Washington City explores dissolving police department - and it's going pretty much as you'd expect

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Edmonds, Washington crime scene by is licensed under X
EDMONDS, WA - The city of Edmonds is reportedly exploring options to shutter it’s police department and contract with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), drawing major backlash from the community and from the Edmonds Police Officers Association.

As reported by Jason Ranz of 770 KTTH, the city, having found itself mired in a budgetary crisis with a $20 million budget deficit looming, is seeking to resolve the discrepancy by massively reducing its workforce and terminating City Police services.

A city spokesman reportedly called the discussions with the County “exploratory at best,” according to the outlet. The city has also held talks with the King County Sheriff’s Office regarding the possibility of a similar partnership.

Edmonds Police Officers Association President Officer Will Morris told Rantz, “Our members really love serving in the community of Edmonds, and they’re very passionate about that. So not being able to (do) that under the Edmonds Police Department is very frustrating for that.”



He added his concerns that the dissolution of the police department will not resolve the city’s budgetary woes which can only be corrected with an increase in taxes.

“I would say we have a good amount of officers who are already looking. If you’re looking at a levy and annexation that need to pass for us not to sustain any more cuts, I think that’s hard for them to really visualize how that works,” he said. “And at this time when there lots of agencies with lateral bonuses, with vacancies. How long do you wait to move when you can start building seniority and being in a new city that’s not having the financial struggles that we’re having?”

According to My Edmonds News, Morris, speaking for the EPOA membership, told the city that its budget cuts haven’t been aggressive enough despite the elimination of a police records officer and a parking enforcement officer and a reorganization plan cutting over $551,800 from the budget.

“We understand the community’s comments about our [command structure] structure, Morris said. “We see the financial situation and know we are not going to be able to hire officers or support staff for a while. Is our command structure set up correctly and our department size? I don’t think any of our members would say that we have the correct structure.”

Impassioned citizens attended a Tuesday City Council meeting and expressed outrage. One citizen, Gwen Baugh, implored the council, saying, “Please don’t balance the budget by jeopardizing our safety. Safety should be your primary responsibility. Find another way.”

Two educators from the city’s high school also rose to defend the police for working with students proactively, supporting them, and responding quickly to school emergencies.

Council President Vivian Olson noted the public fallout saying, “We’ve had a huge PR nightmare on our hands regarding the alleged plan to outsource the police, which was never a plan. I appreciate that…we are getting information on absolutely all budget-cutting opportunities, but if our officers didn’t already know how much they were loved and appreciated in Edmonds, that was definitely a positive outcome over this.”

Edmonds Police Cpl. Aaron Greenmun wrote an editorial for My Edmonds News, saying in part:

"...Our motto is, “Service before self.” It is a credo painted on our walls and etched in our character. My brothers and sisters in blue have held the intestines of stabbing victims in while waiting for aid. We have intercepted a man with a rifle as he walked toward an elementary school campus (then saved his life with department-provided first aid skills after shooting him). We have run toward danger and done it quietly, professionally and with honor...

"There is a reason many law enforcement agencies must use $25,000 to $40,000 hiring bonuses to hire officers and are running short handed. This job is hard. We are overpaid about 97% of the time with an understanding that we will be there for the other 3%. I have been hit, cut, punched, spit on and told by people in crisis all the unseemly things that they would do to members of my family. I have picked up body parts and held the hand of dying people while lying to them that it was going to be alright. I carry post traumatic stress and the burdens of my brother and sister officers in a place where I also carry the honor and pride of serving alongside them every day. Serving each of you...

"We will still be here serving you every day, but each loss represents a reduction in the service that we can provide you. Seconds or minutes – when they really count –  can last a long time. Unlike our firefighter brethren, law enforcement hasn’t traditionally been quite as politically active and are traditionally a bit less popular. We are OK with that. We get the quiet honor and privilege of serving you...

"Edmonds, it has been an honor. Regardless of what decisions you must make about paying for law enforcement and public safety, we will serve in the same way we have until we are told to do otherwise. It would be sad for me to take off my Edmonds patch and join another law enforcement agency, but I will follow my oath regardless. In the meantime, please lean in and support your elected officials while they make the hard decisions. This is a time when failing to make hard decisions is also a decision: one that turns its back on those serving you every day."
 
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