EVERETT — Last year, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office asked the County Council to budget for 30 more full-time deputies.
But halfway through 2024, the sheriff’s office was struggling to fill the 25 vacancies it already had to begin this year, according to a report presented to the council last week. The council requested the report from the sheriff’s office to see if adding more positions was justified.
Between Jan. 1 and June 20, the sheriff’s office hired 14 new deputies out of 174 candidates, according to the report. During the same period, 13 deputies left, leaving the department with a net gain of just one. The report noted the sheriff’s office hired 31 people to non-deputy roles.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office has over 700 employees.
“Hiring qualified law enforcement officers has continued to be a challenge,” the report said.
Deputy sheriffs got a 19.5% raise in 2022, moving starting base pay to over $74,000 via new union contract. Pay increased to a little over $79,000 in 2023 and currently starts around $83,000.
A 2023 study commissioned to look at Snohomish County employee pay found the average deputy was making 91% of the market average.
Overall, wages at the sheriff’s office were 89% of the market average. Both of those numbers were on the low end — though not the lowest — compared to other county positions.
Prosecutors, Court Appointed Special Advocate program coordinators and most Superior Court jobs ranked near the bottom. Records officers, social workers, electricians, building inspectors and tax collectors ranked near the top.
However, the study conducted by the Segal Group had “some serious flaws,” wrote Ken Klein, a Snohomish County executive director, in an email to county staff.
“Because of the flaws and the county’s financial realities, the county cannot accept the information provided by Segal in its entirety,” Klein wrote. “However, the county will use the recommendations in the study to serve as guidance for the decision-making process.”
The county is currently ramping up for its next budget cycle, as departments jostle for parts of what last year was a $1.6 billion budget. Voters will also decide on a sales tax increase measure focused on raising money for public safety on the Nov. 5 ballot. The proposal would increase sales taxes by 2 cents for every $10 purchase.
The proceeds “would amount to about $4.25 million toward staffing, including deputies and park rangers” annually, county spokesperson Kari Bray wrote in an email.
The sheriff’s report noted other changes to the hiring process to boost recruitment, including removing oral board interviews. Fairly standard for government jobs, the interviews usually involve a rubric, specific questions and a scoring system.
This can put up barriers, said Cpt. John Flood, who is part of the agency’s personnel development division.
“We’ve seen qualified candidates struggle to articulate their experiences effectively due to the structure of the oral board process,” Flood wrote in an email. “Traditionally, oral board formats limit the board to asking only specific questions, which restricts the opportunity for a more dynamic dialogue. Our new process allows for a more conversational interview style, allowing the board to engage with applicants in a more constructive way.”
The biggest issue for hiring, however, is simply how many open jobs candidates have to choose from, Flood wrote.
“The reality is that each law enforcement agency is competing for the same pool of qualified candidates, which is insufficient to meet current demand,” he wrote.
Washington ranks 51st in the nation for law enforcement staffing, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs reported in July. Staffing saw net loses in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, the state saw a modest gain in law enforcement staffing, but it still decreased per capita due to population growth.
“Recruiting and retaining qualified, dedicated, and service-minded deputies at the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office is important for our communities,” County Executive Dave Somers said in a statement. “I’m committed to working with our Sheriff and her team on improving public safety for Snohomish County residents, and adequate law enforcement staffing is a crucial part of keeping the public safe.”
Jordan Hansen: 425-339-3046; jordan.hansen@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @jordyhansen.
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