So far in the first 6 months of the year it appears 30 people have left the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, they claim that number is usually 20 per year.
Fox13 is digging for answers as well
It appears that the programs which affect public safety will be affected the most which seems counterintuitive given the rising crime, lack of deputies and the seeming refusal to investigate dozens of even the most violent of crimes.
The K-9 Unit keeps the police safe, and in some aspects the public as well, and the community outreach program moves folks from drugs and homelessness, further preventing more crime.
This seems far more political than just a staffing situation. Much like the fact that most police (in all jurisdictions) refused to do their jobs once the voters created laws making it tougher for police to target and abuse citizens. So the legislature crafted some new laws in spite of what the voters said and they got to go back to the status quo.
It also begs the question: How many of our Deputies that are left are Brady cops? Most Federal Agencies do not believe me when I tell them how many SnoCo has until I send them documentation, then they lose their minds.
Perhaps the most disheartening thing is that I personally know a lot of good deputies who are busting their butts to do their job in the right way as well as they can.
So in typical SnoCo political fashion our elected leaders are using the most vulnerable of our society to make “we the people” suffer for standing up for our rights and it seems as though the supposed non-partisan office the sheriff is nothing but political at this point.
Since Fortney’s Office never responds to any request for comment I will be making a few public records requests to get more info as it becomes available. I will also be posting the rest of the personnel files I received before my hiatus.
Most of the deputies understand what these cuts mean for their own personal safety and I’m afraid that we are going to see even more leave the department.
