Police: collisions down slightly Jan–May but traffic infractions and reckless‑driving citations have risen

Captain Dave Richards of the Spokane Police Department told the Public Safety Committee that citywide collision calls have fallen 4.9% in the January–May period compared with the same months a year earlier, but that enforcement contacts and recorded traffic infractions have increased.

Richards said only about 43% of calls for collision service result in a formal collision report — officers sometimes do not complete a report when parties exchange information or are diverted to higher‑priority calls. "As you can see, the trends show that collisions have decreased but incapacitating injury, non incapacitating injury and no injury collisions have increased," Richards said during his presentation.

The captain attributed part of the rise in criminal traffic and infraction filings to expanded traffic‑unit staffing: "We've increased our traffic unit, our assets in traffic, which will account for part of that increase," he said, and added the department has emphasized hazardous moving violations such as excessive speeding.

Richards described the department’s use of anonymized telematics data (marketed to insurers) and spot enforcement emphasizes to identify high‑speed corridors. He pointed to peaks on corridors identified in the presentation (locations the department referred to as Thor and Ray, and parts of I‑90) and said enforcement emphasis produced a measurable short‑term reduction in excessive speeds on those segments.

Committee members asked for more granular data. The council president asked the department to begin tracking calls specifically involving dirt bikes, all‑terrain vehicles, scooters and e‑bikes and to look for any correlation between increases in citations and whether fines are paid or otherwise resolved. Richards agreed to gather that information and return with a broader report.

Richards also described the photo‑enforcement review process: automated captures are reviewed by traffic unit personnel and about 93% of reviewed violations are approved for further action. He cautioned that some charts cited only partial‑year data and said the department will continue to refine reporting and follow up on fines and off‑road versus on‑street distinctions.

The committee did not vote on any policy changes at the meeting; Richards said he will provide follow‑up data on fines, off‑street incidents and expanded telematics coverage on request.