After two homicides and a meeting in which residents talked about their safety concerns, Yakima city officials say lighting upgrades have been completed for the west side parking lot at the city of Yakima’s West Valley Community Park. The project is in response to a public safety forum the City Council hosted Dec. 10 at the Harman Center.

The city's Traffic Operations Signals and Lighting staff completed parking lot upgrades at West Valley Community Park that included replacing two light fixtures with new, LED lights. In addition, the staff added another LED light and repaired one of the existing lights.

“The increase in lighting is significant and should add to the safety of the park during the evening hours,” said interim Police Chief Gary Jones. “Our officers appreciate the efforts of city staff members to address this issue so quickly.”

In addition to improving safety, the lighting will also enhance the community’s ability to detect suspicious activity, Jones said. “If the public sees suspicious activity, we ask that they please report it,” he said.

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