Staffing levels for the Clark County Sheriffs department has been an ongoing issue for 25 years. The solution to our staffing problem wont happen overnight.
One of the standard ways to measure law enforcement is to look at the officer to civilian ration. At the county level, this number is 2.8 officers per 1000 civilians nationally. Washington State counties ranks dead last with the lowest ratio in the country at 1.24 . We would need 7500 more officers in Washington to reach the national average. Unincorporated Clark County is even lower than the Washington State average at 0.64 officers per 1000 residents.
This is lower than all of the cities in Clark County with staffing levels ranging from 1.08 to 1.34 officers per 1000 residents. Here is how they rank;
Ridgefield 1.08 Camas 1.08 Vancouver 1.19 Washougal 1.21 Battleground 1.34
This lack of adequate staffing affects crime prevention, response times, and puts additional stress on existing officers. It also puts additional stress on the citizens of Clark County.
The citizens of Clark County want a Sheriff’s department that is ready and able to respond when they are needed. They want the law enforced. They want crime addressed and criminals removed. They want safe communities for everyone to thrive in. They want criminals locked up, not consumer goods at the store.
To get there, our Sheriff says we need 15 new deputies for each of the next 6 years plus support staff.
We are not going to get the law enforcement we want without the citizens showing that they support our law enforcement officers and demand that their elected officials prioritize law enforcement as well.
One way this can happen is by adding an amendment to the County Charter that says that providing for adequate law enforcement is the “PARAMOUNT DUTY” of our county government.