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TACOMA, Wash. — The City of Tacoma is gathering more public input about expanding the use of electric fences.
Some businesses say they want electric fences to help prevent crime. However, Tacoma’s Planning Commission is recommending that the City Council deny the application proposed.
At Ehli Auctions , General Manager Chad Ehli makes sure valuable equipment, like lawnmowers and ladders, are up high and out of reach. Instead of a padlock, he has a 3,000-pound concrete block protecting crates. He says thefts have been so bad, they must take extra precautions.
“It’s expensive and it’s frustrating. It just feels like there’s no enforcement,” said Ehli. “I’d say it’s at least monthly, we’ve got to do a fence repair.”
He says thieves cutting through fences has led to minor losses and major ones too.
“We’ve had two dump trucks and a trailer, and $15,000 of inventory stolen at one time,” said Ehli.
On Tuesday, employees at Ehli Auctions say they received a call about another cut fence. This time the damage was hidden behind a dumpster.
“There is literally an 8-foot-by-20-foot box blocking it,” said Ehli. “It is constant. It is literally a line item on our monthly budget between repairs and loss.”
It’s why Ehli wants an electric fence on the property.
“The chain links are easily defeated with a pair of wire cutters, and the electric fence, it’s monitored at least,” he said.
Tacoma allows for electric fences in some locations. At City Hall, Tacoma’s Planning Commission has been considering a proposal to expand electric fences into more zoning districts.
“I remain really concerned that this application would allow electric fences adjacent to residential uses, parks and schools with only one foot of separation. It just doesn’t seem right,” a commissioner said during a May 17 meeting.
The Planning Commission handed down their recommendation, saying they “could not conclude that the proposal was in the public’s interest.”