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The Whidbey Examiner • Thursday, September 20, 2012
Deputies: Town may contract with Oak Harbor; from page 1 cussing several options for law enforcement: Reorganize the department, raise taxes to pay for higher deputy salaries, or contract out for services from Island County or even Oak Harbor. “It’s really disappointing because we’ve got some folks who really like our community and like being here, but they’re in places in their career and families where they need to make more money than what we can afford to pay them,” Conard said.
City must find new deputies The town began the process of filling two deputy vacancies in August when it announced the position online and in the local papers. Of the 15 individuals who
applied, five – three who are new to police work and two with prior experience – are being considered for employment following screening by the town’s Civil Service Commission. Davenport said that he supports hiring a lateralentry applicant because preparing such a candidate for patrol work takes less time than for a recruit new to police work. If an entry-level deputy is hired, he or she would first need to attend an academy class, which takes about 18 weeks, followed by about 12 weeks of field training. The next academy class does not begin until midDecember and a new recruit would not be ready for independent duty for seven to eight months.
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The hiring process itself could take between six to eight weeks to complete, Davenport said.
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Because of the departures and the length of time involved in hiring replacements, there will be a significant amount of time in which only one or two deputies will be on duty. “The shortage of personnel will require a mix of active patrol duties along with periods of on-call time which will ensure 24-hour response,” Davenport wrote in a memo to the council. Conard said the schedule of when the deputies are oncall or on patrol will vary. The town will also invite officers from the Island County Sheriff’s Office and the Oak Harbor Police Department to pick up shifts in Coupeville outside of their regular duties. The regular hourly rate for a town deputy is $23.64
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Conard said that of the options available, the best would be reorganization of the department. That could involve permanently eliminating one deputy position. The salary and benefits would then be reallocated to the remaining three deputies and make the positions more competitive with other agencies in Island County. “There simply is not enough money in the budget to get on par with other agencies (and keep all four positions),” Davenport said. Like the short-term plan, some shifts would be covered by an on-call deputy or a reserve deputy, and 24-hour patrol services would become a thing of the past. However, Davenport said, development of the town’s reserve program and the inclusion of officers from other agencies would help shore up patrol services. “We can measure it, try it and see how it works,” Conard said.
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The chief of Coupeville’s police force, Marshal Lance Davenport, will lose three of his four deputies in a three month period. Higher pay and greater opportunities are cited.
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