Understaffing puts officers at risk

Enough is enough. Why is it that the Snohomish County officials are blind to what the real problem is in the county Sheriff’s Department? Do they really think that the dedicated officers of the Sheriff’s Department have nothing better to do than spend their time picketing? Sheriff Rick Bart and all of his officers have shown time and time again that they are committed to the safety of the people of Snohomish County. They should not have to risk their lives unnecessarily to do that by being understaffed.

There is a lot of waste in the allocation of funds to various county government agencies. The Sheriff’s Department is not an example of the waste. Adequate funds to staff the Sheriff’s Department is not an opinion, it is a necessity for the protection of all of the citizens of Snohomish County. Those making the budget decisions for our county need to get their priorities straight before the citizens decide that they need to be cut from the budget as well.

Also, The Herald needs to spend more time showing its readers all the law-abiding things that the Sheriff’s Department does and quit focusing on what was a minor oversight in communication. I am referring to The Herald’s coverage of the picketing on tribal property that discredited the Sheriff’s Department.

I cannot help but wonder why The Herald chooses to focus on some “news” and ignores other newsworthy events.

Carol Whitney

Marysville