Urban Assualt Valley Growth Has Brought A Marked Increase In Crime

Crime in the Spokane Valley is growing faster than you can say fivefinger discount.

Noticeably increased are shoplifting, gang graffiti, car prowling and garage burglary. Residential burglaries are down, but have been replaced with a host of other crimes.

“We’re experiencing urban problems associated with growth. It makes everybody uncomfortable,” said newly elected Spokane County Sheriff John Goldman.

A report recently released by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs showed crime increased 19.9 percent in Spokane County in the first six months of 1994 as compared with 1993.

Goldman estimates 70 percent of calls for service come from the Valley.

“The Valley eats the lion’s share of our services,” said sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Ethridge. “The more people you pack per square mile, the more trouble you’re going to have.”

Many of the Valley’s problems are spilling over from the city.

Drugs are behind many of the problems, deputies say. The introduction of crack cocaine to the drug scene several years ago has made criminals more “desperate,” Goldman said.

Deputies who have interviewed numerous burglars and robbers say many steal to feed drug habits.

Open garages and cars in parking lots have become increasingly popular targets.

“You eradicate the drug problem, you could eradicate every problem,” Ethridge said. “That’s a pretty bold statement, but it’s pretty much true.”

A criminal will steal a bike and ride it straight to the pawn shop, Ethridge said. “He turns around, buys heroin and sticks it in his arm.”

Some deputies say stiffer penalties for residential burglaries have caused that type of crime to take a nosedive - only to be replaced by other property crimes.

“They can shoplift all day long and never be booked into jail,” said Fred Ruetsch, who’s been analyzing crime statistics for five of his 17 years with the sheriff’s department.

In October and November, property crimes increased by about 20 percent from the same months last year, sheriff’s department figures show.

Car prowlings skyrocketed, especially at car dealerships, and at department store and theater parking lots on East Sprague. All have been hit hundreds of times in the past year, as have lots with access to the Centennial Trail.

Walk in the Wild zoo’s parking lot was hit an estimated 770 times, sheriff’s department statistics show.

Deputies say cars in parking lots are quick and easy targets with a high potential for profit. Criminals know the owners will be gone for a couple of hours, and the lots frequently are not patrolled.

If drug addiction spurs one part of the crime problem, suppliers create another. Gangs are increasingly staking out territory in the Valley. Incidents of graffiti associated with either known gangs or youths trying to become gang members have skyrocketed.

Graffiti “went through the roof” during the past year, Ruetsch said. “It’s all over the Valley.”

Sheriff’s deputies say part of the Valley’s gang problem is a result of overflow from the city. “The instant the city turns up the heat on them, they move to the county,” Ethridge said.

The Valley does not have the gang problem of the city, Ruetsch said, but the graffiti could be a warning of things to come.

“It’s the tip of the iceberg,” Ruetsch said. “I think you’ll see that change. The drug trade will grow. Suppliers will go to the Valley.”

Known gang houses are scattered randomly around the Valley. Neighborhoods in the Trentwood area and around Sprague and Havana have reported problems.

One suspected gang hangout drew attention last summer when the owner of a Trentwood television repair shop chased three teenagers into downtown Spokane and threatened them with a rifle. Ralph Fowler said he was frustrated because the teens, who frequented a house near his shop, had been harassing him for months.

Increasingly, Valley residents are fighting back.

Handgun sales and weapon permit applications are up. Some merchants are arming themselves. Last month, Joseph Choi, owner of an East Sprague jewelry store, shot and killed an armed robber.

School administrators are asking the sheriff’s gang expert to help them address problems. And Valley volunteers are working together with the sheriff’s department to establish substations in their neighborhoods.

“There’s an atmosphere of fear that hasn’t been there before,” Goldman said.

But residents need to be more alert to potential problems if they really want to avoid becoming victims, deputies say. Garage doors need to be closed and locked. Shoppers should store packages and other valuables in the trunks of their cars.

“We’re virtually helpless without involvement in the community,” said Sgt. Gary Waterhouse.

Many Valley residents are taking that suggestion to heart. Four SCOPE (Sheriff’s Community Oriented Policing Effort) groups are developing in different areas of the Valley. The headquarters will be at 15th and University, with other groups, in Trentwood and Otis Orchards, are still searching for buildings.

A fourth group is being formed to share space with the sheriff’s department traffic unit that is moving into a building at E9411 Trent around Feb. 1.

At least half the deputies on the street cover the Valley, Goldman said. And the additional 16 deputies who will join the force during 1995 will help.

Six of them come from the most recent police academy class. Five more are expected by mid-year, and the remaining five in the second half of the year. Many of the new deputies will be hired with money from programs in the new federal crime bill, Goldman said.

“The Valley consumes far more than the majority of our services,” Goldman said. “We’re really seeing the growing up of urban crime problems.”

Color Photo