SPOKANE, Wash. — The South Hill Shopko building still sits empty in 2021, years after the Wisconsin-based retailer closed its Inland Northwest locations and declared bankruptcy.
The large abandoned building is surrounded by a large vacant parking lot, and nearby parcels also sit empty, creating an environment ripe for troublemaking.
"I think any time there's a property that's abandoned or vacant, people will take advantage of that, because there aren't people with a set of eyes to see what the behavior is," said Spokane Police Officer John O'Brien. "So it is a possible opportunity for people to gather and be up to mischief."
On Sunday night, a group of about a dozen teenagers broke into the Shopko, according to SPD. Some caused minor damage inside, some went on the roof, some ran from police. A few received juvenile charges, others were cited and released.
Since September 1, 2020, there have been 59 calls for service to that location, according to SPD. That's significant. But when you break down what those calls actually were, it becomes clear the lot isn't exactly crime central.
"59 calls in a 6-month time is a lot," said O'Brien. "But not all of the calls are reflective of incidents that are happening at the property or to the property. It's just an address location."
In other words, if someone sees something suspicious in the area and calls it in, they're likely to tell the cops "it's over by the Shopko," since it's such a notable landmark. The call then gets logged as at the Shopko, even if it technically is not.
"For example, there were kids that were playing in the woods with flashlights. Somebody referenced that address as the location," O'Brien said.
Furthermore, most of the calls aren't actually for crime. A lot are just for things like suspicious vehicles, abandoned property, or people doing donuts in the parking lot. Of the 59 calls over about six months, only one was for burglary, and only four for trespassing.
"So unless we see an uptick in break-ins at the location or something more extensive, I don't think we need to get too worked up about what's going on there, other than it's a nuisance," said O'Brien.
KREM reached out to Shopko corporate to inquire about future plans for the site and did not receive a response.
Spokane County records indicate the land is owned by a company called SHS, Inc. That company has minimal web presence, but state records indicate it's based in Wyoming. An email sent to the company's listed registered agent was also not returned.