News / Opinion / Columns

Donnelly: Sheriff’s office, county council must pull together

By Ann Donnelly

Published: April 3, 2022, 6:01am

A publicly aired dispute has arisen between the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and the county council regarding funding and staffing shortages. With property crime at crisis levels in the county, this back-and-forth in the media provides a valuable learning experience for the public. County residents have much to gain by paying attention and much to lose if the council and sheriff fail to work together.

On March 14, Sheriff Chuck Atkins announced that for some less-serious crimes, deputies will no longer respond on scene, due to acute staffing shortages. Reporting will instead be diverted online or to the desk deputy during business hours. Atkins blamed the council for ignoring his previous warnings of staff shortages and solutions.

On March 15, the Deputy Sheriff’s Guild joined the public discussion with a statement blaming lack of action from the county. Funding is urgently needed, they said, to stop the outflow of county deputies to other local departments, notably the Vancouver Police Department. VPD is now offering $25,000 bonuses and higher salaries than offered by the county to recruit certified officers.

On March 16, the sheriff’s office commanders, in a sharply worded letter to the council and county manager, warned that additional cuts could be necessary, stating “this is a public safety issue that you have refused to address.”

But has the council “refused to address” funding? In a March 18 video, Council Chair Karen Bowerman provided facts demonstrating the council’s support of the sheriff’s office. Calling the rift “sad,” Bowerman stated the sheriff’s office has received a $3 million funding increase in this year’s budget, and that the council responded to both of its formal requests for special funding. The council, she explained, has funded 58 staff positions. As of March 15, some of 48 vacancies were of long duration.

Councilor Gary Medvigy also pushed back, referring to “this false information out there that the county executive branch, as well as the county council, is not supporting the sheriff. We are.”

Funding per se is not the primary failing in the recruitment crisis. According to experienced observers, the sheriff’s staffing crisis is actually the outgrowth of long-term gaps in the sheriff’s office planning processes and leadership. The county manager, county council and sheriff’s office each have their singular roles, and the process needs a thorough updating and renewed leadership to eliminate disconnects.

To restore public safety, the sheriff’s office needs a new plan to identify and address major barriers to recruiting and retention. It must work with, not against, the council and staff. Recruits must feel they will be appreciated and supported. The county manager, now negotiating with the guild as required under state law, should consistently find a lawful way to seek timely guidance from the sheriff’s office and councilors.

The inhumane old jail is inevitably a major turnoff in recruiting. The council and state legislators must fund an updated, humane jail and law enforcement center, and work toward less onerous work conditions there. If the council must raise taxes to fund the jail, they need to identify the increase in a transparent manner that persuades voters. Delay will be costly.

Addressing the mental health crisis must also be accelerated. Frustrated law enforcement staff now encounter the same untreated people cycling in and out of the jail.

After a combined 32 years under sheriffs Garry Lucas and Atkins, new leadership will soon come to the sheriff’s office. Three experienced candidates are running. The next sheriff must be innovative, tough, collegial, persistent and a leader. And he must possess an uplifting, positive approach to marketing Clark County to recruits and current staff.

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