Harger: As violent crime drops nationally, Washington takes a wrong turn

Violent crime is down across the nation. It’s a rare bit of good news these days. But here in Washington, it seems we’re not getting the memo. Instead, we’re charting our own course — and it’s not a good one.

According to FBI data analyzed by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC), violent crime nationwide has decreased by 4.1% over the past five years. That’s murders, rapes, robberies, assaults — the big ones. But in Washington, violent crime has surged nearly 20%. Murders alone have jumped by a staggering 80.8% from 2019 to 2023.

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Car thefts tell a similar tale. Across the country, they’re up almost 45%, which is troubling enough. But here? They’ve skyrocketed by 110%. It’s as if we’ve hung a “steal me” sign on every car.

So what’s going on?

Former King County Sheriff Steve Strachan, now the executive director of WASPC, has some thoughts. Speaking to Carleen Johnson at thecentersquare.com, Strachan didn’t mince words.

“Very concerning is that the murder rate in Washington was more than five times the national average,” he said. “In other words, our rate of homicides in Washington is far exceeding national trends.”

Strachan points to our chronic shortage of police officers. Washington has the lowest ratio of law enforcement officers to population in the entire country — a dubious honor we’ve held for over a decade.

“We were well below the violent crime rate nationwide in 2019,” Strachan told Johnson. “Not so long ago, you could view the state of Washington as a pretty low crime state, and we’re now moving in line with the national average, and that shouldn’t be acceptable to anyone.”

“The vehicle theft rate from 2022 to 2023 for Washington state is more than twice the rate nationally, so you’re more than twice as likely to have your car stolen in Washington than in the country overall,” he added.

It’s not hard to see why this might be happening. The bad guys certainly don’t. When there are fewer police officers on the streets, criminals feel emboldened. Last year, we added only about 100 officers statewide — not even enough to keep up with population growth.

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It’s almost as if we’ve collectively decided that the best way to address issues in policing is to have fewer police. The nationwide protests in 2020 called for meaningful reforms, but did we mean for criminals to take it as an open invitation?

Recruiting and retaining law enforcement officers is no easy task these days. The job is tougher than ever, and public scrutiny is high. But we can’t ignore the consequences of a dwindling police force. If we don’t address this shortage, we’ll continue to see these troubling trends.

It’s time to prioritize public safety. That means investing in our law enforcement agencies and supporting those who protect and serve. Our communities and our safety depend on it.

Charlie Harger is the news director for MyNorthwest and KIRO Newsradio. Follow Charlie on X here and email him here.

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