According to the 2016 FBI crime statistics, Camas is the 6th safest city in Washington. There is a big difference between what the FBI think and what the citizens of Camas think. Steven Hogan, a City Council member, commented on this fact, “I am not sure that it is accurate. It is possible we are better than that.” Plus, what does the Camas Police Department do to keep crime low?

In a survey, 91% of Camas High School students said they felt safe in Camas. “I always feel so safe and cared for in Camas, and I can come to the cops if I need them,” says Sophmore Nicki Wasson.

Now, what contributes to these low crime numbers? A part of this is the Camas Police Department. “For years, the Camas police department has had a great reputation of acting upon the basis that ‘no call is too small’ for us to react to help our constituents, ” said Steven Hogan. They are doing a good job if Camas is ranked 6th statewide.

They also try and do a method they call “community policing.” Another City Council member, Greg Anderson, commented, ”We try to have our officers out of their cars talk with people, listening to people, and then being able to independently take action of what they hear of find out.”

“We keep a really good relationship with other local agencies, whether that’s Clark County’s Sheriff’s Office, Skamania County’s Sheriff’s Office, the State Patrol,” says Deanna Rusch, a City Council member.

With anything, there are always things you can improve on. “Our belief is that one of the best ways to improve local safety is simply to have the best communication we can between our citizens and our police department, ” comments Steve Hogan. They are also reviewing the biannual budget for the city to try and hire two more uniformed police officers. “I think the main thing is increasing our staff and that’s really important to me. It keeps our citizens safe, it also keeps our officers safe by having more staff and more coverage,” said Deanna Rusch.

Steve Hogan thinks we can still improve on our “community policing.” “Our belief is that one of the best ways to improve local safety is simply to have the best communication we can between our citizens and our police department,” Steve says.

Overall the police are doing a fantastic job of keeping the crime rates down.

Click here to view a list of Washington’s top 20 safest cities.