Bragdon Reassigns 2 Detectives To Assist Serial Killer Task Force

Budget cuts were blamed when five city police detectives were pulled off the serial killer task force in January - slashing the unit’s staffing in half.

Now that suspect Robert Lee Yates Jr. is in custody, Sheriff Mark Sterk said the workload is mounting. Thursday morning, Spokane Police Chief Roger Bragdon reassigned two detectives to the task force after Sterk asked for assistance.

“It’s going to be a huge job,” Sterk said. The two city detectives rejoining the case will help follow up on tips and work with evidence.

Spokane police were facing a $1.3 million budget reduction when the department abandoned the serial killer task force four months ago. That left five county detectives and one from the Washington State Patrol on the task force.

The police department created a new unit for recovering stolen property after its serial killer task force detectives were recalled.

Deputy Chief of Police Chuck Bown said the city’s commitment to the serial killer investigation is “long term.”

But Bown added that providing two people to the task force means some other cases will not be assigned.

Sterk said there was no falling out between the police department and sheriff’s office when the city abandoned the serial killer investigation. On Thursday, the sheriff made a point of singling out members of the police department for their contributions to the investigation.

Many of the women believed to have been the killer’s victims were picked up on city streets and their bodies were found in the county.

City patrols will assist the county with securing crime scenes from now on, Sterk announced.

Sterk had more luck bringing the city back to the task force Wednesday than County Commissioner John Roskelley did last month.

“The city of Spokane continues to have an obligation to public safety,” Roskelley wrote, asking the city to contribute two detectives to the investigation.

City Manager Henry Miggins replied in writing that he spoke with Bragdon about the department’s budget cut.

“The present situation is unfortunate, but I believe Chief Bragdon’s decisions (not to staff the task force) are appropriate under the circumstances,” Miggins wrote.