SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane Police Department (SPD) moved its only five traffic officers to patrol last fall to meet its staffing shortage. But now, four full-time traffic enforcement officers are back.
"We were able to get those patrol staffing numbers back up to a point that I could get a unit back," SPD traffic supervisor Sgt. Teresa Fuller said.
During their absence, Spokane neighborhood councils claimed more people got away with speeding and more people got injured in crashes.
Spokane went without traffic officers from September 19, 2021, to January 1, 2022. Compared to the same time frame a year ago (Sept. 2020-Jan. 2021), SPD found injury crashes increased by 70%, jumping from 328 to 553.
Additionally, fatal crashes doubled from 5% to 10%.
Sgt. Fuller said this shows how necessary traffic officers are in the city of Spokane.
"My guys are out there enforcing traffic laws and helping prevent injuries and deaths on our roadways," Fuller said. "That's what the numbers tell me."
She said that during the pandemic, people took advantage of less traffic on the roads and picked up poor driving behaviors.
"Those dangerous behaviors that a lot of people developed when they had the ability to are staying," she said. "So we're just trying to get a grasp on that and really go back to pre-COVID numbers."
SPD's traffic unit is budgeted for six total positions. Sgt. Fuller hopes to have a fully staffed unit soon.