Residents report motorcycle racing on Evergreen Drive; city, sheriff and county plan camera system
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Summary
A resident reported recurring motorcycle racing on Evergreen Drive and the council discussed reporting options, sheriff response and a planned camera system designed with Spokane County Sheriff's Office. The fire department reported a district-wide uptick in calls and staff noted communication improvements for accident scenes.
A resident told the Medical Lake City Council about frequent motorcycle racing on Evergreen Drive and asked how to secure more enforcement and easier reporting. "We've had a lot of motorcycles racing up and down there," said Del Reiber, a resident, during the public comment period.
Council and staff encouraged residents to use the established reporting system and said local deputies could add patrols when provided with dates and times. "The information is always great, because we only have so many resources," a staff member said, adding that the city would pass the residents report along to local deputies so they could include targeted patrols.
Public-safety staff reported an uptick in calls across the county for April, not just in Medical Lake, and said crews are preparing for wildfire season with training and mitigation efforts. Cody, representing public safety, told council that April calls for the Medical Lake call line were up to 75 and that district-wide trends were higher as well; he described opportunities to improve communication with residents after vehicle incidents where the response may not include a fire truck because there were no injuries.
Council also received an update on a planned camera system. Staff said Spokane County Sheriff's Office is designing a system using its real-time crime center expertise and that the city has placed interim trail cameras and landscaping boulders in Waterfront Park to deter off-road access. City staff noted the potential to use the water tower and a partnership with BroadLink (Spokane County Broadband Public Development Authority) to provide line-of-sight connectivity so cameras could use Wi-Fi rather than a cellular link, reducing operating costs.
Council discussion: staff will pass location/time information to local deputies to request targeted patrols; continue to explore camera locations and system design with Spokane County Sheriff's Office; maintain temporary trail cameras and physical barriers in parks.
No formal ordinance or new enforcement authority was adopted during the meeting; staff were directed to follow up with the sheriff's office and to continue planning the camera system.
