SPOKANE, Wash. — Over the past few months, an increase in patrol officers has led to less crime and safer parks in Northeast Spokane.
Last year, The City of Spokane passed an ordinance making it a misdemeanor to be in city parks between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
To make parks even more safe, Spokane Police Department started a pilot program in Northeast Spokane this past April.
The plan assigns about four officers to regularly patrol each park in Northeast Spokane. Their job is to enforce and educate people about park rules.
“I think when they’re showing their faces around here and their cars, you don’t get as much riff-raff,” said Hillyard resident, Dan Crowley.
Crowley has lived in the Hillyard neighborhood for decades and said he has seen a noticeable improvement since SPD began this pilot program.
“[People] leave tons of garbage, but that has gotten a ton better,” he said.
Since they began executing this plan, SPD says there has been a decline in calls for service in Northeast Spokane parks this year compared to last year.
“Officers aren’t there for heavy enforcement. They’re there to kind of change behavior. So, a lot of it is with the new regulations on park hours, just educating people that there’s certain hours and activity that is allowed in the parks,” said SPD Captain Shawn Kendall.
Spokane’s Parks and Recreation said, in addition to the increased patrols, community events that bring more families to the parks have also deterred crime.
Garrett Jones, of Spokane’s Parks and Rec. said investing in parks is equally as important.
“When you see that type of activation, well-lit parks and people enjoying the parks, we’ve just found that people are deciding to change their minds and not have that negative activity or criminal activity that we’ve seen in the past,” said Jones.
Jones also said parks will continue to improve the more the community prioritizes youth activities in the park.
COPYRIGHT 2024 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
