Local law enforcement officials argue proposed budgets in the Legislature requiring departments to pay for their own training and police academy costs would “devastate” their ability to recruit new officers, hire local candidates or maintain training standards.
The worst part, they say, is that departments already pay for officer training through a percentage of traffic citations in accordance with a funding agreement in place for nearly 40 years. They say directing that money elsewhere amounts to forcing them to pay twice.
Hoquiam Police Chief Jeff Myers, who also chairs the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, said several budgets now going through the Legislature seek to require local agencies to pay some or all of the costs for the police academy and other ongoing training.
He said those new expenses would likely price out already budget-strapped departments from maintaining full staff levels or sending officers to other state-mandated training programs.
“We feel it’s very important that we maintain high standards in peace officers across the state,” Myers said, adding, “We’re trying to really work with legislators. They have a difficult task.”
Police officials explain sending a single officer to the state-required police academy can cost between $15,000 and $20,000. Hiring a new officer also includes costs for background checks, testing, new equipment and full wages while he or she attends the academy — which local departments already pay.
“We have to pay for all of the hiring (costs),” Aberdeen Police Chief Bob Torgerson said. “The local communities do have a lot invested in an officer that’s going into the academy.”
The latest budget from the state Senate asks city and county departments to pay for 25 percent of academy and training costs. A previously released budget by Gov. Chris Gregoire asks for 50 percent of the costs, while the House budget requires departments to pay 100 percent of the training costs.
Testifying this week before the House Ways & Means Committee, Myers said police officers serve as the face of local government. Their training and professionalism should remain a high priority for the state.
“The proposed permanent cuts as listed under this bill to criminal justice assistance will have devastating effects on city police departments around the state,” he said. “The 100 percent shift of costs to local law enforcement training will ultimately result in less training and less professional police officers.”
Training funding
State law requires commissioned police officers, sheriff’s deputies, Fish & Wildlife enforcement officers, corrections officers and other peace officers to successfully attend a certified police academy.
For 38 years, police departments have been able to send officers to the state police academy without being charged for the training. They could also send supervisors or detectives to some state-run advanced training.
Myers said those costs were paid out of the Public Safety and Education Account, which collected millions of dollars in revenue from traffic tickets written throughout the state.
“There is a portion of traffic tickets that is collected specifically for this,” he said, about 43 percent of a speeding or other traffic citation would go toward this fund.
Legislators decided to roll that dedicated account into the state’s General Fund several years ago, Myers said. The accounts were combined to increase the state’s bond limit, but officials agreed at the time the money collected from tickets would continue to pay for officer training.
“Now that money is not being earmarked as it was intended,” he said. “That relationship seems to have been lost. It’s either lost or it’s being disregarded.”
Torgerson said he understands the “tremendous pressure” legislators face to balance the budget, but he said that should not undermine a longstanding funding agreement. He said local departments still collect that money.
“This really is something that’s being paid for,” he said of police training. “They’ve really just decided to put that money somewhere else.”
Torgerson said local departments already contend with a number of state mandates that they do not receive funding for. They should not be forced to both collect the money and then pay again for the state-required academy.
Traffic citations bring in more money than is needed to pay for police training. That money also pays for judicial training, crime victim services, highway safety and other programs.
Torgerson said the state could increase traffic penalty fees or even let cities keep a larger percentage of the fees, but he does not think that is likely.
“They mandate it,” he said of the state, “but pay nothing.”
Fewer recruits
The Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office, which has lost several deputy and administrative positions in recent years, does not have any room in its budget to pay for new deputies to attend the academy.
Undersheriff Rick Scott said the Sheriff’s Office cannot always offer the highest pay or best benefits, but they remain competitive because they can occasionally offer entry-level jobs to people from the area.
“We like to hire local people that have roots in the community,” he said. “It’s an expensive investment, (but) we know that investment is going to pay off in the long run because they stay (on the Harbor).”
Scott said the extra training costs would force the Sheriff’s Office to recruit officers from other departments. Those officers, often called “lateral hires,” would have a huge cost advantage, which would make it harder for new people to start a career in law enforcement.
It would also take higher pay to recruit some of those officers, he said, and they are more likely to leave after a few years for jobs at larger departments.
“This is a bad, bad idea,” Scott said of the proposed budget. “It’s an undue hardship on rural communities. I see it as a giant step backward.”
Montesano Police Chief Brett Vance said he would be forced to set aside thousands of dollars in potential training funding in case he lost an officer. He said his budget cannot likely afford to leave $20,000 sitting aside just in case.
“We don’t pick and choose when our officers retire or go somewhere else,” he said. “There’s no way to budget for that. It would be a big hit.”
The advantage that small, rural departments often have is they can send entry-level officers through the academy and train them. Some of those officers stay and some take that experience to larger departments.
It makes recruiting a more level playing field. Police officials said that is a trade-off small departments can handle as long as the police academy costs are covered by state funding.
“It’s very frustrating,” Vance said. “It would be devastating for us. … Entry-level officers, they do get their start at smaller agencies.”
Scott said he also worries some departments would be forced to make new recruits pay for their own academy training. The cost would drive away many qualified candidates, making it more difficult to recruit younger or more diverse officers.
“A lot of kids are going to not be able to afford that,” he said, “and they’re going to look to other professions.”
Seeking solutions
Myers said the Legislature has proposed giving cities new authority to tax residents to make up the cost differences, but he argues cities are in no better position to raise taxes than the state. Sheriffs and police chiefs throughout the state hope to convince legislators to preserve the current funding for officer training.
“The reality for counties and cities is we are already making cuts,” Myers said. “For 38 years, it’s worked very well, but now because of the current budget situation it’s wavering.”
Police officials say they have had a difficult time even thinking about how they would cope with the proposed new training costs. They hope if the Legislature has to impose new costs that they are as low as possible.
“We’re hoping at this point that the Senate version of the budget will prevail,” Myers said of the 25 percent cost-sharing plan.
Myers pointed out the state will not see any extra money if the departments simply cannot pay to send people to the state academy. He said he has made several trips to Olympia to try to work out a system that continues to provide fair funding for quality police training.
“Everything in the state government is hurting,” he acknowledged. “(But) you would hate to break what isn’t broken.”