The Clark County Sheriff’s Office recently provided a proposal for a contract for around-the-clock policing services in the City of La Center.
During a June 28 work session, the La Center City Council heard from two officials from the sheriff’s office about the “Sheriff Partnership Program.” The program would incorporate La Center into the operations of the sheriff’s office.
In a recorded video that was played for the council, Clark County Sheriff John Horch reflected on the dwindling staff of what was once a reasonably-staffed department. Horch said it’s a good time for La Center to partner with his office “and bring back the police services and protection you have enjoyed over the years.”
“We are committed to providing a service that gives the La Center community ownership of the officers who will patrol the area and to keep your families safe,” Horch said.
Sheriff’s Commander Todd Barsness said the partnership would involve the establishment of a new beat staffed by eight deputies and one sergeant. The sergeant would serve as the chief of police for the city.
Barsness said the sergeant would be “fully authorized to work directly with the city, make deployment, strategy and resource allocations as needed.”
“The city would have a single point, a single face, a single name who would be in power to make whatever decisions in partnership with the City of La Center that’s needed,” Barsness said.
La Center would reimburse the sheriff’s office for six deputies, the sergeant, a support position and a records employee as ongoing costs, Barsness said.
Deputies in the proposed beat would focus within city limits as their primary patrol area and would be based out of the existing La Center Police Station. Those deputies would respond to calls in a wider area of unincorporated Clark County on the east side of Interstate 5, but once those calls are complete, they would return to city limits for patrol duties, Barsness said.
Although the area the deputies would respond to goes beyond city limits, Barsness said the call volume of the greater area alongside La Center is adequate for the staffing level, even with anticipated development in the area.
As part of the sheriff’s office, deputies assigned to La Center would have body-worn and vehicle dashboard cameras when the office’s program comes online starting later this year, Barsness noted.
Through the partnership, La Center would have access to the sheriff’s office’s existing contracts, such as abandoned vehicle removal, Barsness said. Other services like investigations, special programs like SWAT and the drug task force, as well as support and records services would be included as well.
If approved, the partnership would include one-time costs and ongoing bills, sheriff’s office Finance Manager Darin Rouhier explained.
One-time deployment costs would be $165,000 per deputy and sergeant, and deputies would be deployed in pairs, according to the presentation from the sheriff’s office. Full deployment would cost approximately $1.16 million.
Ongoing costs would be around $1.5 million annually in 2024 with all of the deputies deployed, with 4% increases each year, according to the presentation. That number is lower than the roughly $1.9 million La Center has budgeted for 2023, according to information from the city.
Mayor Tom Strobehn asked how soon a sergeant and the first pair of deputies could be ready if a contract was signed that day.
“Next week might be a push, only because it’s a holiday,” Barsness joked.
He said realistically, the first stage of deployment could take place as early as this fall.
“In a beautiful, perfect world,” Barsness said the second deployment could come six months after the first.
When asked about recruitment, Barsness said the sheriff’s office has been able to turn around its staffing issues of previous years. He said there are currently 22 recruits either waiting for, in or post-academy.
Barsness stressed that La Center would still maintain independence and a say if they decide to go with the sheriff’s office for services.
“It’s not a takeover. It’s not (that the) sheriff’s office is now here and La Center’s out. It is a 100% partnership that is going to be driven by the City of La Center,” Barsness said.
The city could decide to include special markings or other means of identification for the deputies who serve the La Center beat. He said the sheriff’s office is “100% open to discussions” on what that would look like with regard to uniforms, patches and vehicle decals.
Councilor Sean Boyle liked having city limits as the primary patrol focus and liked the option for specific markings on deputies assigned to the La Center beat.
“They can feel like we have our own police back in La Center again,” Boyle said.
He added that even without special branding, the sheriff’s office already has a positive reputation in the city.
Barsness said although unique for Clark County, a sheriff’s office partnership with municipalities for police has been implemented elsewhere, like in King County. He said cities there have their own agreements with how much branding is done for deputies that cover their area.
Barsness said deputies who want to work in La Center would likely create some competition in the ranks for those who want the beat.
“From what I have heard, there’s already talk about a lot of people really interested in coming out here,” Barsness said. “There are quite a few people who have ties to this community and it would be a very valued spot.”
Ridgefield ends possibility of
police contract
Two weeks prior to the presentation by the sheriff’s office, the La Center City Council heard from consultants who described what a contract with the Ridgefield Police Department would look like. A day after the sheriff’s office’s presentation, the Ridgefield City Council shut down that possibility.
Ridgefield’s council voted unanimously to end pursuing a contract between Ridgefield and La Center for police services on June 29, a news release from the city stated.
Two factors played into the council’s decision. One was a community survey, where out of 337 respondents who live and work in the city, 60% were somewhat or very unsupportive of a service contract with La Center. The chief concern was the potential for less police presence in Ridgefield.
The other factor was La Center’s talk with other agencies, including the sheriff’s office.
“Given Ridgefield residents’ and council concerns, and the fact that La Center now has multiple viable alternatives for police services, our city council has decided to end involvement in the process,” Ridgefield Mayor Jennifer Lindsay stated in the release. “The council looks forward to continuing our positive relationship with our neighbors in La Center and the partnership with their council, staff, and contracted service providers to benefit all North Clark County residents. We depend on each other and will always be there to support our neighbor to the north.”
