Patrol chief takes issue with report’s conclusions on staffing concerns

OLYMPIA — Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste had one request of consultants studying the reasons his agency struggles with recruiting and retaining troopers.

“I told them, ‘Please go out and find the good, the bad and the ugly.’ I’m open to all of it,” he said this week.

They didn’t disappoint, producing a detailed portrait of an agency’s successes and shortcomings in coping with a steady exodus of troopers — now almost nine a month — due to low pay, job dissatisfaction and retirement. Vacancies in the Field Operations Bureau this month number about 85.

The $240,000 study prepared by Public Financial Management, Inc. examined the agency’s pay scales, hiring policies and recruitment practices, and recommended changes in all of them to try to stem the tide of departures and fill the vacancies.

Most of what they revealed didn’t surprise Batiste, who said replenishing the ranks has been a challenge throughout his 11-year tenure as chief. The main reason, he said, is salaries haven’t been competitive for years.

“Dating back to even when Gov. (Chris) Gregoire was in office we had conversations about this as an approaching firestorm,” he said. “Now we’re in the middle of it.”

Batiste welcomed the consultant’s recommendations for an across-the-board pay increase, though he knows the Legislature can’t provide the money to do so this year.

Starting pay for troopers is about 10 percent lower than what deputy sheriffs are paid by the largest counties, including Snohomish, and police officers in largest cities, including Seattle. Even after 25 years on the job, the base salary is still lower, according to charts prepared by the consulting firm.

When you trail your counterparts by that much in other law enforcement agencies, it doesn’t feel good, he said.

“Their spirits are as high as they can be,” he said.

But Batiste sharply disagreed with one of the report’s central findings: that dissatisfaction with how the agency is managed is a bigger motivator than higher salaries in troopers’ decision to leave.

“There’s always a degree. There’s no doubt about that,” he said. “In terms of being a systemic issue, no I don’t get that feeling.”

Consultants identified low morale among the front line force as a critical problem that hampers retaining newer hires.

They surveyed 482 troopers and sergeants, and 46 percent said that they didn’t feel valued by the agency. On another question, 64 percent of current troopers, and 79 percent of those who’ve recently left, said they would not encourage people to join the Washington State Patrol.

Batiste said he’s not detected such feelings as he traveled the state to meet with troopers in the past year.

“The encouragement for open and straightforward dialogue with the troopers is something that I have always advocated and firmly believe in,” he said.

As for the recommendations to consider making changes in management, he said, “I don’t agree with that. We have some of the best managers in the business of law enforcement.”

Troopers also expressed concern to consultants that they are under increasing pressure to write more tickets and make more stops as part of their job.

“We don’t have quotas. It’s wrong. It’s inaccurate,” Batiste responded.

Data compiled from troopers on traffic stops, and from tickets, is used to identify the most prevalent enforcement issues. From there, he said, they can develop strategies.

“We use data to help us make informed decisions and then we deploy our resources accordingly to attack those problems,” he said. “It’s not about going out and making ‘X’ number of arrests, although it takes arrests to help control the problem. It’s about informing them to go out and pay attention to the leading causes of incidents occurring in the roadways.”

Consultants also suggested retooling elements of the hiring process. For example, the state patrol rejects 38 percent of its recruits because they fail to pass the agency’s psychological exam. Nationally, the average failure rate for local enforcement is 5 percent, according to the report.

Batiste said the agency is looking at “where we stand in relation to the industry norm” and if standards need adjusting to remain current. But there won’t be any lessening of the standards, he said.

Lawmakers are expected to hold hearings on the report’s findings and recommendations this month.

Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Cassie Franklin, Mayor of Everett, delivers the annual state of the city address Thursday morning in the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center in Everett, Washington on March 31, 2022.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
At Everett mayor’s keynote speech: $35 entry, Boeing sponsorship

The city won’t make any money from the event, city spokesperson Simone Tarver said. Still, it’s part of a trend making open government advocates wary.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.