Crime trending down in Moses Lake, Ephrata

MOSES LAKE — Crime trends in Moses Lake and Ephrata seem to be following the rest of the state — they went down between 2022 and 2023. A report on crime trends throughout the state, including individual cities, was released last week by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.

The statistics included in the report are divided by city and county, so crimes that occurred outside the city limits of a community — the Larson area north of Moses Lake being an example — are included in the county data. A story on the trends in the unincorporated areas of Grant and Adams counties was published Friday. (https://bit.ly/CBHCNTYCRIME)

Moses Lake Police Chief David Sands said the downward trends are the result of local effort and statewide changes.

“I think there are a few factors at play,” Sands wrote in response to a Columbia Basin Herald email. “I believe the Legislature’s recognition of some unintended consequences related to previous reform laws, and their willingness to make changes, helped across the board. This could account for the general downward trend, or very modest increases, over most of the state. I also believe the everyday hard work by your Moses Lake PD officers contributed greatly to the reduction Moses Lake saw last year.”

Crime didn’t drop in all categories — in Moses Lake, there were more aggravated assaults reported and more violations of no-contact and protection orders.

Smaller sample sizes have a big impact on the numbers, the murder rate in Ephrata being an example. One murder was reported in 2023, which doubled the city’s homicide rate, since there were no murders in Ephrata in 2022.

Ephrata did experience a small increase in simple assaults, which increased by four to 83 in 2023. Of those, 61 were related to domestic violence. Aggravated assault cases increased by one in 2023, to 14 total, with five involving domestic violence

There was an increase in reported arson cases in Ephrata, with three reported in 2023. One case was reported in 2022. The number of reported intimidation cases also increased, from 14 in 2022 to 19 in 2023.

Moses Lake experienced two reported murders and two kidnappings in 2023, in both cases the same as the previous year.

Reported rapes in Moses Lake decreased from 9 in 2022 to 7 in 2023; Ephrata had one reported rape in 2023, compared to four in 2022.

Aggravated assault cases in Moses Lake increased from 102 in 2022 to 111 in 2023; 50 of those involved domestic violence cases. There were 87 reported violations of a no-contact or protection order, up from 84 in 2022. Of those, 71 involved domestic violence cases. There were 53 drug violations, compared to 39 in 2022.

But in most other categories crime was trending down. Burglaries dropped from 201 in 2022 to 147 in 2023; car thefts dropped from 112 in 2022 to 90 in 2023. Robberies decreased from 25 in 2022 to 10 in 2023. Reported larcenies and thefts also decreased, from 1,126 in 2022 to 891 in 2023. Simple assault cases also decreased, from 314 to 256 in 2023.

Moses Lake reported 91 DUI cases.

Reported burglaries in Ephrata dropped from 119 in 2022 to 58 in 2023; car thefts dropped too, from 36 in 2022 to 22 in 2023. Drug violations dropped from 13 to 11 in 2023. Fraud cases dropped from 40 in 2022 to 30 in 2023. There were no reported cases of robbery in Ephrata in 2023, compared to two in 2022.

Ephrata had five reported DUI cases.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.

Year-to-year crime comparisons:

Moses Lake 2022-23

Murder 2-2

Rape 9-7

Arson 13-8

Aggravated assault 102-111

Simple Assault 314-256

Robbery 25-10

Burglary 201-147

Vehicle theft 112-90

Ephrata 2022-23

Murder 0-1

Rape 4-1

Arson 1-3

Aggravated assault 13-14

Simple Assault 79-83

Robbery 2-0

Burglary 119-58

Vehicle theft 36-22