Another solution for La Center’s policing got its time in front of city leaders as the Cowlitz Indian Tribe’s law enforcement made their case for a contract.
During a work session July 12, the La Center City Council heard from administration of the Cowlitz Indian Tribal Public Safety Department on a police contract proposal. The presentation was the third proposal the council has seen from neighboring agencies who may take over the city’s law enforcement responsibilities.
The Cowlitz police department is the newest in Clark County, having formed in 2017 around the time ilani opened on the tribe’s reservation west of La Center.
Currently, the department has 17 commissioned officers to cover the tribe’s properties, with up to 20 officer positions authorized by the tribe, Cowlitz Indian Tribal Public Safety Department Commander Chris Olsen said.
The department has law enforcement authority through Clark County and its officers have certifications at both the state and federal levels, Olsen said.
“There’s really nothing that we can’t handle. We don’t have a lot of restrictions within the county,” Olsen said.
Initial staffing Cowlitz police would provide included five full-time equivalent positions. Olsen noted that’s just what La Center would be paying for should they take up the agreement.
He said the Cowlitz police could put that amount of service into place for La Center immediately.
“It doesn’t require any buildout or long-term transition or hiring plan. We could provide it now,” Olsen said.
He said La Center would be getting more than five full-time equivalents’ (FTE) worth of around-the-clock coverage that would meet or exceed what the city had previously.
“I know what La Center had on its very best day, and it will be pretty close to that, if not better,” Olsen said.
Among more general services, Cowlitz police also has a boat patrol and a drone program, Olsen said. Under the proposal, property and evidence services would continue through the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, and records services could be transferred to Cowlitz police over time from the current sheriff’s office deal the city has.
The records situation for the city could remain as it currently is with the sheriff’s office, Olsen said, which highlighted the Cowlitz police’s willingness to adjust to what La Center needed.
“We’re here to facilitate whatever the city’s needs are to get it back to being a safe and secure location for people to live and work and come and use the resources that are here,” Olsen said.
Olsen said he spent 21 years with the La Center Police Department before making his move to the Cowlitz Tribe. He recalls a time where wanted suspects would avoid crossing city limits due to the police presence the city had.
“I would like to get it back to that,” Olsen said. “I want people that have ill intent to avoid this city like the plague.”
Community outreach is a chief focus of the department, Olsen said. With the summer weather, the Cowlitz police’s boat patrol has been out for events.
For La Center, the tribe’s police would be out at Our Days and Saturdays at the Park, Olsen said. He added having outreach to La Center schools was another component, something he said was important during his prior time with La Center police.
“It’s been a blessing that a lot of the priorities that I had in this job for over 20 years (In La Center) are exactly the priorities that Cowlitz Tribal Police and the (Cowlitz) Indian Tribe have voiced,” Olsen said. “I don’t think there’s anybody in this room that’s not going to make children a priority.”
The Cowlitz police’s proposal was to retain or negotiate with the tribe on having a receptionist to work at the La Center police station in the city. Olsen said that would help with the department’s visibility and response to citizens.
“The people that live here … because so much has changed, they need to be able to call their own police station, talk to somebody, request a resource, or get advice immediately, and then that person can then reach out to the on-duty officers that are patrolling, or possibly the office, or get ahold of administration,” Olsen said.
Although the station would not be staffed by officers all the time, Olsen said it could serve as a “rest stop” for them to eat or file reports. A setup like that would be open to more than just Cowlitz police, which could lead to more police presence in the city.
He said Cowlitz police are open to rebranding of vehicles, though it would have to be negotiated by Cowlitz police and the city.
The Cowlitz police estimate a contract with La Center would cost the city about $1.1 million in 2024. That was lower than the roughly $1.5 million the sheriff’s office anticipated should all of its deputies be deployed for the city next year. Both numbers are lower than the roughly $1.9 million La Center has budgeted for 2023, according to information from the city.
As the Cowlitz police don’t have an extensive startup period to be in providing services, Olsen said a contract for 2023 could be prorated for the months left in the year should La Center move to start the agreement this year.
Tribal police’s plan differed from the sheriff’s office, which was a more long-term solution than what was presented at the latest meeting, Cowlitz Indian Tribal Public Safety Department Director Jon Pound said.
“The main goal is to get back to getting law enforcement officers back in the streets, back around the schools,” Pound said.
Though the Cowlitz police wouldn’t have a full-time school resource officer at La Center schools, councilor Melissa Fox said having a more routine law enforcement presence on school campuses would be beneficial.
“Even a fraction of a presence makes a huge difference,” Fox said.
The July 13 work session was the third in a row where the city council heard about possible contracts for police. While the sheriff’s office is still offering to contract services with La Center, Ridgefield has dropped out of pursuing a contract following a decision by its city council late last month.
