Despite his department seeing two stabbing cases in 2014, Redmond Police Chief Ron Gibson feels the city is still very safe.

He said overall, Redmond’s violent crime — or crimes against persons — rate is still very low.

A RARE, SHOCKING OCCURRENCE

Both stabbings occurred over the summer, one on June 13, 2014 and one on July 18, 2014. The latter resulted in the death of 17-year-old Cara Neil of Redmond and was the first homicide case Gibson has seen since he took over the Redmond Police Department (RPD) in 2010.

Because violent crimes and homicides occur so infrequently in Redmond, Gibson said officers rely on their training when such cases do happen. They may also reach out to other agencies such as the Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory Division for assistance, he said.

But in these two cases, assistance was not needed as Gibson said police made arrests immediately following the crimes.

Redmond Mayor John Marchione said it was very fortunate that RPD arrested suspects so quickly after both incidents, so there was no time for public fear to be raised.

“We have so few homicides that it’s always a shock when one occurs,” he said.

LOCK YOUR DOORS AND REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

While Redmond has a low violent crime rate, Gibson said similar to 2013, they saw a rise in property crimes such as vehicle prowls and robberies in 2014. This increase is county wide, but he could not say why there has been an increase.

“I wish I knew,” Gibson said, adding that Washington is the No. 1 state in the country when it comes to property crimes.

A common theme he noted among the vehicle prowls was that a significant number of the cars that were broken into were already unlocked. Gibson added that people also tended to leave their valuables in their cars, in plain sight. This, he said, could be due to the fact that people do feel safe in Redmond and don’t feel the need to lock up their things.

Marchione also attributed the property crimes to the fact that Redmond is a safe community with more affluent residents.

Gibson agreed, saying criminals come to Redmond because there are “nice things to steal in Redmond.”

“Unfortunately, the word gets around,” he said.

The job of investigating these property crimes goes to RPD’s Pro-Act Unit. Gibson said this division of the department focuses on offenders rather than location because if an individual or group of individuals commit property crimes in Redmond, they could committing similar crimes in other cities and jurisdictions.

PROPERTY CRIME PREVENTION

Some tips the police chief had for residents to help them avoid becoming victims included locking car doors and reporting suspicious activity. Gibson said if residents want to know what they can do to make their homes more burglar proof, they can just call the department to set up a time for an officer or trained volunteer to come by their homes to assess everything from their locks to lighting to the vegetation in their yards and offer advice. Residents can call the RPD’s mainline at (425) 556-2500 to set up an appointment.

Gibson said people can also register their valuables on trackmole.com, a property tracking and crime prevention tool that helps police departments identify lost and stolen property by using items’ serial numbers.

ACTIVE-SHOOTER PREPARATION

Last year was also the first time RPD conducted an active-shooter drill in partnership with the Redmond Fire Department (RFD) and Lake Washington School District (LWSD).

Gibson said the drill was their way of taking proactive steps to be prepared for such a situation. Since that drill, RPD has followed up with the district to figure out other things such as a location to reunite students with their families, how to respond to the media and more.

The goal for 2015, Gibson said, is to continue this work with schools and private employers so more people in the community are prepared for such events since active-shooter incidents can happen anywhere, not just schools.

“Unfortunately, it’s kind of the reality of what we’re dealing with all over the country,” he said.

LOSS OF A LEADER

In addition to solving and preventing crimes, RPD also lost one of their own.

Former Redmond police chief Steven Harris, 68, died on Aug. 24, 2014 in a head-on car crash that also took the life of 16-year-old Taylor Griffith, an Eastlake High School student from Sammamish.

Marchione said Harris’s death was a significant loss for city employees as well as the community. He described the former police chief, who spent more than 40 years in law enforcement, an energetic person who still had a lot to give. Marchione said it was very tragic what happened to Harris and Griffith.

Gibson agreed.

“The unexpected passing of retired Chief Harris was a very sad and trying time for many members of our department,” he said. “I am very proud of the memorial service and tribute the department held in honor of retired Chief Harris and his 28 years of service to our community. His family will always be a part of our Redmond PD family.”