Crime rate rises with fewer cops on beat

Spokane Police Chief Roger Bragdon on Tuesday said an increase in reported crime for the first seven months of 2004 can be traced to city budget cuts in 2002.

Six categories of major crimes rose a combined 13 percent in the January through July period this year compared with the same period in 2003.

“We just can’t keep up with the epidemic of property crime,” the chief said during a press conference at his office in the city-county Public Safety Building.

The Police Department lost five officers in 2002, and Bragdon said he warned the City Council in 2003 that crime was going to increase as a result of budget cuts.

Eight additional officers were cut last September, and another 17 positions could be lost at the start of 2005 under a budget proposal from Mayor Jim West. The department is being reduced by about $7 million in its 2005 budget, which includes $38 million from the general tax fund and another $8 million in grants and taxes dedicated to law enforcement.

On top of that, the Fire Department could lose 58 firefighters at the start of next year as part of a cumulative $18 million reduction in citywide general fund services from 2004 to 2005.

Thefts and burglaries are the two largest categories of major crimes. Burglaries went up 19 percent in the first seven months of 2004 while thefts increased 12 percent.

Bragdon so far is not predicting a further increase in the crime rate. Instead, he is asking residents to be patient with what he considers an understaffed Police Department.

At the same time, he is reorganizing his force to aggressively pursue criminals as they move around the city. Problems like neighborhood drug houses, repeat offenders and burglary sprees will get priority. Police will be less likely to respond to individual property crimes, he said.

Councilwoman Cherie Rodgers on Monday said she would consider a small increase in the tax on city utilities, plus other budget changes, to increase funding for public safety.

Other council members on Tuesday said they haven’t decided whether they would support a tax increase to maintain public safety. The tax on city utilities is currently 17 percent, a rate that is comparatively high and hits low-income residents, city officials said. The City Council earlier this month approved a $1.4 million increase in general property tax collections, with $500,000 each going to police and fire.

“I think we are all looking for more money for police and fire,” said Councilman Joe Shogan. “The question is where and how much we could find.”

Council President Dennis Hession said the city’s budget problem is likely to continue for the next several years. “One of the options is to place a Band-Aid on this budget,” he said of the tax increase. Hession has not taken a position on increasing the utility tax.

The council is expected to hold another public hearing on the budget on Monday and a vote is scheduled for Dec. 13. The 6 p.m. council meetings are broadcast on Cable Channel 5.

Bragdon said he is facing more budget trouble in 2006 or 2007. He plans to spend $1 million in 2005 from an account normally used to fund new police cars and radio equipment and use the money instead to maintain staffing. But the department will have to replace vehicles at some point, and paying for them could require more staffing cuts, he said.

The chief said he is maintaining community-oriented policing as a link between the residents and officers, and he is going to rely on volunteers to help fill gaps created by loss of staff.

School resource officers were trimmed in September.

At least five detectives are being taken out of property-crime investigations to shore up the patrol force. Other officers are being returned to patrol, as well.

The Crime Check non-emergency report center will see reduced hours. Operators will no longer be available around the clock for taking reports on thefts, break-ins and suspicious persons. Starting in January, Crime Check will be staffed on Mondays through Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Seven neighborhood resource officers will be reduced to six, but they will be reorganized into two teams of three officers each. One team will work the North Side and one team will work on the South Side. They will be asked to target neighborhood crime problems in conjunction with neighborhood COPS organizations.

“We are not going to get through this unless the citizens of Spokane help us,” Bragdon said.