5 Kennewick homicides in 2 weeks. Is there a big Tri-Cities crime wave?

A “perfect storm” of issues is fueling the recent surge in violent crime in the Tri-Cities area, say police.

Not only are officers investigating five homicides in two weeks in the Kennewick area but also an increase in violent incidents and property crimes.

But Kennewick Lt. Jason Kiel told the Tri-City Herald the bump in crime isn’t from a rise in new people committing crimes.

He believes it’s fueled by several issues, including police departments struggling to hire more officers and changes in Washington state policing laws.

“I think it’s a perfect storm of issues,” Kiel said. “It’s a multi-faceted problem.”

While criminal activity fluctuates, Kennewick’s figures for the first quarter of 2022 are higher than normal.

For example, the department had 142 violent crimes by the end of March, when it’s normally about 67 to 83 in those three months.

Violent crimes include homicide, robbery, aggravated assault and rape.

Kennewick is the only agency in the Tri-Cities able to provide a quarterly update on crime figures.

But anecdotally police officials in Pasco, Richland and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office told the Herald their departments also have seen increases.

By April, Richland had seen a 31% increase in aggravated assaults, robberies and rape reports.

And while Pasco and Benton County officials said they have not seen the same jump in violent crimes, they are being hit by a rash of stolen cars.

Kennewick’s first quarter crime statistics paint a dire picture. Violent crime was nearly double an average year, and property crimes jumped nearly 60% compared to the same period last year.

The rise in property crimes is being driven by a nearly 400% increase in vehicle thefts along with increases in stolen property and vandalism.

The city also is seeing a spike in violent crimes, up 61% from last year at the same time, largely because of an increase in aggravated assaults. Those climbed to 71 in 2022 from 29 during the first quarter last year.

Policing law changes

Kiel says there are several factors contributing to that jump, including changes in how police can respond to certain crimes.

He noted two changes in particular.

One change kept police from detaining someone unless they know a crime was being committed. That stopped officers being as proactive as they could be in the past, he said.

Vehicle pursuit laws also changed, limiting when police can start a chase and the requirement that a supervisor approve a pursuit.

Another issue is a Washington state Supreme Court decision eliminating drug possession laws, and replacing them with laws that no longer make it a felony.

These had the combined effect of making it harder for police to be proactive, Kiel said.

He said the changes led to criminals feeling like they could get away with crimes without getting caught, he said.

However, some of the restrictions have been rolled back as part of a pair of bills that passed the state Legislature this year.

Fewer officers

And that was compounded by a larger problem facing police departments and jails across the country — fewer officers.

Kennewick police are down 14 people, from a high of 108 commissioned officers.

That means officers normally assigned to specialty areas like the department’s criminal apprehension team are needed to be on patrol, Kiel said.

Benton County sheriff’s Lt. Jason Erickson said the department is down nine deputies.

“The last couple of years it has been very difficult to be in law enforcement,” Erickson said. “There has been a mass exodus.”

All of the departments have been hosting hiring drives and offering bonuses for people who hire on to the agency.

Turning the corner

As more officers are hired and with the recent changes to the state laws, Kiel said he is confident that the city is turning the corner.

“We’re getting to a point where we’re getting those targeted special teams back together,” he said. “We’re going to see some stuff lift when it comes to booking restrictions.”

Pasco Sgt. Rigo Pruneda said the department is also focusing on problem areas and putting resources where they’re needed.

The issues, though, are bigger than what the police department can handle on its own, Kiel said.

They need to community’s support, including supporting efforts for more mental health services.

Even with the recent spike, Benton County Sheriff Tom Croskrey said he feels the Tri-Cities continues to be a safe place to live.

“It’s not this giant massive crime wave or gang that is infiltrating the Tri-Cities,” he said during a recent news conference on the arrest of a teen murder suspect.

“This is just another random event, and it just happened to be on the heels of other random events here in the Tri-Cities.”

This story was originally published May 5, 2022 at 12:55 PM.