The Federal Way Police Department (FWPD) released preliminary data this week showing that crime rates in the City of Federal Way have decreased more than 11% compared to this time last year.

Year to date, most categories of crime are down in Federal Way, including, most notably:

• Murder (down 50%)
• Robbery (down 42%)
• Residential Burglary (down 18%)
• Commercial Burglary (down 8%)
• Motor Vehicle Theft (down 52%)

Drug arrests, meanwhile, are up more than 402%.

“Public safety is our chief concern in Federal Way, and I applaud our dedicated police officers and leadership for continually improving our efforts to keep our residents, businesses and visitors safe,” said Mayor Jim Ferrell. “These figures also reflect important steps the Washington State Legislature took earlier this year to allow us to pursue criminals at higher rates than we had been able to since 2021.”

FWPD anticipates an overall crime reduction between 10% and 12% in 2024 once the year-end numbers are calculated in January.

Additionally, the overall crime rate for November 2024 is down 17% compared to rates in November 2023.

Compared to last year, crime rates in November were reduced for Robbery (down 72%), Commercial and Residential Burglary (down 41% and 63%, respectively), and Motor Vehicle Theft (down 44%) among other categories.