SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Residents of Spokane Valley will soon notice more police cars on the roads.
On January 7, Spokane Valley City Council approved the hiring of 10 more deputies.
Some people living in Spokane Valley said they are glad to hear about the growing police department.
“Seems to be a lot of violence and theft that has occurred in the last 20 or 30 years, and the deterrent is having patrols or the presence of the police,” said Spokane Valley Resident, Navy veteran and former volunteer with Sheriff Community-Oriented Police, Jim Thrawley.
Spokane Valley Police Chief, Dave Ellis, said the increased presence will be felt in neighborhoods and business areas.
“We know a lot of times, just simply having an increase of officers and that presence being there can deter some problems, while also allowing us to be able to respond that much quicker,” said Ellis.
The new hires include a traffic officer for night-time patrols and an additional officer for the Homeless Outreach Team. It will also include five new patrol team members, which SVPD hopes will cut down on response times, and three new investigators.
“When we get complaints about a drug house, when we get burglary reports, shoplifting or any of that kind of stuff, the trained investigator should deal with that,” said Ellis.
Ellis said this is just phase 1 of the department’s plan to add more officers.
Residents can expect to see the first wave of new police hit the streets as early as February.
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