Keeping public safety, safe

It's often stated, from Police Chief John Hensley down to officers on the street, that for the Cheney Police Department, no call is too small.

For Officer Nate Conley, that might be apprehending a duck that wandered into town several years ago and created traffic problems downtown. Or with Officer Chris Oakes responding to a call about a cat getting stuck in the batting cage nets at Cheney High School's softball field.

But then there's the other end of the spectrum - like the running gun battle on Second Street Conley was one of the first responding officers to in 2006. Or the murder-suicide at the Rosebrook Motel in 2013, the gunpoint robbery at Maverik in 2014 and the brawl last October during a Eastern Washington University students' party on Fourth Street.

That incident resulted in one Cheney officer injured and was only brought under control with the appearance of officers from outside agencies, including the Spokane County Sheriff's Office's K9 unit.

These and more "routine" calls are becoming more challenging to handle as the department's call volume increases, while its supply of personnel able to handle the situations does not. It's led Conley and fellow officers at the Cheney Police Guild to lobby, and finally succeed, in getting the city to put a measure on the upcoming Nov. 3 general election ballot to raise the city's property tax levy lid.

"We've always had a shortage of officers and always needed bodies as long as I've been here," Conley said.

According to information from the city, if passed by a simple majority, Proposition 1 would increase the city's property tax levy from its current $2.40 per $1,000 of assessed valuation to its fully authorized limit of $3.10 per $1,000 of valuation. It would result in an estimated increase to the city's general fund of $410,975.

It would be a one-time lift, with the yearly valuation permanently set at $3.10, resulting in an extra $8.75 monthly charge, $105 annually, to the owner of a $150,000 home.

While the money would go into the general fund, from which other departments pull revenues, city officials have stressed the levy lid lift is for police and fire use. Cheney Mayor Tom Trulove reminded City Council members and staff of this pledge at an Oct. 6 budget workshop dealing with the general fund.

At that meeting both Hensley and Fire Chief Mike Winters read off a litany of needed items, with Winters saying his list totaled about $1.5 million, including a new main attack engine along with new and updated airpacks, firefighter turnouts and hoses, which haven't been replaced since the early 1980s.

Hensley's list also included equipment, such as several new vehicles, computers for the vehicles, radios and officer training to keep current with updated procedures. But in the end, the Police Department's need was pretty straightforward.

"Very simply, we need more cops," Hensley said. "We need to get them out in the field."

It's something Conley and fellow officers began working on remedying in 2012, doing research and talking with city officials about the need to follow other cities leads and pass some type of funding measure for public safety.

"Our original idea was 'hey, let's go to the voters and see what services they want and how much they're willing to fund to have at least an adequate police department,'" Conley said.

As part of his research, Conley produced a list of 11 cities with populations close to Cheney's, estimated at around 11,300. One of those cities, Sedro Woolley at 10,610, raised their utility taxes from 3.5 percent to 7.5 percent in June 2014 in order to add two more officers, bringing their compliment to 16.

At 14 total officers, nine who are in the patrol rotation, Cheney is the lowest on the list that includes Ferndale, which with a population of 11,837 has 18 officers, 15 of whom are in the patrol rotation. Snoqualmie, population 11,320, has 17 patrol officers to go with four sergeants, two lieutenants and a chief.

Adding to Cheney's demand is Eastern Washington University, whose students, faculty and staff city officials estimate can increase the city's daytime population 9 – 10 months out of the year to around 25,000. Eastern, with a 2014-2015 enrollment of 13,452 and just over 2,100 living on campus, is served by its own police department, which has 11 of 14 officers available for patrol, EWU Deputy Chief Gary Gasseling said.

By contrast, Central Washington University, with a 2014-2015 enrollment of 10,139 and campus housing for 3,100, also has a police force of 14 with 10 officers available for patrol. Ellensburg, home to CWU, with a population of 18,363, has a police department of 38, including 18 patrol grade officers.

For Hensley, Conley and others, Cheney's police needs aren't just about service to its residents, but also about officer safety. While the Police Guild's new contract with the city requires at least two officers on duty, there are still a few times there is only one, and with overtime expenses at $90,246 as of September, over $38,000 above last year's expenses at the same time, it's becoming difficult to staff the needed shifts.

"We need to hire six additional officers to be average of other departments," Conley said.

Cheney can rely on Eastern officers for back up on calls, but with only one officer on shift, Gasseling said it's often the other way around.

Hensley said that if the levy lid lift fails, the service level should remain the same, but any cuts to do so would have to start coming from eliminating positions. And while the small and large calls might grab headlines, Conley said it's responding to the daily routine, such as domestic violence calls, malicious mischief, thefts and assaults that requires the most attention.

Even simple traffic collisions, where one officer is needed to investigate and another to direct traffic, can be a challenge.

"We've gotten by, but sometimes we've had citizens get out there and direct traffic," Conley said.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.