs are responsible for much of the trouble in town. High-profile crimes made big headlines last year, including gang shootings, murders and robberies. But the numbers show you're still safer now than ever before. Across the board in the tri-cities, violent crime is down.
Megan Aranda said, "Well, my neighborhood now, I think it's more safe." She lives near Chiawana Park, the site of a violent gang-shooting on a crowded summer day. Plenty of innocent bystanders could have gotten hurt.
Megan remembers, "It was chaos in the park, I couldn't believe this was going on."
Police made eight arrests in the days following. All are said to be gang members. Scenes like that are why ganging up on gangs remains the number one focus. Kennewick Police Chief Ken Hohenberg described the problem, "It's like taking a pot of water and putting it on the burner and it starts to simmer. It hasn't boiled yet, but it's simmering. If you don't pay attention to it, it can certainly start to boil."
Before it boils over, many agencies vowed to put away as many gang-bangers as they could. Proof, as they say, is in the pudding. The Criminal Apprehension Team, or CAT, averages 1,000 arrests a year in the Tri-Cities.
Pasco Police Chief Denis Austin said about 10 percent of the population are committing about 80 percent of the crimes. The group intends to continue conducting targeted gang sweeps to put more criminal behind bars. “We’re not going to tell them when or where, but we’re going to be there,” Austin said. “We’re going to come after them.”
Hohenberg promised, "If you engage in that type of activity, we're going to put you in jail and we're going to hunt you down."
Megan and her friend, say police have kept their promise about protecting the neighborhood.
Mayra Romero told KEPR that they're patrolling the neighborhood more.
Sure enough, within minutes of being at the park this day, KEPR spotted a deputy on patrol. An example that the efforts to keep you safer than ever, are working.
You can read the documents detailing various crimes year to year at this link.
