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Resident urges action on sheriff staffing; testimony warns of strained response capacity in unincorporated Pierce County
Summary
At the Aug. 19 meeting, a resident whose child is a deputy said the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department is dangerously understaffed for the county’s population and urged the council to address pay and retention so deputies can respond safely and events such as the 2026 World Cup not strain local capacity.
A resident told the Pierce County Council on Aug. 19 that the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department is dangerously understaffed and urged the council to fix pay and retention to protect both deputies and residents.
"Unincorporated Pierce County has over 370,000 residents, yet our Pierce County Sheriff's Department runs with as few as 6 deputies on graveyard," said Kim Pressell, who identified herself as a parent of a deputy and urged the council to increase staffing and pay. "That delay could cost someone their life, and eventually, it will," she told the council.
Why it matters: The speaker said staffing gaps reduce backup availability for deputies responding to volatile situations and described county pay as a factor in officers leaving for other jurisdictions. Pressell said the sheriff’s office is the lowest‑paid law enforcement agency in the country for a county of Pierce’s size and described imminent departures of deputies.
Pressell urged funding and immediate action instead of new studies. "You can fix this. Not with studies, not with task force, not with fund but with funding, staffing, pay, retention, and some respect," she said. Pressell also warned the council that large future events in the region — for example, World Cup matches in the region in 2026 — would test local public‑safety capacity.
Council context and next steps: The council heard the testimony as part of the community forum; no budget or staffing decisions were made at the meeting. The testimony raises an issue council members and county staff will likely review further in discussions about law‑enforcement funding, pay scales and retention strategies.
