Michele Anderson, Public Safety Communications Manager, 509.622.5868
Thursday, June 27, 2019 at 11:38 a.m.
Updated June 28, 2019
Now more than ever people are enjoying downtown Spokane, the heart of our city.
“One of the City’s Strategic Initiatives is making sure downtown is safe and welcoming for residents, businesses and visitors,” says Mayor David Condon.
Though statistics show the crime rate in our downtown corridor is down more than 17% this year compared to 2018, the City of Spokane and the Spokane Police Department is committed to driving down those numbers even more.
Some of those efforts include the city’s team approach to illegal camping, innovation alleyways, improved lighting, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) measures, bar patrols, and connecting individuals to appropriate services.
Between 2012 and 2018, the Spokane Police Department’s staffing dedicated to the downtown core grew from two assigned bicycle officers to a 15-officer precinct. With the passing of the recent Public Safety Levy, the City of Spokane has scheduled an almost 50% increase in downtown officer staffing in 2020.
“The extra police staffing will help with our collective efforts to create a safer and more vibrant downtown,” adds Condon. “And that has been one of my most important goals during my eight years in office – an outcome-driven Joint Administration-Council Strategic Plan that advances the city’s economic vitality with One Vision, One Plan and One Voice.”
Make sure to visit our downtown and see all the efforts that have been made to make Spokane the safest city that we have seen in decades.
