Cheney crime declines in 2019

CHENEY – Overall crime reports dropped in the city by 9.9 percent in 2019.

That’s better than the 11.1 percent increase in 2018, but not as good as the 20.1 percent decline in 2017 and certainly far from the 24.5 percent increase in 2016 for what are referred to as “Group A” crimes. If that sounds like a rollercoaster to you, it is, one officials have speculations about but no hard evidence to point to as to why there is such a swing.

Carnival ride aside, Police Chief John Hensley is pleased with the decline in 2019 overall. He attributes it to an increase in funding that has enabled the department to patrol staffing at a level allowing for a minimum of two officers on shift.

“It allows us to get into the residential neighborhoods where the property crimes occur,” Hensley said.

Burglary and larceny/theft reports were up, as was destruction of property — incidents that often take place in neighborhoods. Burglary was up 3.6 % (58 reports) while larceny/theft increased 5.1 % (143) and property destruction went up 10.8 % (72).

All of these categories have shown some increase since 2016, with the exception of 2017 when all were down by around 30 %. What has fairly consistently dropped over time are the property values associated with each.

Last year, $123,759 of property was stolen in Cheney while $42,066 was damaged or destroyed. While the amount taken was just over $4,000 more than 2018, it was nowhere near the $314,450 in 2017 and $440,252 in 2016. Damaged or destroyed property values topped $101,000 in 2018 after averaging around $28,000 the previous two years.

Hensley said most reports are theft from vehicles. The department concluded an investigation into a recent series of car prowls/burglaries with the arrest of a suspect by city of Spokane police, but the subject is an ongoing campaign to get residents to not leave items in their vehicles.

“That’s been our theme over the last several years, to help us help you stay victimless,” Hensley said. “Take the stuff out of your car.”

One report area that was a surprise was assaults. Both simple and aggravated assaults were down by 20.2 and 26.9 percent respectively while intimidation declined 34.1 percent.

Cheney averages between 11 – 16 rapes each year, most associated in some degree with Eastern Washington University students. There was a slight drops in 2019 from 16 to 15, and Hensley said he expects it to drop significantly this year due to the absence of students, especially on campus, because of COVID-19 measures.

Two areas showing increases were driving under the influence (DUI) arrests and arrests overall. There were 36 DUI arrests in 2019, 33 percent more arrests than all of the previous three years combined. Hensley attributed that to one patrol officer who “has a knack” and wanted to be proficient in making these types of stops

Overall in 2019 there were 215 arrests made for Group A crimes, 153 adults and 62 juveniles — all figures that are highs for the past four years. With 638 total offenses, and 192 of those cleared, the department achieved a 30.1 % clearance rate — also a high for the past four years and well above the national rate between 17 – 20 %.

Hensley said Cheney’s clearance rate is the result of the work of Detective Rocky Hanni and Capt. Rick Beghtol, who together make “a good team.”

The department has seen an increase in calls for service, especially since implementation of stay-at-home measures in March to combat the spread of the coronavirus. July alone saw a 79 percent increase, up from 425 in July 2018 to 780.

Many of these calls are related to the “stress of confinement,” Hensley said, such as substance abuse and conflicts between individuals. Officers are being called upon to mediate these more and more, and Hensley said he expects those calls to continue to grow over the remainder of the year.

Overall, though, Hensley said he thought the city is handling the pandemic pretty well.

“I’ve been pretty proud of the way the people of Cheney have reacted,” he said. “We’ve gotten a lot of compliance with mask wearing and a lot of self-policing.”

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.