Over the next six years, about one-third of the department’s 387-member force will be eligible to retire. Those 137 men and women include the chief, a majority of the department’s commanders and a sizable chunk of detectives.

“It is a concern,” said Chief Don Ramsdell, who’s not planning on retiring any time soon.

Somewhat balancing the exodus of retiring employees is an influx of new workers. More than 150 commissioned officers have been hired since 2003.

“We are gaining more than we are losing,” Ramsdell said in a recent interview.

The push and pull of hiring and attrition are part of the department’s struggle to get back to full staffing. (The department had 21 openings as of Feb. 29, according to the last available hiring report.)

Last year the department hired 32 officers while another 26 left for such reasons as retirement, resignations and probationary failures.

Officers hired before Oct. 1, 1977, can retire without penalty to their pensions if they’re 50 and have at least five years of law enforcement service. Officers hired after that can retire at 53 if they have at least five years of service.

Four veteran investigators are among this year’s retirees. Detectives David Paul and Chris Taylor and Sgt. Tom Davidson retired at the end of February; homicide detective Bill Webb retired at the end of January.

Paul spent several years investigating fraud and other financial crimes. He briefed the public on how to avoid becoming a victim of fraud and identity theft. The department recently received an award from the U.S. Secret Service that was, in part, due to Paul’s work with the federal agency.

Taylor was known as Mr. T while serving three years as the school liaison officer at Gray Junior High School in the early 1980s. He calls it the defining time in his law enforcement career and says he still gets stopped by people who remember him.

A detective since 1987, Taylor spent several years on the pawn shop detail, trying to recover stolen property. He also served a couple of stints as the department’s public information officer.

Webb was involved in dozens of homicide cases and was the lead investigator in the shooting death of Kenya Cook on Tacoma’s East Side. Her death later was connected to the Beltway snipers, who terrorized the Washington, D.C., area in 2002.

Before his promotion to sergeant, Davidson worked for several years as a homicide detective and was the unit’s supervisor when he retired. He was the lead investigator for the Trang Dai massacre in 1998 and the killing of a key witness in the case.

“We’re losing a lot of great people,” Ramsdell said. “It’s tough to see people like that leave our department.”

LOOKING AHEAD

The potential retirements include a sizable number of the department’s patrol force and many of its commanders, such as:

 • The chief.

 • The three assistant chiefs.

 • The six captains.

 • More than half of the 13 lieutenants.

 • More than half of the 43 sergeants.

 • More than half of the 57 detectives.

 • One-quarter of the 264 patrol officers.

Not all will necessarily retire, but Ramsdell says he has to assume most will.

“People have put in long, productive careers with the department,” the chief said. “It’s not an easy job, and they deserve” retirement.

To prepare for the upcoming departures, Ramsdell ordered a study of the department’s staffing so he can promote new leaders from within the ranks. Officials are looking at the knowledge, skills and behaviors needed to succeed in the department.

“We want to really closely look at the information to plan for the future,” the chief said. “If we don’t, we won’t have people prepared to take over those leadership posts.”

As part of his plan, Ramsdell wants to build career development into how the department works. The evaluation process is being revamped to allow employees to set career goals and identify the training they need.

The department also is looking at ways to entice some of its retirement-eligible officers to stay longer.

Among things that could make some officers extend their careers are providing medical benefits after retirement and a retention bonus, said Sgt. Dwayne Joseph, president of Tacoma Police Union Local 6, which represents patrol officers, detectives and sergeants.

The benefits could become part of future contract negotiations, he said.

‘NOT BEEN A VERY EASY TASK’

The department hasn’t been fully staffed in more than a decade, and Ramsdell has been fighting the hiring battle since becoming chief in May 2003.

“That became a priority of mine,” he said. “It’s not been a very easy task.”

Hiring stopped in November 2001 when a slowing economy and declines in sales tax revenue led to a citywide hiring freeze. The Police Department had 19 vacancies, a number that doubled by the time it could hire again in January 2003.

The department has been continually hiring since but has yet to catch up. It has had as few as four vacancies – but that lasted only a day in 2005.

The chief has employed a more thorough screening of its officer candidates than was done in the past.

“We’ve not taken a lot of people,” Ramsdell said. “I want to make sure we hire the best-quality employees for the city and the citizens.”

The chief got $271,000 for recruiting efforts for this year. He said it’s gotten tougher to recruit around the South Sound because of the high demand for officers among local law enforcement agencies.

Tacoma officers have been to Cincinnati and Cleveland to find new prospects.

The fact that officers are working without a contract doesn’t help in recruiting applicants, Joseph said.

The union has been without a contract since Dec. 31, 2005. A arbitrator has been assigned to the current negotiations over the 2006-08 contract.

“Until you have a contract, it’s hard to grab people,” Joseph said. “Until those needs get met in a contract, then we are not going to move in a good direction.”

Stacey Mulick: 253-597-8268

blogs.thenewstribune.com/crime

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department is not facing the same retirement challenges as the Tacoma Police Department, but the Washington State Patrol is.

The Sheriff’s Department anticipates losing about 50 deputies and corrections officers over the next five years, spokesman Ed Troyer said recently. Officials believe they can deal with the problem by continuing to hire five to seven officers a year.

The State Patrol’s problem stems from a big hiring push in the 1970s.

“Now the 30 years is up and those folks are retiring,” Sgt. Johnny Alexander said.

The agency foresees one-quarter of its 1,056 commissioned officers – about 150 troopers – will leave in the next five years. That’s an average of more than two troopers a month.

“The need is great,” Alexander said.

State Patrol officials made a big marketing and hiring push in August 2006. Officials lowered the age eligible to apply from 201/2 years to 191/2 years in hopes of attracting more candidates. The approach paid off for a year.

The State Patrol received 2,229 applications between August 2006 and July 2007, up from 1,083 applications the previous 12 months, Alexander said. Out of the pool, the agency hired 92 troopers.

The State Patrol will launch another marketing push later this year. The new campaign will be kicked off by an open house at the State Patrol academy in May.

“We need to hire 54 troopers every nine months for the next five years,” Alexander said. “That’s just to keep up.”

Stacey Mulick, The News Tribune

So far this year, six Tacoma police employees have retired. Two more expect to soon. They are:

Name: Steve Gaschk

Age: 58

Rank at retirement: Patrol officer

Years of service: Nearly 36

Retirement date: Mid-January.

Name: William Webb

Age: 55

Rank at retirement: Homicide detective

Years of service: 30

Retirement date: Jan. 31

Name: Bill Meeks

Age: 50

Rank at retirement: Captain

Years of service: More than 24

Retirement date: Jan. 31

Name: Dave Paul

Age: 60

Rank at retirement: Property crimes detective

Years of service: 30

Retirement date: Feb. 29

Name: Chris Taylor

Age: 57

Rank at retirement: Detective

Years of service: 30

Retirement date: Feb. 29

Name: Tom Davidson

Age: 53

Rank at retirement: Sergeant

Years of service: 27 with Tacoma police and 10 to 11 months with Auburn police

Retirement date: Feb. 29

Name: Wulf Werner

Age: 67

Rank at retirement: Homicide detective

Years of service: 38

Retirement date: Expected to retire Monday

Name: Mike Taylor

Age: 53

Rank at retirement: Lieutenant

Years of service: 29

Retirement date: Expected to retire in late May

Stacey Mulick, The News Tribune