Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor | County should spend on deputies, not IT
Last summer, I repeatedly warned that Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies were leaving in large numbers. I provided statistics and predicted serious consequences if the trend continued.
In November 2025, more than a thousand residents voiced strong opposition to the proposed county budget through voicemails, emails, and comments on the Pierce County Council website. They urged the council not to ratify it until adjustments were made to increase funding for deputies — funding needed to retain them and prevent further losses to better-paying agencies in the region.
Despite this outcry, a majority of the council — Jani Hitchen, Rosie Ayala, Bryan Yambe, and the deciding vote from District 7 Councilmember Robyn Denson — voted against those adjustments. Since then, the Sheriff’s Office has lost at least 25 deputies to other departments, exacerbating staffing shortages that already stood at around 40-44 vacancies by late 2025.
At the same time, the Key Peninsula has seen a tragic spike in violence: seven murders in just three months. While no one claims more deputies could have prevented the first three deaths, many believe that at least three of the last four victims might have been saved with adequate law enforcement presence.
The evidence is clear: sufficient deputies reduce crime. Faster response times, more warrant arrests, visible traffic enforcement, timely service of protection orders, and proactive policing all contribute to lower crime rates.
Yet Councilmember Denson is now advocating for a new “public safety” sales tax increase (a 0.1% increase). This tax would not fund a single patrol deputy or corrections deputy directly. Instead, it supports items like 19 IT positions in the Finance Department, one-time equipment purchases, and other non-frontline needs. While some elements benefit law enforcement indirectly, this approach diverts limited resources from the most effective solution: hiring and retaining enough deputies on the street.
Pierce County faces severe understaffing. Washington State ranks last (51st, including D.C.) in law enforcement officers per capita at approximately 1.37 per 1,000 residents in recent data. Pierce County fares even worse — roughly a third of the state average — placing it near the bottom among the nation’s 3,144 counties.
Our deputies are exhausted and overworked, often patrolling unfamiliar areas at night. Corrections staff logged 10,000 overtime hours in a single month recently.
The council ignored the concerns of over a thousand residents who begged them not to proceed this way. Instead, funds have gone to a $150,000 state reparations study, $100,000 for county “office parties,” and $867,000 for new trails in Wilkinson.
These priorities are misguided. I will not forget the lives lost. I will not forget how we reached this crisis or who contributed to it. In November’s elections, remember what’s at stake: the safety of our neighbors, friends, families, and ourselves.
Richard Folden
Gig Harbor