Vancouver resident Debra Kalz addresses the Vancouver Police Department staffing shortage
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and may not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com
The original Prop 4 meeting slides: https://www.cityofvancouver.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Police-Committee-Slides-Meeting-7-09-30-24.pdf.
Currently, as of mid-2025, the city of Vancouver Police Department had 20 police officer vacancies, with ongoing recruitment to fill expected vacancies due to population growth and retirements, aiming to hire 35-40 officers annually. This is with the current budget.
So how long does it take to onboard a new qualified policeman/woman?
Bringing a new police officer to the Vancouver Police Department takes over a year, as the process includes a multi-month hiring and background check phase, followed by an average six-month wait for a spot in the mandatory five-month Washington State police academy, and then four months of field training. While recruits are paid once hired, the entire system is bottlenecked by the capacity of the statewide academy.
An article in 2018, states how complex it is to hire new staff. https://www.columbian.com/news/2018/jun/21/vancouver-police-department-staffing-complex-puzzle/
In depth look at Prop 5 coming this November. Don’t be fooled though that this is for just this year as they look to do this every year exponentially for the next five years.
The ballot will only look like this: https://www.cityofvancouver.us/proposition-5-police-services-levy/
The HART team consists of two police personnel and are not paid for out of the city budget but out of the city manager’s budget as of their financial reporting examination I did. What is the success of the HART interactions as to the numbers of interactions, how many sought help/assistance and how many were repeat offenders. The budget is largely consumed by the waste pickup and the staffing. I was not able to find any record keeping by this team.
I do wholeheartedly support our law enforcement but they are only one part of the bigger picture. I’m not sure throwing more money at this is the solution.
The other problem is the jail is inadequate. We need to build a new jail and vote in judges who hold people, who commit crimes, to be held accountable. It’s a global failure all the way around in my opinion, from the lack of affordable housing and drug enforcement and recovery requirements to not having adequate jail space to liberal judges.
Property taxes are going up anyhow, but how much more can be squeezed out of its citizens during a downturn in the economy and a predicted recession coming next year, along with many businesses closing. Look at your broader financial picture. I know I will.
Debra Kalz
Vancouver
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