(The Center Square) – Potential budget cuts to the King County Sheriff’s Office as part of addressing the county’s budget deficit could end up impacting unincorporated King County.
King County is facing a projected $150 million shortfall in its general fund for the upcoming 2026-2027 budget cycle.
King County Executive Dow Constantine previously said that the county’s general fund budget is not sustainable and that major budget reductions are expected after 2025 as a result.
Earlier this year, Constantine put out a list of general fund target reductions, including a $30.2 million hit to KCSO.
That could result in a minimal law enforcement presence in unincorporated parts of the county.
King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall said this would result in a “devastating impact” on communities and employees by increasing risk and reducing response times and coverage.
Cole-Tindall spoke to members of the King County Budget and Fiscal Management Committee on Wednesday on the possible impacts of general fund cuts. She noted that the proposed $30.2 million reduction would be the largest cut throughout King County departments.
According to Cole-Tindall, King County has seen fewer applicants for deputy vacancies, even though many of them are revenue-backed by contract partners, including Sound Transit and King County Metro and contracting cities. Contracting cities include Shoreline, Woodinville, Sammamish, Covington, Maple Valley, Burien, SeaTac and Kenmore.
“We will not fill these our other positions as they become vacant because we will not be able to afford them 10 months from now,” Cole-Tindall said.
The proposed $30.2 million in cuts represents roughly 80 deputy positions.
Cole-Tindall noted that just over half of the department’s budget costs are revenue-backed by contracts. These proposed reductions would not apply against the contracts, because the contracting agencies and cities pay for King County Sheriff’s Office services. This means the $30.2 million would come from the department’s remaining budget expenditures.
To manage the cuts, KCSO would move about half of its existing deputies from unincorporated King County into revenue-backed positions to fill contract-obligated vacancies. In turn, there will be more deputies in Sound Transit, Metro and contracting cities.
“These contract agencies and cities will benefit from an increased level of service, but this means that there will be about half the number of deputies serving unincorporated communities,” Cole-Tindall said. “This will impact communities such as White Center, Skyway, Fairwood, Novelty Hill, Redmond Ridge, Snoqualmie Valley and Vashon Island.”
With fewer deputies to serve unincorporated King County, response times for priority one calls would be delayed.
Cole-Tindall said response times for non-life threatening calls could possibly see no response at all with the staffing change.
Roads in unincorporated King County would be more dangerous, too, as traffic enforcement would be cut as well if the proposed reduction to the sheriff’s office goes through.
Lastly, Cole-Tindall added that crime victims would be told to submit reports online because of the lack of staffing, but those reports may not be investigated.
