With Property Crimes Spiking, Sheriff Knezovich Implements a Property Crime Task Force to Hold Criminals Responsible
Today, Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich announced the formation of a Property Crimes Task Force with the primary goal of identifying and arresting the criminals who are preying on our community in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On April 28, 2020, after seeing crime trends, especially property crimes in all areas of Spokane County and Spokane Valley, increase dramatically, Sheriff Knezovich formed a Property Crime Task Force to specifically address this criminal activity.
Sheriff Knezovich stated. “We will not allow criminals to prey on the citizens of Spokane County. Right now, we all are facing unprecedented health and economic adversity and, in some cases, a potential disaster. We cannot stand by while criminals make the damage worse by victimizing our community.”
The latest property crimes statistics year to date, show the three most significant increases in Commercial Burglary up 162%, Robbery up 68%, and Residential Burglary up 42%.
The Property Crimes Task Force’s objective, in conjunction with Patrol Deputies, Detectives, and Crime Analysts is to target those committing crimes while joining with the citizens of Spokane County as partners to gather information to address the growing crime problem.
“We need our citizens to join our efforts, not only as our eyes and ears but by limiting the opportunities that make it easier for criminals to commit crimes.”, said Sheriff Knezovich. “We need to watch out for one another, make sure our garages are closed, our residences are secured and well lit, and our valuables are safe. Businesses should do the same to help us protect our community.”
Information and data reported from our community and Patrol Deputies will be combined by our Crime Analysts and used to target times, locations, and persons committing property crime in our region. Based on this information, our agency will focus resources strategically to combat this criminal activity while educating neighborhoods, bringing awareness of the problem, and reducing opportunities for the criminals to exploit.
We encourage everyone to join us in this effort. Uniting with your neighbors to report any suspicious or criminal activity immediately, while keeping your valuables safe and your homes and garages secured. As a community, we will identify and hold these criminals accountable for preying on our neighborhoods during these trying and uncertain times.