By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – Washington state ranks dead last in the country when it comes to the number of law enforcement officers per capita. Worse yet, according to the Crime in Washington reports issued for 2021 and 2022, there was a net loss of about 600 officers. That means we are not only in last place, but we are falling even further behind.
In the midst of an opioid epidemic, our communities are asking more of our officers and deputies than ever before, all while being understaffed and often over-worked. Two bills introduced in Olympia this month aim to give law enforcement agencies more funds earmarked for hiring additional officers.
HB 2231 would authorize cities and counties to impose a tax credited against the state sales and use tax for the purpose of attracting and retaining law enforcement officers. Instead of raising taxes, it would divert funds from existing sales taxes from the state to the local governments, and 50 percent must be used to hire sworn officers and deputies.
The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) support the bill, and that includes Port Angeles Police Chief Brian Smith.
“Well, it would be absolutely game-changing. I mean, the estimate that was compiled by the state was between 500 and 600 thousand dollars, just for Port Angeles. So, that could fully outfit four or five officers, depending on how you did it. So, this would provide us a lot of flexibility in problem-solving, in community policing, and in the ability to get results in areas where we know that more resources would get us there.”
The other bill, HB 2211, could be tougher sell. It provides a county legislative authority until 2027, to impose a criminal justice sales tax without voter approval, and provides a city within a county that has not imposed the sales tax at the full rate by July 1, 2024, until January 1, 2027, to legislatively impose the remainder of the tax up to the full rate. The bill also adds co-responder and diversion treatment services to the definition of criminal justice purposes for which a second sales and use tax can be used. This bill does require a local sales tax increase.
“The really important thing is that we’re not, I mean, it sounds like we’re a broken record, but Washington being 51st in the US in terms of officers per capita is reflected in what people see in the world that they live in. And the estimate is, if we were a hundred million dollars to the good, we’d still be 51st. That’s how far behind we are. And, you know, we don’t complain when we get funding for other things, but there isn’t enough for our core function. And we actually have to fund that. Officers won’t stay in the profession, they won’t accomplish all the things the legislature wants us to do, and de-escalation, community policing, with the statewide staffing that we have. That’s the simplest way to put it.”