Faced with a daunting shortage of deputies, Clark County Sheriff Chuck Atkins has taken a proactive approach that represents strong leadership.
Law-enforcement agencies throughout the state are struggling to maintain a full roster of officers, a situation that leads to increased overtime costs, increased job stress, and a decreased level of service in protecting the public. One of the primary causes of this shortage is inadequate space at the police academy that is managed by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission — an academy that is funded for 10 classes of candidates each year when current demand dictates that 18 are necessary.
Because of that, Atkins is being aggressive in addressing the problem: “Can we hold our own academy class?” He formed a committee to examine the possibility of establishing training classes in Southwest Washington, an idea that has much merit. As Undersheriff Mike Cooke told The Columbian: “We’re going to continue forward as if we will need to have our own academy. We’re hopeful that either more academy classes open up or we can have more slots allocated to us considering the crisis that we’re in. … Our preference would be to send our people to the state academy, only holding our own academy as a last resort.”
The preferable course of action would be for the Legislature to step in and fund an expansion of the state academy in the Seattle area. Lawmakers this year provided for pay increases for the Washington State Patrol, trying to retain officers in response to the law-enforcement shortage. But more spots for the 4 1/2 -month training sessions — which are required for all law enforcement in Washington — should be the next step when the Legislature reconvenes in January.