Annual Crimes Reports Reveals Downward Trend For NCW

The Washington Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs (WASPC) has released its annual report on crime in Washington State, and the numbers statewide are mostly down.

Although Chelan County saw a 6.2% increase in overall reported crimes from 2022 to 2023, neighboring Douglas County's stats were down 17%, and Grant County's plummeted by 20.5%.

Ephrata Police Chief Erik Koch says one of the main reasons he attributes to the downward trend is a distancing from the influence of the COVID pandemic.

"I think there's a cultural shift in society going on right now. I think the upheaval with COVID and everything else that's been going on over the last couple of years has had an impact and maybe we're coming into a trend of some normalcy again."

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Reported crimes in Koch's city were down a remarkable 27.3%, including a 38.1% drop in burglary and theft offences, as well as a 38.9% decline in auto thefts.

Koch says although he'd love to credit all of the favorable numbers directly to the actions of his officers, he believes a recent increase in the staffing at his agency has played an equal role.

"I think all of our law enforcement agencies statewide have been struggling with bringing on police officers, and we've actually rounded the corner and are starting to hire and get some personnel back, so that definitely contributes."

Other cities that saw a marked decrease in reported crimes were Moses Lake at -19.5% and East Wenatchee at -10.4%.

Crime was largely unchanged in the city of Wenatchee, which saw a 1.1% increase, and reported crimes were also up by 9.5% in Quincy.

While the number of burglaries, theft-related offences, and petty crimes were mostly down, assaults were largely unchanged in both Douglas and Grant Counties, while Chelan County saw an overall increase of 66.1% in that category.

WASPC compiles crime statistics from every municipal law enforcement agency in the state and issues a year-over-year report using the data annually.