Yakima Chief Pens State of Safety Letter To Community

The Yakima Police Chief has penned a State of Safety letter to the community. The letter to the community talks about a number of public safety issues that face Yakima residents every day and spells out the challenges Yakima faced in 2021.

The letter deals with a host of issues that Yakima Police faced in the city

Chief Matt Murray says "they range from crime statistics, to safety issues, to community challenges and successes. As always, I invite your questions and comments... we work for you." The chief says "as in any relationship, open and honest communication is the hallmark of the trust the community."
The letter starts by talking about Part One crimes the most serious in the community and the letter gives good news for the time between 2017 and 2021.

Part One crimes are the most serious crimes in the city of Yakima

Part 1 Crime
(34% decrease in five years; 6% decrease since 2020)
"This is a remarkable improvement and one the community should celebrate! There
remains plenty of work to be done, but my hope is that the community shakes the
mantra of ‘a dangerous crime-ridden city that is worse than ever, because the data
demonstrates the belief isn’t true. Here are some individual crime types and their
trends."

Serious traffic problems took a lot of lives in 2021

Traffic problems keep officers very busy and the letter says 2021 was a challenging year for the Yakima Police Department. The city saw eight crashes with ten fatalities. 60% of the deaths involved drugs or alcohol. Officers made 353 arrests for DUI.
The Letter to the Community is extensive. You can find information here;

https://yakimapolice.org/state-of-safety-in-yakima-letter-issued-by-police-chief/