Big turn around for Wapato crime
WAPATO - The KIMA Crime Tracker has learned of a major drop in crime in Wapato across the board.
It's a positive change for a community that has battled high gang activity for years.
"This used to be an area where we used to have a lot of alcohol, drinking," said Wapato police Chief Richard Sanchez.
But not anymore.
Recent crime reports from Wapato Police show a huge drop in crime from assaults to tagging.
A good change for a community that has dealt with its share of gang activity and crime.
"I'm proud of my town, it's coming along well," said Sanchez.
And rightfully so.
The number of arrests have taken a nose-dive; now a fraction of the 1,700 made five years ago.
The number of police reports filed also dropped by close to a thousand.
The city is also seeing fewer stolen cars and property theft.
Action News is told the big change has really been a community effort, starting with small steps and a focus on kids here in town.
"Kids are the ones that need something to do. Because we have not a lot in Wapato," said Nora Albright.
Nora has lived in Wapato her whole life and has noticed change.
"It actually has gotten better because we've had new business comet," said Albright.
Business owners told me they feel safer, and they like doing their part to help the community as well.
Wapato PD says business owners have also agreed to offer jobs to at-risk kids.
For this community, they're finding suppression-methods are not the key.
Instead, focusing on youth programs and community involvement has made a difference here and also increasing police and community interaction.
Chief Sanchez says working together is the only way to stay the course and make Wapato a safer place.
We're also told new housing developments have helped improve the quality of life in Wapato.
It's a positive change for a community that has battled high gang activity for years.
"This used to be an area where we used to have a lot of alcohol, drinking," said Wapato police Chief Richard Sanchez.
But not anymore.
Recent crime reports from Wapato Police show a huge drop in crime from assaults to tagging.
A good change for a community that has dealt with its share of gang activity and crime.
"I'm proud of my town, it's coming along well," said Sanchez.
And rightfully so.
The number of arrests have taken a nose-dive; now a fraction of the 1,700 made five years ago.
The number of police reports filed also dropped by close to a thousand.
The city is also seeing fewer stolen cars and property theft.
Action News is told the big change has really been a community effort, starting with small steps and a focus on kids here in town.
"Kids are the ones that need something to do. Because we have not a lot in Wapato," said Nora Albright.
Nora has lived in Wapato her whole life and has noticed change.
"It actually has gotten better because we've had new business comet," said Albright.
Business owners told me they feel safer, and they like doing their part to help the community as well.
Wapato PD says business owners have also agreed to offer jobs to at-risk kids.
For this community, they're finding suppression-methods are not the key.
Instead, focusing on youth programs and community involvement has made a difference here and also increasing police and community interaction.
Chief Sanchez says working together is the only way to stay the course and make Wapato a safer place.
We're also told new housing developments have helped improve the quality of life in Wapato.
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