(The Center Square) – The King County Sheriff’s Office is reducing staff to minimal levels at two of its precincts due to budget constraints.
Staffing at the Sheriff’s Office’s north and southeast precincts are being reduced, made effective on Monday, when the department announced the change in staffing.
Impacted communities include parts of unincorporated King County, such as Redmond Ridge, Fairwood and Fall City.
The King County Sheriff’s Office notes that no sheriff deputies are losing jobs. This move is a redeployment of resources. This change will also not impact policing in the department’s contract cities, like Woodinville, Sammamish, Covington, Maple Valley, Burien, SeaTac and Kenmore.
“We are taking these critical steps to ensure King County deputies are safe and available for life-safety emergencies, which will always remain our top priority,” the department explained in a press release sent to The Center Square.
The Center Square previously reported on the King County Sheriff’s Office facing a proposed $30.2 million cut to its general fund in the next biennium budget, the largest proposed cut out of all King County departments.
Last month, King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall informed county council members that if the cut to funding were to go through, the department would have to move nearly half of its existing deputies from unincorporated King County into revenue-backed positions to fill contract-obligated vacancies.
This would benefit Sound Transit, Metro and contracting cities, but result in delayed police response times in unincorporated King County. Furthermore, response times for non-life threatening calls could possibly see no response at all with the staffing change.
King County is facing a projected $150 million shortfall in its general fund for the upcoming 2026-2027 budget cycle. This is causing the King County Sheriff’s Office and other county departments to prepare for possible cuts to staffing and services.
