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By Drew Lawson
The Times 

Crime stats show Lincoln County a safe place to live

Stats show low crime in county

 

Last updated 8/18/2020 at 9:51am



REARDAN – Lincoln County is a safe place to live, according to local officials, and the Town of Reardan is an example of the county’s low crime rates.

“The crime that we deal with 99% of the time is criminal traffic,” Police Chief Andy Manke said. “The number one offense is driving with a suspended license.”

Manke added that the corridor Reardan is located in funnels a lot of these cases through town from people coming from Spokane, Ford, Springdale, Davenport and other areas in Lincoln and Stevens counties.

“They all come through here, so all we do is sit out on the road and catch (suspended license cases),” Manke said.

Lincoln County Sheriff Wade Magers said Reardan sees a lot of traffic stops because police departments and state patrols stop cars for traffic violations, whereas the county sheriffs tend to respond to more crime calls. He added that Reardan is a low-crime town.

The second most common crime in Reardan thus far has been six arrests for driving under the influence.

Other crimes recorded in 2020 by the police department include criminal trespassing, assault, burglary, possession of a controlled substance, juvenile assault, third degree theft, animal cruelty, trip permit violations, cyberstalking, custodial interference, minor in possession and failure to transfer a title. None of these crimes were reported more than four times.

Manke added that burglaries usually don’t happen in town, but at farms in the surrounding area.

Manke said for a couple years, there was a “rash” of domestic violence cases, but those have been on the decline.

“Those have really seemed to be on the downswing,” Manke said. “We don’t get very many of those any more.”

Magers said domestic violence cases tend to be one of the more common offenses the sheriff’s office responds to.

The low crime data in Reardan seems indicative of low rates throughout the county, according to a recent study.

In the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs 2019 National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) report, it noted 49 arrests made in the county for simple assault that year, 33 of which were domestic violence cases. That figure was by far the most arrests made of any “Group A” offenses, which cover a wide range of crimes from murder and rape to drug violations and thefts.

Magers added that during hunting season, the sheriff’s office often responds to violations and trespassing calls, because the county is made up largely of large private property. Nine trespassing arrests were made by the sheriff’s office in 2019.

18 arrests for all Group A offenses were reported by Reardan police in a nine-month span mentioned in the report. Manke, who took over in July 2019, said the full year wasn’t reported because of a three-month gap where there was an interim police chief who likely didn’t report to the association.

The most common crime reported in Reardan in 2019 was simple assault (six cases) and driving under the influence (five cases). Other crimes reported include intimidation, burglary, larceny-theft, vehicle theft, destruction of property and various drug offenses. None of these offenses had more than three cases reported.

All drug offenses were related to stimulants in 2019. Personal weapons were the only weapons reported to be used in crimes that year.

Overall, Manke said he considers Reardan a safe town. He said this is partly attributable to the four members of the police force, which is large for such a small town.

“We have them out a lot,” Manke said of the force.

Magers echoed the sentiment, saying Lincoln County as a whole is safe compared to other counties in the state. He attributed this fact in part to county citizens and the low population density.

“If a farmer sees a rig out on the back of his field or driving a county road that he hasn’t seen before and he’s aware of trespassing calls or burglaries or thefts in the area, they’ll call that in,” Magers said. “In a big city, it’s just another car. I always credit the citizens for being proactive when they see something they feel isn’t right.”

Author Bio

Drew Lawson, Editor

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Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.

 

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