Redmond PD’s new Street Crimes Unit targets drugs, thefts

The Redmond Police Department is rolling out a new unit to cut down on crime in the city.

The agency’s Street Crimes Unit became official on July, to target what the department calls “quality of life crimes.”

That means they’re focusing on drug crimes, as well as robbery, burglary and theft.

The Street Crimes Unit originally was a partnership with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office before it was scaled back in 2007 due to budget cuts.

Now, the unit is back with two dedicated full-time detectives.

Lt. Curtis Chambers said Tuesday the idea is to keep up with the demands of the city and better utilize the department’s resources.

“Patrol still is there to respond to those 911 calls and conduct investigations,” he said. “The street crimes team will investigate those robberies, burglaries, thefts, and attempt to link more of them together and hold those people accountable earlier on, before they cause more serious crime and cause problems community-wide.”

This past week, the unit watched over Sam Johnson and American Legion parks, looking for offenders.

The detectives were able to educate people about ways to behave properly in a park, as well as enforce drug laws there.

Chambers said the two full-time detectives in the unit are still learning their new roles, but it looks to be much more effective.

Previously, the Street Crimes Unit was run by officers who volunteered their own time during off hours.

“Two dedicated people, working full-time, plus we still have the other former part-time members of the street crimes team, and they will still be able to come in and assist the full-time officers during their off-duty time, if needed,” he said.

Chambers said the unit was able to be brought back because there were enough funds to shift around in the department for these new positions.

He added that the city is already seeing positive impacts from the unit in just the few weeks it has been in place.