Curious question (Spokane, Wenatchee: crime rate, house, neighborhoods)

[Westward_Ho]

Hi all, long time lurker and first time poster here. I've heard so much about how high the property crime rate is in WA, and how the police really don't care, etc. I want to hear directly from you guys what your experience has been, if any, with property crime. Is it really as common as I'm led to believe?

I ask because I have been considering a possible move to the state, but would probably not want to because of this. Where I live currently, the property crime rate is very low, and when it happens it's taken seriously by the authorities.

Just want to hear from you guys. Thanks!

[ShadoAngel]

Disclaimer: I am not native to Spokane. However my father's family have been in Eastern Washington for at least 4 generations (can't remember if it was my great-great grandpa or 3 greats that moved there) before my father moved to Texas in the 80s. My father and his family have lived in or near Spokane for a long time. He almost of all of his siblings went to Gonzaga. My cousin was a teacher in Spokane for several years. All of them shop there on a regular basis. We have several family friends in Spokane, etc. So this information is anecdotal and 2nd hand.

That said, it's my opinion that property crime in the Spokane area is largely localized to certain areas. None of my numerous contacts has ever said anything about their property being vandalized or stolen. None of them have moved away from the city due to crime. When talking specifically about this issue, they say they've not had any problems and feel like it's only certain neighborhoods that make up the majority of the reported incidents.

I'm from a much larger city with much larger problems. I've been to some seedy areas of San Antonio and Dallas and nothing in Spokane comes close to that. I've never felt unsafe in Spokane the many times I've been there (even Downtown at night) and I think the rate is much higher in certain areas and much lower in others. If you select your neighborhood right, I doubt you'll have any issues.

[PS90]

Originally Posted by ShadoAngel

Disclaimer: I am not native to Spokane. However my father's family have been in Eastern Washington for at least 4 generations (can't remember if it was my great-great grandpa or 3 greats that moved there) before my father moved to Texas in the 80s. My father and his family have lived in or near Spokane for a long time. He almost of all of his siblings went to Gonzaga. My cousin was a teacher in Spokane for several years. All of them shop there on a regular basis. We have several family friends in Spokane, etc. So this information is anecdotal and 2nd hand.

That said, it's my opinion that property crime in the Spokane area is largely localized to certain areas. None of my numerous contacts has ever said anything about their property being vandalized or stolen. None of them have moved away from the city due to crime. When talking specifically about this issue, they say they've not had any problems and feel like it's only certain neighborhoods that make up the majority of the reported incidents.

I'm from a much larger city with much larger problems. I've been to some seedy areas of San Antonio and Dallas and nothing in Spokane comes close to that. I've never felt unsafe in Spokane the many times I've been there (even Downtown at night) and I think the rate is much higher in certain areas and much lower in others. If you select your neighborhood right, I doubt you'll have any issues.

Thanks for this great post! Considering how many people complain about this kind of thing all across the state (Spokane in particular) you would think that everybody and his brother are continuously getting stuff stolen right out from under them, and that their wife's purses are always being pulled off their shoulders as they walk down the street.

I'm not sure what it is (meth problems, liberal policing policies, etc?) that leads to such a high rate of property crime rate, but it's not as if we are living in a crime-ridden hell. You just have to be careful, lock your doors, and be especially wary if you live in specific towns/neighborhoods with exceptional (but unusual) crime problems.

Personally, in 40+ years of living in Washington - I had a vacant house (that I was trying to sell) broken-into for the copper wire in Onalaska (tweakers, in this case, according to the police), and a car window smashed back in the 80's in Wenatchee. IMO, that's not much in 40 years.