Edgecliff Survey Shows Residents Have Fears

What do they fear in Edgecliff?

Burglars. Speeders.

Neighborhood decay.

A Washington State University researcher has just completed a public safety survey of more than 300 residents of the Edgecliff neighborhood, an area bounded roughly by Sprague Avenue on the north, 10th Avenue to the south, Park Road on the east and Eastern Road on the west.

The results will be used to set crime-fighting priorities and help the deteriorating West Valley neighborhood turn itself around.

The survey, delivered last fall to 568 randomly chosen residents, is statistically significant within five percentage points, said Ricky Gutierrez, a researcher with WSU’s Institute for Community Oriented Policing. It shows a neighborhood only slightly worried about gangs, but very fearful of residential break-ins.

Nearly 80 percent of residents believe a neighbor would help them if they were in trouble, Gutierrez said.

But more than half feel unsafe walking alone at night.

Traffic topped the list of Edgecliff concerns. Sixty percent percent of residents feel speeding and traffic are serious problems. Nearly half feel burglaries are too prevalent.

Almost 50 percent worry about neighborhood deterioration, a process that can attract crime.

Deterioration of Edgecliff is part of the reason the Sheriff’s Department is focusing on the neighborhood this year. With the help of volunteers, and a $140,000 federal grant, police believe the neighborhood can still dust itself off and squelch growing crime problems.

Youth fared well in the Edgecliff survey.

Just one in five residents worry about gangs. And just 21 percent say public drinking and wayward youth are a concern.

According to demographic data collected with the survey, just 30 percent of Edgecliff homes contain children. Forty percent have an annual family income less than $20,000.

The survey is one piece of a puzzle detectives and volunteers will use to help focus their efforts this year. Det. Steve Barbieri is currently interviewing crime victims and convicts, trying to find clues about why Edgecliff residents have been targeted.

He’s discovered criminals often refuse to hit their own neighborhoods. Until recently Edgecliff had three houses with ties to most of the area’s burglaries. The thieves would hang out there, Barbieri said, but did not live there.

Federal grant money for the Edgecliff project should come in later this month, said Barbieri, who works as the neighborhood’s crime detective. Next month, Edgecliff will get its own county prosecutor. Both officials will work out of the SCOPE Edgecliff station, at 7206 E. First.

With the extra help, and in-depth data about the neighborhood, Barbieri hopes to reduce residential burglaries by 40 percent this year.

, DataTimes