SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. – Sheriff John Nowels says that while his office is fully staffed, the number of deputies on the streets remains below average compared to the rest of the state.
Washington ranks last in the nation for officers per resident, and Spokane County falls below even the state’s low average.
“Law enforcement in general has talked about how the state of Washington is 51st out of 50 states… My understanding is for sheriff’s offices across the state of Washington, average staffing ratio is about point eight to point eight eight officers per thousand. Here in Spokane County, we’re slightly lower than that,” Sheriff Nowels stated.
The state has allocated $100 million in grants to help agencies hire more officers. However, Nowels points out that these grants only cover 75% of a deputy’s cost and come with new data requirements that the county cannot afford to manage.
“It is going to cost us money to comply with the Dep’s program. And what the public has to know is we have and collect the data that Dep’s wants, but for us to get it to where we are able to articulate that and put it in a document and send it to Dep’s, we’re going to have to hire somebody to go do that,” Nowels stated.
While not ruling out the possibility of applying for the funds in the future, Nowels describes the current situation as a tough sell, especially as the county plans to cut millions from its budget this year.
