Clark County Today sat down with Clark County Sheriff John Horch to discuss a number of subjects, and a series of stories begins today with the sheriff sounding the alarm about the staff shortage facing his department

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

John Horch has been serving as the Clark County sheriff for more than two years.

One of his priorities has been transparency. 

Horch is in constant communication with those who serve under his leadership, as well as the citizens who he works for, holding a number of town halls and attending neighborhood association meetings. 

That philosophy also includes availability to the media.

This week, Horch sat down with Clark County Today to discuss a number of subjects concerning the Clark County Sheriff’s Office: Staffing issues, department morale, the office’s relationship with federal agencies, the implementation of body-worn cameras, de-escalation training in law enforcement, and more.

In the coming days, Clark County Today will post several stories in this series. In today’s post, the sheriff is sound the alarm on the staffing shortage

A staffing crisis for the Clark County Sheriff’s Office

“You can only go to the red line on an engine so long before it’s gonna break,” Clark County Sheriff John Horch said, adding that he has made at least a half-dozen requests to the county in the last year to increase the staffing within his department.  

“I actually said at one of those meetings: The engine is going without oil here, and it can only go so long.”

The sheriff also wanted to be fair to all involved. He said this issue has been in the making for 20, 25 years, with former sheriffs raising concerns. Staffing should increase as the population of the county increases, they said.

“It’s not a blame thing. In politics, people love to blame. This is where we need to put the past in the past,” Horch said. “We have a problem. How do we get to the solutions? What are the options we have?”

He said his job as sheriff is to present the best data, to the citizens, as well as to the county council and other county government officials. The county can try to find the money in the general fund, or perhaps, ask the voters for help.

“It’s a team effort,” Horch said. “The more we go, ‘This is the problem, how do we get there?’ the better we’re all off.”

It starts with communication. Horch provided Clark County Today a One-Pager detailing his concerns.

According to Clark County Sheriff’s Office numbers, there are 0.64 deputies per 1,000 residents, near the bottom of the state.

Local police departments in Vancouver, Battle Ground, Washougal, Camas, and Ridgefield, for example, all have more than 1 officer per 1,000 residents.

The national average for counties is 2.8 deputies per 1,000 residents. The state average for counties is 1.24.

What does that mean beyond numbers?

“When somebody calls at midnight, somebody’s breaking into their house, they want to know that someone is coming and coming fast,” Horch told Clark County Today.

In that One-Pager, though, there is a chilling statement:

“Imagine calling 9-1-1 during an emergency — only to be told there’s no one available to help right away. That’s not a hypothetical situation. On some nights, only four deputies are responsible for protecting 245,000 people across 512 square miles in Clark County.”

Investments need to be made for public safety, the sheriff said. 

“Our people are our most valuable asset. You don’t have people, you can’t do a good job. You can’t keep the public safe” Horch said.

The lack of staffing has already led to the cutting of some services. Deputies have been ordered not to respond to some low-level crimes. 

Deputies are also being forced to work longer hours, with overtime shifts. Administrators ask for volunteers first for overtime shifts, but there are times when it is simply assigned. The office jokingly calls it “voluntold” instead of voluntary. Because if no one volunteers, someone will be told to work the extra shift.

“This job is already demanding enough,” Horch said.

Without down time, without family time, burnout is a real possibility. Morale issues have led some to departures from the department, Horch acknowledged.

“I hate to say this: we’re on borrowed time,” Horch said. “We are at a critical breaking point. Something has to change.”

The problem did not materialize overnight, nor can it be solved in a flash. After all, it takes a year to 18 months after a hire to properly train a deputy. Still, if more staffing is approved soon, it would create quite a boost within the department.

“It gives employees hope that somebody cares, that help is coming. I’m advocating for public safety for the public and for our people,” Horch said.

He also understands that might require the county, and the sheriff’s office, to ask the public via a vote.

Horch reminds folks that he was hired in 1989 due to a special tax that was approved by the voters earlier that decade. 

He also believes if the public understands the dire need the sheriff’s office is in, the people will vote in favor of investing in the department. The people did vote for body-worn cameras in 2022. That project had overwhelming support, and it has been a positive addition to the department, the sheriff noted.

People are more apt to vote in favor of something if they trust the government agency is telling the truth on what the money is going to fund, Horch said. If the county asks voters for funding for 50, 60, or even more deputies, and the people believe that will be the case, Horch has faith that the voters will vote for safety.

“If we want X, Y and Z, are we willing to pay for X, Y, and Z?”

Horch is convinced Clark County residents would say yes. 

He also knows that the current staffing levels will not work long term for Clark County.

“I’m not a believer you do more with less. That can only work for so long in any organization. If you want the best product, you have to have the resources to do it,” Horch said. “The thing about multitasking and doing all these things, that just means you’re doing minimal work on all these things. I’d rather do great work or good work.

“I believe in my philosophy. Take care of our people, and they’ll take care of the public,” Horch said. “It’s not that complicated.”