The Clark County Deputy Sheriff’s Guild says a lack of funding from county leadership for hiring incentives has led to a severe staffing shortage at the sheriff’s office and deputies leaving the agency for bonuses from other local departments.
All four unions within the sheriff’s office expressed concern over low staffing in their branches in February. Sheriff’s office administration took those concerns to the Clark County Council and county manager March 2, according to a Tuesday statement from the guild.
The guild’s statement comes on the heels of Sheriff Chuck Atkins’ announcement Monday that the agency will no longer respond to minor crimes, such as low-value theft and simple assaults, due to staffing levels. People calling to report those types of crimes will be sent to the online reporting system, Atkins said, or encouraged to call the desk deputy during regular business hours.
Atkins said Monday that he’s “communicated to the county council the urgency of taking immediate action with staffing solutions.”
When reached by phone Monday, council Chair Karen Bowerman agreed staffing levels are critical but said solutions to the staffing shortage are a part of collective bargaining between sheriff’s office administration and the guild; the council only has authority over the agency’s budget.
“The Clark County Council supports and values all employees, including those who work in our sheriff’s office. It is sincerely unfortunate that the recent public communications do not accurately reflect that sentiment,” Bowerman said in an emailed statement from the county Tuesday evening.
“I believe it is fair to say that all parties understand the impact and importance of retaining and attracting qualified employees — not only as an employer in Clark County, but for the safety of our community,” Bowerman said.
The statement said the council, county manager and human resources have shared their support for the agency with the sheriff’s office administration, “with both verbal affirmation, as well as establishing financial parameters.”
“There are legally mandated processes that must be followed. Due to this process, we are unable to divulge specific information at this time but will provide an update in the very near future,” the statement reads.
The guild said the sheriff’s office has been asking for hiring incentives for the past few years, but it has become even more challenging to fill open positions in the last year.
The Vancouver Police Department is offering $10,000 hiring bonuses for entry-level positions and $25,000 bonuses for officers who are already certified. The guild said deputies are leaving the sheriff’s office “in droves” for the bonuses and 20 percent higher salary.
The police department is still responding to all levels of calls, spokeswoman Kim Kapp said in an email Tuesday, and has done away with its online reporting system, because it “did not provide the level of face-to-face service we wanted to provide the community.”
To address a staffing shortage, she said the police department began a few years ago sending nonsworn police service technicians to lower-level calls while sworn officers focused on higher-priority crimes.
According to data from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office has the lowest ratio of deputies to population of all county agencies in the state. The sheriff’s office had 0.57 officers per 1,000 residents in 2020. The Vancouver Police Department had 1.15 officers per 1,000 residents.
The guild encouraged people to contact their county councilors or the county manager if they are concerned about the low staffing.
“Community members tell us daily they are fed up with the increases in lawlessness in our county,” the guild’s statement said. “We have heard your concerns. We want to be there for you when you need us, unfortunately, our county’s absence of commitment to your safety leaves us potentially unavailable at your time of need.”
