Burglaries are down, DUI arrests are up in Snoqualmie and North Bend, in year two of shared police services
Published 11:53 am Wednesday, February 17, 2016
The Snoqualmie Police Department is approaching the end of its second year providing services to the city of North Bend, Police Chief Steve McCulley reported to the North Bend City Council Feb. 2.
The anniversary of the partnership, officially March 7, will give the department two full years of data for comparison, he said, offering an initial comparison of January to December 2015 and 2014, which included data from the King County Sheriff’s Office, the city’s former police services provider.
In 2015 in North Bend, 28 burglaries were reported, a 24 percent decrease from the 37 reported in 2014. Domestic violence reports dropped from 49 in 2014 to 32 last year, and traffic stops were down to 727, from 1,348.
Also in 2015, eight collisions were reported, down from 12, and three of them were related to driving under the influence, compared to no DUI collisions in 2014. Police made nine felony drug arrests last year, down from 16 in 2014, and 63 misdemeanor drug arrests, up from 29 in 2014.
McCulley noted that the legalization of marijuana contributed to that change. He also highlighted some of the department’s successes, including the capture of several burglary suspects, one stabbing suspect and one shooting suspect, and its assistance to the FBI, leading to the arrest of the subject who robbed the North Bend Bank of America Dec. 9.
Coincidentally, Mick Acierno had just raised several concerns about the Snoqualmie Police Department’s coverage of North Bend during public comments just before McCulley’s presentation. Acierno told the council “You all have to realize, you’re in a state of emergency with the Snoqualmie Police Department.” He cited two instances of what he felt was poor conduct by officers, and criticized the department’s lack of response to his complaints.
McCulley also attended the Feb. 8 Snoqualmie City Council meeting where he made the same managed accountability and productivity presentation. The total of calls for service was down for both cities in 2015 with North Bend at 5,145 and Snoqualmie at 5,989. McCulley compared those statistics to Issaquah which has a population roughly twice the size of North Bend and Snoqualmie put together and had 14,097 calls.
In Snoqualmie, burglaries, 9, and vehicle prowls, 10, were down compared to 2014. Domestic violence calls increased by almost 40 percent, to 35, and traffic stops jumped 76 percent to 1,609. Total arrests and other infractions such as parking problems increased. There were no DUI or fatal collisions in either year.
McCulley also presented information on the 2015 overtime budget. The police department had budgeted $219,053 but ended going $114,902 over budget due to officers working to cover for under-staffing in North Bend.
McCulley’s presentation is available on the Feb. 8 Snoqualmie City Council agenda on the city website at www.ci.snoqualmie.wa.us/CouncilAgendas/tabid/384/Default.aspx.
