Tacoma Business Council announcement.
TPD’s Weekly Crime Report
Violent and property crimes continue at an unacceptable level in Tacoma. The data reported by TPD Year to Date are the following: assaults up 30.7%, homicides up 30.5%, kidnapping up 81.8%, sex offense up 100%, arson up 101%; burglary up 68%, damage, destruction, and vandalism up 49%, larceny/theft up 47.8%, motor vehicle theft up 86%, robbery up 119.9%, and stolen property up 71.8%. TPD’s report breaks down crime by district and citywide. Check that out here: TPD’s Crime Report May 15 2022.
TPD Remains Significantly Understaffed
While the City has implemented a program to incentivize laterals to join our police force, unfortunately TPD remains significantly understaffed. This reflects the reality that it is difficult to recruit officers currently and that it takes an extraordinary amount of time to bring an officer onto the force. As of May 19th, TPD reports 54 vacancies of budgeted positions for officers. However, TPD reports that it made employment offers to two laterals and 4 new recruits- movement in the right direction.
Chief Moore’s Crime Plan
TBC is actively following the development of Chief Moore’s crime plan. The Chief has explained that his plan will focus on “violent crimes” and “hotspots” in Tacoma where those crimes are happening at an elevated rate. Criminologists are analyzing city crime data to identify these “hot spots.” Chief Moore’s plan will also address the fact that a small number of people commit a disproportionate number of crimes. Development of the plan will continue through summer when it will be presented to Council.
While TBC agrees that violent crimes must be a high priority, we continue to believe that resources must also be devoted to addressing property crime. As noted in the crime summary above, property crime continues to increase at an alarming rate. To ensure that Tacoma’s beloved community of small business owners are not driven out of town by out-of-control crime, the City must find a way to devote resources to addressing the unacceptable level of property crime.
$250,000 Fund for Enhanced Security
Last week, the City announced it will use $250,000 from federal COVID funds (under ARPA) to fund enhanced security for the Neighborhood Business Districts. Each district must submit a security proposal to the Cross District Association for approval. The Neighborhood Business Districts will initially have access to $16,000 each. Should there be any remaining funds, priority will be given to districts in low- or very low- equity opportunity areas to receive additional funding. Implementation is anticipated to begin within 30 days. We’ve attached the City’s document explaining the program Security Enhancement Fund Details.
The contact for questions is Timothy Marlowe, President of the CDA at bdlocalpodcast@gmail.com or 843-614-7629.
| TBC’s June General Meeting | Date: June 13, 2022 Time: 5:30PM – 6:30PM Location: Asia Pacific Cultural Center, 4851 S Tacoma Way |
