News media and crime

* Washington state has 18,000 incarcerated at an average annual cost of $31,000 per inmate = $558 million.

 (Washington state spends $11,300 per student in K-12 education.)

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As journalists, we have the ability and responsibility to track crime and criminal justice in our communities.


* Washington state has 18,000 incarcerated at an average annual cost of $31,000 per inmate = $558 million.

 (Washington state spends $11,300 per student in K-12 education.)

Who's in jail in Whitman County?
  Let's look: http://whitmancountyjail.org/
 

Each day, the Pullman Police Department publishes an online log of activity in the city. Look at the most recent activity log. How many people were arrested? List one charge against a person arrested in the past 48 hours.

Campus police officers publish their log here. Review the log for Saturday and Sunday. How many arrests were made?

Each year, the Pullman department issues an annual report, which can be found here. List two of the significant events last year.

Local crime statistics are here. How total incidents were reported? How many sex offenses? How many alcohol offenses? How many gun permits?

Statewide data found here. Click on Whitman County and open the document in Excel. How many rapes were reported in the most recent year? How many arrests were made for rape?

How many burglaries were reported? How many arrests were made for burglary?

Look at the statewide numbers -- how many reported rapes and arrests? Reported burglaries and arrests?

To dig deeper, let's go to the Uniform Crime Reports in the state's Statistical Analysis Center. Search for Whitman County. 

Compare the crime rate in Pullman, Colfax and Palouse.

When police believe a crime occurred, they can forward that information to the county's prosecutor, who will decide whether to charge the individual with a crime. We can track Whitman County court activity here.

Finally, let's look at how to conduct a criminal background check in Washington state.

Here's an example of a rapsheet.