Rick Bart
I have reluctantly become an expert in the world of staffing deficiencies for law and justice in Snohomish County. When I first took office, I never imagined I would be forced to argue my case for more deputies on so many occasions. After repeatedly doing research and preparing reports, I have in good faith answered the county council’s questions about the minimum needs of our office and the council has consistently agreed that the office needs more staffing. Today, however, I find myself with unfulfilled expectations.
For the last six years, I have provided the county executive and the council with a consistent and predictable message — our office is understaffed. To be honest, my message has been often accepted, but did not result in adequate action. I have to admit that objective facts and figures don’t seem to be working very well. The temptation is to yield. However, I believe my first obligation is to preserve your safety and so I will persist with my message — our office is understaffed. I must say it has been disheartening for me to see the impact of the executive and council’s inaction on your deputies. They should not be surprised to see that my staff has become disenfranchised and is now taking matters into their own hands — through their union.
The county executive requested an across the board 4.5 percent decrease in all county departments and office budgets. This feels a lot like tightening a belt that is already way too small. The sheriff’s office decrease would amount to $1.4 million. This would further reduce your deputy’s time to actually patrol your neighborhoods and keep the peace. Much of the work will go undone.
I recognize that the county executive and county council have to balance multiple priorities for this community, however I truly believe citizens have a right to safety as a first and absolute priority. Any manager knows that if you do not preserve the core of your business and if you get spread out too thin, you will not be able to do anything well and everything will suffer. I view law and justice as our core. If we continue to ignore the law and justice needs of this community, we are guaranteed a downward spiral — we will continue to have more offenders, with less and less consequences. New deputies need to be hired in order to answer the 911 calls and catch the thieves and burglars in our neighborhoods. The law and justice system needs to be funded properly so that it can work the way it was designed to work.
Will our economy continue to thrive if we don’t meet our basic law and justice needs? I would suggest not. The more attractive (peaceful) our community is, for businesses and residents alike, the more economic viability we will have to take care of other needs. If people and businesses leave the area, because they don’t feel safe, we will have nothing. Most cities in this county have already figured this one out — they staff law and justice properly.
Our understaffing situation is only part of an even larger problem within the county law and justice system. A white paper (written by the Executive’s Office in August of 1998), entitled "Public Safety Revenue Project/Summary of Potential Costs," clearly illuminated the added needs to the system if and when the sheriff’s office received its needed staffing. The report was well intended and pointed out the financial needs of law and justice and how dependent all of us really are on one another if we are to do a good job. Adding large numbers of deputies would in turn require adding more prosecutors, corrections and court staff. I need deputies in the worst way; other county law and justice agencies need more resources too. It is a team effort and must be funded as a whole. This study needs to be publicly reviewed.
I prepared the cuts in my budget for 2002 as directed by the executive. I have also submitted the new staffing data from the Corona software program for determining law-enforcement needs (47 deputies are needed) and the related support personnel such an enhancement would require. These budget enhancements are vital to improving response times to emergencies and increasing your safety.
Thankfully, the executive is not going to recommend any cuts in the sheriff’s office this year. But it still doesn’t change the problem for our deputies and the larger criminal justice system.
Please contact me with your thoughts at rick.bart@co.snohomish.wa.us or telephone me at 425-388-3414, fax 425-388-3984.
Leadership needs to be used to generate the political will to help law and justice. If we continue to budget your tax dollars in the same old ways, public safety will be wanting forever. Political will comes from you.
Rick Bart is Snohomish County sheriff.
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