Wallowa County commissioners approve move to privatize courthouse security; vote 2-1

Wallowa County commissioners on Sept. 30 approved a proposal authorizing the sheriff's office to pursue privatizing courthouse security personnel, voting 2-1 after nearly two hours of public comment and commissioner questions.

The measure, listed on the agenda as Proposal 2025-09-29, authorizes the county to advertise for and contract with a private company to provide court security officers (CSOs) at the county courthouse and district court. The sheriff described the plan as a response to persistent staffing shortfalls in court security.

Why it matters: Commissioners and members of the public said courthouse security affects judges, court staff and the public and raised concerns about continuity, accountability and local jobs. Opponents pressed for more financial detail and time to evaluate alternatives; supporters said contracting could deliver consistent daily coverage that the county has struggled to provide.

The sheriff, identified in the meeting as proposing the change, told commissioners that privatized court security is used in other Washington counties and that the sheriff's office does not select the contractor directly. "They have to put out an RFP, and they will select that company based on the results from that RFP," he said, adding he had consulted with a company the county already uses for fairgrounds security for comparative figures.

Those figures, provided to commissioners and discussed in the meeting, compared the county's current staffing costs with…