Affects of budget cuts on law enforcement.

 

As the County tightens it’s purse strings to offset the growing deficit in the general fund, mandatory agencies must cut 8.65 percent of their budgets. The Sheriff’s Office, Prosecutor’s Office, the Superior Court, District Court, and the King County Jail must collectively cut $33 million from their budgets.

Sheriff Sue Rahr’s notes for the June 5 press conference describe what the Sheriff’s Office predicts the impact will be on county law enforcement. Here are some excerpts.

 

“As we stand before you today, the King County justice system is in jeopardy.  The proposed $33 million cut to criminal justice agencies is unprecedented in King County history.  The worse news is that this is not something that is transitory.  Over the next three years that shortfall is expected to continue to grow.  The impacts on the criminal justice system will be devastating.

 

Rahr also stated that the Sheriff’s Office has “already cut 21 positions this year because of budget reduction.” In addition, up to 75 more officers and staff will have to be cut “to achieve a cumulative reduction of $10 million for 2008 and 2009.”

 

Here is the Sheriff’s list of what the specific impacts could be.

·        If your car is stolen, unless the suspect is arrested inside the car, we won’t be able to follow up investigate.

·        If you house is burglarized, unless the loss is more than $10,000, we won’t have the resources to do anything more than document the loss.

·        If your identity is stolen, we won’t be able to follow-up and arrest the suspect.

·        We won’t be able to investigate cold-case homicides, of which our jurisdiction alone has over 150.

·        If your business is the victim of a bad check or other fraud, unless the loss is over $10,000, the Sheriff’s Office will be unable to investigate.

·        Certain drug investigations, police storefronts, youth and crime victim outreach programs will all be in jeopardy.

 

 

 

“Studies have shown that failing to respond to minor crimes, also known as the ‘broken windows theory’ will drive up the crime rate and reduce the quality of life in our neighborhoods. 

 

I’ve been a police officer for 28 years.  Never in those 28 years have I seen an event that will so significantly change how the Sheriff Office responds to crime.  Never in those 28 years have I had to ask the question, ‘Will the safety of the public be in jeopardy from the magnitude of these budget cuts?’ 

 

Unfortunately the answer is yes.”

 

Editor’s note: I made a few changes to punctuation and grammar for considerations of journalistic style. No information was distorted. – Ssands