Spokane business calls for equal crime-fighting efforts citywide [Video]

SPOKANE, Wash. – The City of Spokane officially launched a 30-day pilot program to increase police presence in the downtown area on Monday, deploying four to six additional officers daily who patrol by foot, bike and utility vehicles. The idea? Place officers where they’re needed most.

Spokane Police Chief Kevin Hall stated, “The allocation of resources is aligned with the data, I want to put my resources where they matter the most, and so I have to look at the data for that.”

The initiative targets areas with frequent reports of crime such as drug use, vandalism, and theft. Erin Hut, the city’s communications director, explained, “We looked through our data and we are identifying certain locations downtown that have had high reported calls for service related to drug use, vandalism, thefts and malicious mischief so that’s kind of where we’re starting out.”

Nevertheless, some businesses outside downtown feel overlooked. …