Bill to hire more officers has more support

Crime continues to be a growing problem throughout our state. In fact, Washington ranks in the Top 5 in the overall crime rate among states.

Washington ranks among the worst states in several categories, including murders, auto theft and retail theft. A key reason is that we also rank 51st nationally – dead last – for the number of law-enforcement officers per capita.

This chronic shortage of officers in our state has created major consequences for public safety, such as reduced capacity for crime prevention, delayed justice for victims and reduced effectiveness.

As a retired police officer, I...