The potential reduction in the City of Tacoma’s police force could benefit people served by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
About 30 Tacoma patrol officers in danger of being laid off because of city budget trouble tested Tuesday to become Pierce County sheriff’s deputies. It was the first step in the Sheriff’s Department’s hiring process.
The agency, which patrols unincorporated Pierce County and provides contracted services to Edgewood and University Place, anticipates hiring about 15 deputies in the next several months.
“The timing has worked out,” sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said this week. “It’s a win for them and for us and for Tacoma police.”
The City of Tacoma faces a projected $31 million shortfall in its 2011-12 general fund budget. To fill the gap, the city manager’s office has proposed laying off 167 city workers, including police officers and firefighters, by Jan. 5. The workers already have received their pink slips.
Last week, the City Council decided to delay for 30 days the laying off 100 police officers and firefighters, so the city could continue negotiations with labor unions.
Regardless, some of the Tacoma police officers most likely to be laid off have started looking for other jobs.
“They are looking ahead,” Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. “The opportunity is there right now to plan for their futures.”
The Sheriff’s Department is hiring.
Troyer said the department has been authorized to fill five vacancies before the end of the year and anticipates filling another four or five early next year after some retirements. It’s also authorized to fill four or five more vacant spots a couple months later.
The possibility of hiring already-trained and road-ready officers, particularly from a neighboring agency, is attractive. The Tacoma officers already have graduated from the state law enforcement academy. They have experience on the streets.
“It’s not going to take much to do a turnaround,” Troyer said. “It’s just a change of badge and uniform. We are going to get some good people out of it.”
Stacey Mulick: 253-597-8268
stacey.mulick@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/crime
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