Even-year legislative sessions are not designed for sweeping solutions to pressing problems. The scheduled 60-day sessions are more suited for filling holes in the budget or addressing social policy that often gets overshadowed by the budget-writing duties of the odd-year assemblies.
So, it is understandable that lawmakers this year have sewn a patch on problems surrounding the Washington State Patrol while leaving the more detailed needlework for next year. The Legislature approved a 5 percent pay raise, to take effect July 1, for troopers, sergeants, lieutenants and captains — on top of an already scheduled raise of 3 percent for troopers and sergeants.
The need for immediate action is demonstrated by a shortage of troopers — a shortage that is increasing. More than 100 of the Washington State Patrol’s 671 field positions are unfilled, and the vacancy rate has been consistently growing since 2009. The difficulty in hiring and retaining officers is in part caused by a lagging pay scale when compared with other law enforcement agencies throughout the state. As The Seattle Times reported last year, the entry-level salary for a Washington State Patrol trooper was $54,000, while the starting salaries at many local police forces — including Vancouver Police Department — was $10,000 higher.
The pay discrepancy also comes into play when the State Patrol does manage to hire a trooper, as many leave for better pay within a couple years. This is costly for the state, which spent money to train an employee only to have them leave.
In addition, the situation promises to be exacerbated in coming years, as nearly 40 percent of commissioned Washington State Patrol staff will be eligible for retirement within the next decade. Commissioned staff members become eligible for full retirement after 25 years on the job. Rep. Jake Fey, D-Tacoma, told The (Tacoma) News Tribune: “We’re losing people to other agencies, and we’re having a hell of a time recruiting. We’re down 110 people now. At some point in time, if it’s not a crisis now, it’s going to be even more of a problem soon.”
The deal that resulted in the pay increases includes a promise to negotiate another round of raises during the 2017 legislative session — keeping with lawmakers’ mantra of “why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?” Addressing Washington State Patrol salaries will now be added to a long list of issues that will reach critical mass by next year — especially funding for K-12 schools.
Meanwhile, although pay increases might help shore up a teetering State Patrol, lawmakers also must recognize that salaries are not the only difficulty facing the agency. A survey of patrol members released earlier this year revealed widespread job dissatisfaction that also contributes to the shortage of troopers. The survey found that only 18 percent of troopers and sergeants believe they are valued in their department, and less than 10 percent feel their opinion is taken into account.
All of this serves to hamper the effectiveness of the State Patrol — and therefore the safety of the public. “You have three or four people doing what eight or nine used to,” Jeff Merrill, president of the Washington State Patrol Troopers Association, told The Seattle Times. That might be good news for the excessive speeders on the road or those who get behind the wheel when impaired, but it means trouble for the rest of us.
And that will call for more than a patchwork solution next year from lawmakers.
