In the coming months, local and tribal governments in Washington could reap the benefits of $100 million in one-time state grants to pay for new law enforcement positions, but only if local officials raise sales taxes long-term.
The Vancouver Police West Precinct, in Vancouver, Wash., June 29, 2024.
Anna Lueck / OPB
In cities and counties where voters have repeatedly shot down tax hikes for public safety, the grant program could give local leaders a workaround. It was approved by lawmakers on Sunday, and Gov. Bob Ferguson is expected to sign the bill after making it one of his biggest priorities in the 2025 session.
HB 2015 sets aside $100 million from the state operating budget to create new local law enforcement positions over the next two years. It also gives cities and counties the authority to pass a 0.1% sales tax to fund public safety services long-term, without putting it on the ballot.
Washington state ranks last nationally for officers per capita, according to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. Vancouver and Clark County have struggled in recent years with a persistent shortage of police officers and sheriff’s deputies.
The grants would be administered by Washington’s Criminal Justice Training Commission. The state would pay 75% of entry-level salaries for law enforcement officers, up to $125,000. But in order to receive that funding, municipalities would have to approve the sales tax hike. This combination is intended to create “skin in the game” for municipalities, said Kristine Reeves, D-Federal Way.
“What we didn’t want to do is say, ‘Cool, we’re going to give you this one-time appropriation, and then you don’t know how you’re actually going to pay for it long-term,’” Reeves said.
Public safety is broadly defined under the sales tax portion of the program. It includes court services, prosecutors, diversion programs or mental health professionals, among other things, according to Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, chair of the Senate Law and Justice Committee.
“What we have seen over and over again is that law enforcement alone cannot handle criminal justice issues,” Dhingra said. “It takes the entire community and a lot of different expertise to get the work done.”
In November, Vancouver voters rejected a levy to pay for 80 new city police officers, in part because of such concerns. Opponents of the levy feared that more officers making more arrests would create a bottleneck for other county services like the jail and public defenders.
In early April, Clark County Sheriff John Horch told county commissioners that his office needs an additional 90 deputies to keep up with population growth, according to the Columbian.
“Ultimately, it’s cities and counties that are responsible for funding their local law enforcement,” Reeves said. “We need to understand better why that’s a challenge for them.”
