Everett Police Department grapples with staffing shortages
The Everett Police Department says it's grappling with staffing shortages.
There are currently 195 officers, but they have about 221 positions, which means they have 24 positions they are looking to fill.
KIRO 7 spoke to Lieutenant Gregory Sutherland with the Everett Police Department.
He said in recent years, officers have seen dwindling pools to pull prospective officers from.
'It's been a struggle for years to fill positions that we have,' Sutherland told KIRO 7. 'It's a great department to work for. There's a lot of challenges, but like many places across the country, we're struggling to fill out positions.'
Since 2020, the department has hired 91 officers but has also lost some each year.
Lt. Sutherland said that because of the empty positions, their response times are slower and they aren't able to investigate crimes as quickly because they don't have enough detectives.
'We have really good people and do the best with what we have.'
It's not just a problem that Everett is facing – it's something agencies are experiencing statewide.
According to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, Washington has had the lowest officer-to-resident ratio in the nation for 14 years in a row.
As part of his Public Safety Plan, Governor Bob Ferguson has proposed a $100 million grant program for law enforcement agencies to help with hiring.
If anyone is interested in law enforcement, Lt. Sutherland suggested that they reach out to the Everett police.
'We encourage people who are interested to come on a ride-along, meet an officer, and see what the department is like.'
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