Richland Interim Police Chief Craig Meidl reported that crime was down and more traffic tickets had been written in Richland in 2023. Meidl presented the Richland Police Department’s annual report Tuesday at the Richland City Council’s monthly workshop.

The RPD uses the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) created in January 2021 to improve how crime is measured and estimated by the federal government.

The system divides crimes into four categories, violent crimes, property crimes, fraud and other financial crimes, and crimes against society.

Meidl reported that violent crimes in Richland were down 23.8% from 2022.  That included a 40% decrease in murder and manslaughter, a 42% drop in forcible sex offenses and an 18% drop in aggravated assault

Property crimes, which includes stolen property, motor vehicle theft and vandalism, were down 32.3% during the same period.

Meidl told the Observer after his presentation that the installation of about 50 license plate readers in the Tri-Cities probably contributed to the 43% drop in motor vehicle theft by helping to apprehend more thieves.

The Flock cameras installed by Tri-Cities’ law enforcement agencies capture a picture of each license plate that drives by it and can also determine the type of vehicle. Agencies can put in a license number and receive an alert when it drives by or review 30 days of data to search for it.

Councilmember Sandra Kent asked why calls were up when crime was down. In response, Meidl described what he called, “community caretaking calls.” Perhaps it’s a welfare check or a call about a suspicious person, but not a crime, he explained.

Traffic tickets are up 128% since the traffic unit was reinstated on August 19, 2023.

In 2022, 1,470 tickets were written and between August 19, 2023, and April 30, 2024, the traffic unit wrote 3,357 tickets, a 128% increase.

Collisions were down from 903 in 2022 to 885 in 2023, a 2.03% decrease. Some studies have indicated that crashes go down when the number of traffic stops and ticketing goes up.

RPD has four vacant leadership positions.

While crime is down, RPD has openings in four leadership positions–chief of police, deputy chief, commander and lieutenant. Meidl said that although the department has hired 16 new officers since January 1, 2023, there had been 17 separations and he would like to see about eight more officers hired.

Councilmember Sandra Kent asked Meidl why officers had left the department. He responded that most of the 17 separations were retirements. Police officers with 20 years of service can retire at age 53. Meidl said the department planned to better prepare for retirements in the future.

Councilmember Jhoanna Jones, drawing on her experience as the wife of a Pasco police officer, told Meidl that the 12-hour shifts made for “poor quality of life.” She said that unappealing schedules might discourage applicants and the RPD should consider the 4/10 shifts that the Pasco Police Department had adopted. Jones said that her husband’s 4/10 shifts had improved her family life.

New police chief will be named in July.

According to reports in the Tri-City Herald, a new Richland police chief will be named in July.

Meidl, the former Spokane police chief, became Richland’s second interim police chief after former police chief Brigit Clary resigned under a cloud and was subsequently investigated for actions she took as chief.

Deputy Police Chief David Neher had been elevated to interim chief but left the department and returned to California. He had been a police officer in Citrus Heights, California before joining the RPD.

Neher had figured in the investigation of Clary for using his personal cellphone for department business which, according to the investigator, implied secrecy and created an “optics” issue.