“Big Problem for the City”: The lack of traffic cops worries Spokane city guides

From her bedroom window, Mary Winkes watches cars zoom past the radar sign on Grand Boulevard.

Winkes, who serves as chair of the Comstock / Cannon-Hill neighborhood council, is one of several neighborhood leaders across the city who have raised concerns about poor traffic enforcement in recent weeks.

“People drive past when they are 30 and 35, sometimes when they are 40. Sometimes people drive at the right pace – but not much,” said Winkes.

Traffic surveillance has long been a neighborhood concern, but it is now at the forefront after the Spokane Police Department announced last month that it had shifted most of their traffic unit to patrol shifts.

The city is lacking dozens of officers on patrol, which is a high priority for the police as these officers respond to emergencies. While patrolmen can enforce traffic violations, this is not their primary focus. A handful of people stay in the traffic unit, but each has a specialty, such as enforcing commercial vehicles.

“The least painful alternative to bolstering our patrol numbers was to temporarily relocate these five traffic officers,” said Assistant Chief Justin Lundgren.

The change has resulted in Spokane City Council members – hearing complaints from neighborhood council leaders like winking about fast cars – looking for creative ways to improve police department recruitment efforts.

There is no anticipated return date for the newly assigned officers.

“I want to tell you that this will be something we can undo in the near future. I don’t know if that will be the case, ”Lundgren said.

The council discussed the issue on Monday at a meeting of its public safety and community health committee.

To strengthen the ranks of the city, councilors discussed offering incentives for new recruits joining the Spokane Police Department or being transferred from other departments.

Councilor Michael Cathcart suggested that the city match or exceed the recruitment incentive offered by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. Earlier this year, the sheriff advertised signup bonuses of up to $ 15,000 on billboards in major cities.

Councilor Lori Kinnear, chairwoman of the committee, told The Spokesman Review that she and Council President Breean Beggs had offered the police department funding to hire additional traffic control posts. Those talks failed in 2020, but Kinnear said she was open to reviving them.

Although they understand the logic of the police in moving staff, neighborhood leaders are dismayed at the lack of traffic enforcement.

“Basically, it’s the green light for people who want to go fast – no one will give them a ticket. You know, ”said Winkes. “I also understand that the police don’t have enough people to cover many problems, so I’m not sure what decision I would have made.”

Neighborhoods have come out in favor of other traffic-calming measures, such as a speed limit of 20 miles per hour in city parks.

While that’s a welcome development, Winkes found that signs wouldn’t work on their own.

“This is a big problem for the city,” said Winkes.