What the numbers tell us about crime in Washington

Published 1:30 am Friday, August 14, 2026

ONE OF THE questions law enforcement officers hear most often is, “What are the crime trends?” or “What do the crime statistics tell us?”

The answer is not always simple, but one of the best ways to understand crime trends is through a consistent, standardized reporting system used by law enforcement agencies across Washington.

This week, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) released its 46th annual “Crime in Washington” report. The 590-page publication compiles crime data submitted by law enforcement agencies throughout the state using the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).

The report includes information on reported criminal offenses, arrests, law enforcement officers killed or assaulted, and the number of full-time law enforcement employees. This year’s report compares data from 2024 and 2025, providing a useful snapshot of how crime is changing across Washington.

So, what does the report tell us about Port Angeles?

The numbers are encouraging. Port Angeles experienced a 16.2 percent reduction in serious crimes classified as Group A offenses — from 1,600 reported crimes in 2024 to 1,341 in 2025. Group A offenses include crimes such as murder, assault, burglary, robbery and arson. Most of these major crime categories declined, resulting in one of the city’s lower reported crime rates in recent years — 65.6 crimes per 1,000 residents.

By comparison, Clallam County experienced a 10 percent reduction in Group A crimes, while Sequim saw a 6.9 percent reduction.

While these statistics are encouraging, they should never cause us to lose sight of the people behind the numbers.

For the 1,341 victims of Group A crimes in Port Angeles, crime statistics offer little comfort. Even after reductions of 29.3 percent in aggravated assaults and 13.5 percent in simple assaults, there were still 58 victims of aggravated assault and 237 victims of simple assault in our community during 2025.

Likewise, despite substantial decreases in motor vehicle thefts (46 percent) and burglaries (17.1 percent), criminal property losses still totaled more than $1.09 million. Crime statistics represent real crimes affecting real victims, families and neighborhoods.

The statewide picture is also encouraging. Compared with 2024, Washington experienced a 7.3 percent decrease in reported crimes against persons, a 21.3 percent decrease in crimes against property, a 13.8 percent decrease in violent crime, and a 21.6 percent decrease in murders.

Naturally, people ask, “Why?” What caused these improvements?

There is rarely a single answer.

While correlation does not necessarily prove causation, we can identify factors that likely influence crime rates.

In a community the size of Port Angeles, identifying, arresting and successfully prosecuting a repeat or prolific offender can significantly reduce crime by preventing additional offenses.

Legislative changes can also make a difference.

For example, the rollback of Washington’s vehicular pursuit restrictions in 2024 increased law enforcement’s ability to apprehend fleeing offenders. Effective substance abuse treatment, violence prevention programs, improved police staffing and advances in investigative technology all contribute to reducing crime and improving public safety. And, a primary objective for those of us in law enforcement is to do all that we can to reduce victimization.

One challenge in evaluating crime prevention is that we cannot measure the crimes that never happen.

Successful enforcement against impaired drivers, long-term investigations targeting drug trafficking organizations and effective investigations of violent crime may deter future offenders who conclude that the risk of being caught outweighs the potential reward.

Those crimes are never reported because they never occur, making prevention one of the hardest successes to quantify.

The “Crime in Washington” report contains far more information than can be covered here, and I encourage anyone interested to read it.

A link is available on the Port Angeles Police Department Facebook page, or you can access the report directly through WASPC.

The overall direction of crime in both Washington and Port Angeles is encouraging, but we should not mistake progress for completion.

Public safety is built through the combined efforts of engaged community members, dedicated law enforcement professionals, prosecutors, courts, educators, treatment providers, elected officials and many others working toward the same goal.

Crime reduction is not the result of any one policy or one agency. It is the product of an entire community working together.

I appreciate everyone who contributes to making Port Angeles a safer place to live, work and raise a family, and I look forward to seeing that progress continue in the 2026 Crime in Washington report.

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Brian Smith is the Port Angeles Police Chief.