BRIER — Two south Snohomish County cities are mulling a partnership to staff police shifts in Brier.
There’s also talk of outsourcing all policing of Brier to its westward neighbor, Mountlake Terrace.
Both conversations are ongoing, with no timeline set for a decision.
Brier, a city of about 6,000, long has struggled to staff a full police force, Mayor Bob Colinas said. Currently, he’s budgeted for six officers and a police chief, plus reserve troops. Two officers recently left for other opportunities.
The Brier Police Department averaged nearly five emergency calls a day in December, data show, but sometimes officers go entire shifts without any calls. Brier Police still are hiring, Colinas said.
“We just don’t have a lot of activity,” he said.
The two cities have talked about a partnership on and off for a long time, Mountlake Terrace Police Chief Greg Wilson said. Colinas brought the idea up again about a year ago.
Wilson looked at Brier’s budget and emergency call data before the two cities began working on a legal agreement for shift coverage.
Draft agreements are going back and forth between the cities’ lawyers. Both city councils would have to approve the agreement.
If, down the road, Brier pursues a full-time policing contract with Mountlake Terrace, Wilson’s department would hire more officers, he said. That conversation is in its infancy, he said.
Either way, he said, he’ll make sure service doesn’t suffer in Mountlake Terrace. The city of nearly 20,000 is budgeted for 29 police officers.
There also is no estimate on a price tag for the partnership, but talks indicate Brier might pay on a per-call basis, Wilson said.
Once a proposal is ready, Colinas will review it and decide whether to seek council action. There will be a time for public comment as well, he said.
“If I have something, it will be a very public process,” he said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.