By BECKY THOMAS
Staff Reporter
The year 2011 brought staffing changes and an increase in felonies to the Cheney Police Department.
Criminal activity was down in the city overall in 2011, with 68 fewer crimes reported from 2010. However, felony arrests rose significantly last year, with 104, higher than the 81 in 2010, a 28 percent increase.
“Felonies are on the increase,” Cheney Police Cmdr. Rick Campbell said. “So while crime itself may be down, the violence inherent or the severity of that crime has increased.”
While a handful of positions within the department were re-staffed, including the December hiring of new chief John Hensley, Cheney police saw the typical ebb and flow of criminal activity, with spikes in the spring and fall that Campbell attributed in part to Eastern Washington University students.
Another number typically attached to the college population, alcohol arrests were down significantly from 2010. There were 59 alcohol-related arrests in 2011, down 37 percent from the 2010 count of 94. Campbell said the decrease could be in response to a police emphasis on alcohol enforcement in recent years.
“I don't believe it's less enforcement. I think part of what we're seeing is they're not coming out into public, so we're not seeing the arrests for open containers as frequently,” he said. “Because we took such a hard-line stance on alcohol, they may still be drinking, at the same rate even, but they're going into the parties and staying put.”
Total calls for service in Cheney stayed steady in 2011, with officers responding to 7,165 calls and filing 1,270 reports.
2011 was a busy year for detective Matt Pumphrey, who filed 97 cases and closed 37 in 2011, up 82 and 19 percent respectively from 2010. Campbell said Pumphrey was successful in catching up with old cases to reduce his caseload over the past few years.
“Once they were able to get a handle on the open and active cases, then he was able to stay current on the investigations that he had, so the closures were coming more frequently and he was able to stay afloat with what he had going,” Campbell said.
On the fiscal side of things, the CPD saw its budget grow nearly $500,000 over the year, totaling $2.68 million by year's end. The adjustments came as a result of staff contract negotiations—i.e. raises—payroll issues and overtime, Campbell said. The department overspent the final budget by nearly $5,000, but Campbell said that overage would be absorbed into savings accrued from not paying a chief following Jeff Sale's departure in July.
The year ended with five external complaints about officer conduct, with one resulting in a one-day suspension.
Becky Thomas can be reached at [email protected].
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