Police report: 911 calls down, crime‑check calls up; department highlights drops in property crime and increased event overtime costs

Spokane Police Department leaders told the Public Safety and Community Health Committee on July 14 that 911 calls for service have declined while crime‑check calls (nonemergency reports) have risen, and that about 25% of crime‑check calls end up reclassified and forwarded to 911. "As far as the crime check calls, I just wanna caution ... 25% of these calls end up becoming 911 calls," the police chief said, explaining that crime‑check call takers vet reports and forward urgent matters to 911 when warranted. The department reported downward trends in several crime categories from 2022 through mid‑2025, including violent‑crime metrics that are slowly decreasing and a pronounced decline in many property‑crime categories. The chief said arson has remained flat while shootings with victims have decreased; shootings without victims rose slightly in 2023 and reporting practices have changed. The department highlighted several operational priorities: a recently established dedicated traffic unit has driven an increase in traffic citations; the department is collecting collision data and planning targeted traffic‑calming and safe‑streets projects with the transportation commission; and a director of crime strategies position will support data‑driven deployment of resources. Large events and demonstrations last month produced significant overtime costs for public safety: the department reported more than $200,000 in total costs for a one‑day period associated with Pride and a related protest, and a cumulative overtime impact of roughly $500,000 across multiple events in under three weeks. The chief said those event costs significantly affected the department budget. Committee members raised concerns about crime‑check availability and timeliness. The chief said some crime‑check delays occur because the department has to prioritize tier 1 and tier 2 incidents during staffing shortages, and pointed to a recent concentrated response to a serial arson investigation that required many on‑duty resources and temporarily limited crime‑check capacity. The chief also noted operational assistance the department provided to Idaho following a mass‑casualty event and that Spokane deployed nearly 50 staff, a SWAT team and drone assets to support the response. Committee members asked for more detailed collision intersection data for neighborhood councils, and requested follow‑up briefings on the crime‑check process and on the Flock automatic camera program. No committee votes were taken on July 14; the presentation was informational.