State crime numbers up, law officer numbers down in 2022

LACEY – Crime was up, and the number of law enforcement numbers was down in the latest Crime in Washington (CIW) report for 2022 and the state ranks 51st out of 50 states and Washington, D.C. for the number of officers per thousand residents.

Those were the points that jumped off the page in a July 10 media release from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) summarizing data compiled from 231 state, county, municipal, and tribal agencies and numbers from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).

There were 394 murders last year - a 16.6 percent increase over 2021 – the highest number since WASPC began collecting data in 1980. Homicides have increased 96 percent since 2019, the media release reports. Violent crimes increased 8.9 percent in 2022 and crimes against persons, property, and society were up as well.

CIW 2022 Facts at a Glance

• The total population for the State of Washington is 7,865,768.
• Full-time commissioned officers total 10,666.
• 2,375 assaults – an increase of 20.7 percent - were committed on law enforcement officers, two of those killed in the line of duty.
• Motor vehicle theft rose 34 percent.
• 394 murders committed.
• Domestic offenses comprised 45.9 percent of all crimes against persons.
• 544 hate crime incidents were reported.
• 1,444 arrests for drug/narcotic violations were down from 2,163 in 2021.

Douglas County Sheriff

In an address to members of the Bridgeport City Council on June 21, Douglas County Sheriff Kevin Morris said his department has a full complement of officers thanks to recent hires. Morris is proposing an organizational realignment from the current north and south detachments to four squads, each with a sergeant and corporal, that allow more equal coverage of the entire county.

His officers have requested a work schedule of 12-hour shifts currently used by the Wenatchee, East Wenatchee, and Chelan County departments. While the new system will add eight hours of straight time a month to each officer, it will also give each officer every other weekend off, a real morale booster according to Morris.

The benefit to the county and cities like Bridgeport is better night and weekend coverage and all officers will become better acquainted with the city and its residents.

“The bottom line is if something happens here in Bridgeport, you will have every deputy here in a moment’s notice,” Morris said.

Okanogan County Sheriff

Sheriff Paul Budrow was not available for comment on the WASPC media release. However, his statement posted on the county website cited the recent Covid pandemic that “has greatly impacted our services and operations over the last three years. The effects of the pandemic are lessening, but we will feel the effects for many years.” 

Budrow also cited many new laws enacted by the state “affecting the police profession and promoting police reform, which has greatly changed the expectation on Law Enforcement and how we provide services.”

Chelan County Sheriff

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison responded to the WASPC report with a letter July 10, expressing “disappointment and concern…to see such a rise in murders, violent crimes, and property crimes, which directly impact the safety and well-being of all communities to include ours.”

Speaking to the state’s 51st ranking of officer numbers, Morrison wrote: “This statistic is simply unacceptable. Law enforcement cannot effectively combat crime and ensure public safety without an adequate number of officers.”