The ups, the downs and the same

When it comes to criminal activity in the city of Cheney, 2016 is somewhat of a mixed bag of statistics.

According to Police Department numbers, through June 30 there have been 290 uniform crime report offenses filed, compared to 289 through the same date last year. Six of the 11 categories are near the same levels this year as they were in 2015, while the other five have either increased or decreased.

Of the former, rapes, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts are up significantly. Motor vehicles thefts are up over 68 percent with 22 in 2016 compared to seven through June 30, 2015.

According to department information, motor vehicle thefts totaled 18 in all of 2015 and 14 in 2014.In an email, department commander Rick Campbell said of the vehicles taken through June 30, all but three have been recovered.

Cheney Police Chief John Hensley said these thefts have been a problem all year long, noting they have tried to identify patterns and trends but have been unsuccessful. The fact that most have been recovered, a number by Spokane police, leads department officials to believe the thefts are mainly individuals looking for a “joy ride.”

“Although if you’re the victim of auto theft, there’s nothing joyful about it,” Hensley added.

Burglaries have increased 52.5 percent, although a number of them took place earlier in the year and were the work of just a few people. Hensley said Spokane police assisted with the arrest of several, while another individual was apprehended in Cheney when he was discovered passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle he intended to steal.

Since these instances, burglary reports have declined.

“It’s usually 1-2 people,” Hensley said of those committing burglary. “Once you get them in custody, it’s like turning the spigot off.”

Finally rape reports have jumped sharply, up from two to eight so far in 2016. Hensley said most of these are incidences involve Eastern Washington University students and are cases of date rape.

“The majority of our sexual assaults involve students making poor choices,” he said.

Hensley added that in all reports, the cases are cleared by investigators, subjects are identified and recommendations sent to prosecutors. He also said that EWU Police Department and student affairs officials do an “excellent” job of providing students information during orientation about making good choices as well as resources at their disposal for reporting sex crimes and victim assistance should something happen.

Because of the latter, Hensley suspects more individuals are choosing to come forward when incidents occur, and that sexual assault numbers will continue to increase some, becoming more realistic of the environment in a university town.

“It’s horrible, no matter what,” he said. “But it still happens.”

Areas of significant decline are restraining orders, down from 14 in 2015 to six, and domestic violence reports, dropping almost 21 percent from 87 to 69. Hensley said domestic violence is a sensitive offense to deal with, making establishing trends difficult.

“We just try to make sure we get the people the help they need,” he said. “It’s a tough crime to be proactive with.”

Overall adult arrests dropped by 15 through June 30 from 129 to 114 while juvenile arrests remained about the same, 34 so far this year compared to 32 in 2015. Traffic incidents have declined so far in 2016, with officers making 17.79 percent fewer stops, just over 16 percent fewer warnings and issuing 29.82 percent fewer citations.

On the communications side, computer aided dispatch calls have risen by 583 calls over 2015 numbers to 16,760, an increase of 3.47 percent and a monthly average of 2,793 calls. Notable in these numbers are the figures are only for Cheney since EWU elected to go with Spokane County Sheriff’s Office dispatch services last November.

Dispatchers’ time spent on other duties such as probation and no contact paperwork has dropped by 33 percent and 12 percent respectively, while time on warrants has increased 49 percent and firearms related issues are up 71 percent. Most of the warrant work, which has taken over 1,220 hours so far, stems from contracts the city has with the Airway Heights and Kalispel Tribe police departments.

Overall, Hensley said the department is running well. Overtime expenses are still high despite the hiring of another officer earlier this year, but stem more from injuries and illnesses than the need to cover shifts.

The department recently restructured its organizational flow, and Hensley said this also appears to be working, with lines of communication between patrol officers and administration being better and more direct.

“I think we’re very happy at this point,” Hensley said.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].