Group will try to end public safety bickering

By Scott North

Herald Writer

It’s been an annual rite in Snohomish County, as regular as the rain.

For years each fall, when officials have begun finalizing an annual budget for county government, a battle has erupted over hiring more sheriff’s deputies, corrections officers or prosecutors.

A special county task force on Friday approved a study that the group’s chairman hopes will put an end to the feuding.

"We’ve got to get beyond the bickering," said Jeff Sax, head of the Snohomish County Council’s Law and Justice Committee.

The Republican from Snohomish earlier this year convened a committee of representatives from the various branches of county government involved in criminal justice. The group includes others on the council and representatives from County Executive Bob Drewel’s office, plus Sheriff Rick Bart, Prosecutor Jim Krider, Judge Carol McRae from the county’s district court, and others.

The group has agreed a consultant should examine the county’s criminal justice system. The study will attempt to identify places in need of improvement and resources, with preliminary results available by July.

Although it is still unknown how much the study will cost, Sax said he hopes it will foster agreement among county leaders on a plan to improve crime-fighting efforts, which now consume nearly 70 percent of the county’s annual spending.

"This is not a budget drill. This is a leadership exercise," Sax said.

But it is clear not everyone believes the study will result in harmony.

Council member Kirke Sievers, a Democrat from Everett, said he’s doubtful a consultant will be able to grasp all the factors that have led to some law enforcement decisions.

He singled out Bart’s department as an example. What would happen, Sievers wondered aloud, if the consultant finds that the sheriff should be doing more to solve "cold case" murders that often languish for years without arrests?

Victims’ families have lobbied for years for more homicide detectives, but the sheriff’s office has placed a higher priority on responding to 911 calls, citing officer safety and community safety issues.

Sievers wondered what would happen if the consultant calls those decisions into question.

"My response is that’s why you run for office. You have to have big shoulders," Sax said.

Some goals for the study include:

  • Mapping the components of the county’s criminal justice system and identifying how they interact.

  • Zeroing in on areas where different policies and priorities lead to inefficiency, and finding ways to reduce or eliminate those problems.

  • Recommending new laws to make the system work better.

  • Reviewing previous studies, including a 1998 county report, that shows problems would arise if more deputies were added without similar staffing increases for prosecutors, public defenders, the courts and the jail.

    After his election in November, Sax and a citizen group called on the county to hire 47 patrol deputies in the coming year. That finding echoed the projections by a sheriff’s office computer model. The cost is estimated at an additional $3.5 million a year, and the ripple effect to other departments could translate into another $5 million a year, based on the 1998 county study.

    You can call Herald Writer Scott North at 425-339-3431 or send e-mail to north@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

    Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

    Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

    Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
    Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

    Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

    A view of a homes in Edmonds, Washington on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    Snohomish County to mail property tax statements this month

    First half payments are due on April 30.

    Ticket and ORCA card kiosks at the Lynnwood Light Rail station on Thursday, April 4, 2024 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    Beginning March 1, Community Transit to reduce some fares

    Riders eligible for reduced fares will pay $1 for a single ORCA card tap and $36 for a monthly pass.

    Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

    Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

    People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

    The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

    Devani Padron, left, Daisy Ramos perform during dance class at Mari's Place Monday afternoon in Everett on July 13, 2016. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
    Mari’s Place helps children build confidence and design a better future

    The Everett-based nonprofit offers free and low-cost classes in art, music, theater and dance for children ages 5 to 14.

    The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

    The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

    The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
    Northshore School District bond improvements underway

    The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

    The amphitheater at Deception Pass during the 2021 concert series. (Photo provided by Deception Pass Park Foundation Facebook page.)
    Deception Pass Foundation seeks Adopt-A-Trail volunteers

    If you’re looking for a way to get outside and… Continue reading

    A pedestrian is struck and killed by vehicle Wednesday in Everett

    The pedestrian was a man in his 60s. The collision happened at 5:30 a.m. on Broadway.

    Want coffee? Drink some with the Marysville mayor.

    A casual question-and-answer session between mayor and constituents is planned for March 24.

    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.