Brier CM warns that Democratic policies are bankrupting police departments

As Edmonds grapples with a budget deficit that is leading to the police department being dismantled in favor of contracted services from a local sheriff’s office, a Brier City Council member is sounding the alarm: Democratic policies are bankrupting police departments in small and mid-sized cities .

“I’ve been a city councilor for about 15 years now and it (investing in a police department) is a pretty consistent issue in small towns due to a lot of factors that include legislative changes, administrative costs, staffing costs, etc. it just plays into it. It’s a huge matrix that you have to try to solve.” Brier City Council member Mike Gallagher told “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

Gallagher wants the public to understand the position Edmonds city leaders are in as the city of Brier goes through the same discussions when considering the rising costs of its police department compared to its overall budget. He worries that the public may not fully understand the indirect role it plays in cities’ difficulty affording police services.

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How are Democrats in Olympia bankrupting local police departments?

In every election, voters determine the political future of lawmakers. However, many do not notice or fully understand how policy decisions at the state and county levels drive up costs for local police departments.

“Olympia is a big pain for us, for example, for one simple thing: they are changing the prosecution process, and officers now have to get approval from a superior to initiate a prosecution,” explained Gallagher. “This means that instead of one officer, you must have two officers on duty at all times if the pursuit occurs to provide surveillance and permits. Well, that adds a lot to a small town’s budget.”

The Brier City Council member said larger cities don’t have to worry about this issue, but when you’re smaller, like Brier, you have to plan for it.

When cities have to abandon their police departments and outsource services to other agencies, there is also an unintended consequence.

Unintended consequences

Law enforcement agencies across the country continue to experience staffing issues. From police departments in Seattle and Tacoma to sheriff’s offices in King and Snohomish counties, there are many open positions to fill. And this is where police authorities like the one in Brier come into play.

Gallagher pointed out that small-town police departments are an excellent training ground for officers to gain practical experience before accepting an open position with a larger agency.

It is easier and often cheaper to hire a career changer because they already have training and practical experience. Agencies know what type of officers they are hiring rather than risking that a new hire may not be a good fit once he or she gets out of training and into the real world of policing.

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Voters need to see the connections

The city of Brier has no plans to make any changes to its police department, even though it makes up a significant portion of the budget. But Gallagher constantly worries about costs because of the policies Democrats have championed in Olympia.

Gallagher’s message to the public is to pay greater attention to how laws and policies outside the control of local police departments impact public safety at the local level.

“The council, the police chief and the administration, we sit at the podium shaking and worrying about what they’re going to do to us next and whether it’s going to cost us more parks, more police and what effect?” said Gallagher. “We believe that in many situations our citizens don’t necessarily make that connection. And we are surprised about it. But we are still impressed that costs continue to rise, complications increase and that the Olympics depend to a large extent on this.”

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