Redmond police report declines in several crime categories, warn of a wave of jewelry thefts targeting South Asian residents

Chief Lowe presented a quarterly police activity report at the Oct. 15 committee meeting, saying calls for service were down just under 5% year-to-date and arrests were up about 2.6%. He said auto thefts were down just over 1% while property crime and violent crime were each down about 5.2% year-to-date.

Lowe said the department's drone-as-first-responder program had exceeded 400 flights by mid-October and that staff plan to bring a contract for the program after budget adoption. He described collaborative work with fire and public-works teams to use unmanned aircraft for wildland-interface and inspection support.

The chief warned that individuals from the East Indian / South Asian community have been targeted for jewelry thefts: he reported 18 incidents in Redmond and 68 throughout the region. He described tactics including suspects using rental cars and speaking victims' native languages to gain trust, sometimes physically accosting victims to remove jewelry. A recent recovered rental car was processed for forensic evidence and investigators identified individuals believed involved in at least some of the incidents.

Lowe also described an armed robbery at a 7‑Eleven followed by a multiagency response that led to arrests, and said detectives had identified suspects in a February burglary with two arrest warrants issued. Councilors asked the chief to emphasize prevention messaging; Lowe advised community members not to walk alone when possible, to avoid wearing valuables, to maintain distance from strangers or vehicles, and to call 911 immediately if a crime occurs.

In Q&A, councilors and Lowe discussed juvenile involvement in organized retail theft and the limits of juvenile accountability; Lowe said many arrested or identified individuals are not Redmond residents and that the juvenile justice system constrains local consequences for minors.