SPOKANE, Wash. – A Spokane family is frustrated with the system after they say two people were having sex in a public alleyway in broad daylight.
The couple says they see people walking through, doing drugs all of the time, but they say this one was a first.
They live near Jefferson and Northwest Boulevard in the Emerson Garfield neighborhood.
“It is frustrating and it feels a little defeating. To think okay, I’m supposed to call. They ask us to call. They want to build a comprehensive view of what’s happening so they can assign resources to help cover, and you do that, and you do that, and you do that, and it’s like does this even matter,” homeowner Ryan Anderson said.
Last Friday, Anderson, who just moved to Spokane about a year ago said he looked out the window and saw a familiar sight.
“They parked up, they had some luggage, they had some bags, and I went okay, what’s going to go on here,” Anderson said.
They were doing drugs, Anderson said. Not uncommon, according to Anderson, and certainly evident based on all of the paraphernalia you see in the alleyway.
But he would never expect what would happen next.
“And then they started getting a little inappropriate with their behavior, hands in pants. It started getting a little bit handsy,” Anderson said.
At this point, Anderson says, things became extremely inappropriate.
“Okay, this is awful,” Anderson recalled. And what’s even more awful is the fact his child’s playroom had a direct view.
He called Crime Check but said no one responded. He then called C.O.P.S. and he said no one responded. And he eventually called 911 and said no one ever responded for the rest of the day.
“Yeah, it felt awful to have this happening and then to call to ask for some help with it and then to not have a response,” Anderson said.
NonStop Local called Spokane Police and Julie Humphrey, a department spokesperson, looked into the matter.
She said that all of the officers were on higher-priority calls during that time. However, Humphrey told us “Just because it’s not a high-priority call, it doesn’t mean it’s not important.”
Humphrey said that you should continue to report these types of crimes so that if a trend develops, they can conduct an emphasis in the area.
But, Anderson won’t be making those calls much longer.
“We moved to Spokane about a year and a half ago. We’re working professionals and able to work remotely so we chose this place. We are now in the process of choosing another place,” Anderson said.
