SEQUIM — Crime rose faster than the city’s population in 2005, even as the Sequim Police Department coped with a staff shortage.
“We’re budgeted for 16 full-time officers,” said Chief Robert Spinks.
With 13 on the force, “we’re recruiting for three” to enter the academy this year.
Sequim’s population last year increased by a little over 3 percent, to 4,730 from 4,585, according to state Office of Financial Management estimates.
Crime rates rose more sharply, according to the Sequim Police Department’s annual report.
Officers responded to 5,740 incidents in 2005, in addition to 3,127 “quick calls,” or police responses that didn’t involve crimes.
Last year, Sequim police handled an incident every 59 minutes, Spinks said. A felony occurred every 21.7 hours.
Reported disturbances, such as raucous tavern behavior or domestic violence, rose from 153 calls in 2004 to 207 in 2005.
Car prowls, in which vehicles were broken into, saw the biggest increase, but the numbers still aren’t so urban. Sequim police responded to 46 car prowls in 2004 and 99 last year.
Other types of theft such as shoplifting and “crimes of opportunity” — the taking of bicycles or tools left unattended, for example — also rose.
Together with vehicle prowls, theft in Sequim went up 18 percent from 2004 to 2005.
Half-time position added
The department has just added a half-time position that could spark a groundswell of crime prevention.
Maris Turner, a former reserve officer, joined the force Feb. 21 as the emergency preparedness, crime prevention and public information specialist.
Turner hopes to meet with neighbors interested in building block-watch groups. Such programs can serve as proactive crime deterrents, she said.
Residents can reach her at the Sequim Police Department’s non-emergency number, 360-683-7227.
