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Ocean Shores police detail facility, staffing and equipment shortfalls to committee
Summary
Police leadership told the Public Safety Committee the department is short-staffed, lacks an appropriate interview room and storage, needs new vehicles and a new building, and relies heavily on volunteers for patrol and kennel operations.
Ocean Shores Police Department leadership told the Public Safety Committee the department needs a new building, improved facilities and additional staff to meet operational and officer-safety requirements.
Police leadership described narrow hallways, an overheated server room adjacent to the hot-water heater, a lack of a dedicated interview room with mandated audio/video recording capability and insufficient storage space. Staff said these constraints affect officer safety, evidence handling and daily operations.
The department reported recent and planned equipment and staffing changes: three new patrol vehicles are being purchased to replace high-mileage units (the department will keep old vehicles for backup), and the department is actively recruiting for two vacant patrol positions and a vacant deputy chief position. The department said one new hire began on Feb. 16 and will attend the training academy starting April 1 with a projected academy graduation on Aug. 6; that officer will be paired with a field training officer for a minimum of three months.
Police staff described an extended timeline between hiring and when a recruit becomes fully field-ready — roughly nine months to complete the hiring and academy process and another three to four months of local training. The department said it has one reserve officer, one code enforcement officer, an interim deputy chief (a sergeant temporarily promoted) and a newly hired administrative assistant who started Feb. 19.
Volunteers remain a substantial component of public-safety support. Staff said volunteers operated the radar trailer, night watch and property watch programs; the radar trailer had been in for repairs and was recently located and returned for reassembly. Volunteers logged substantial hours last year: night watch 762 hours and property watch 419 hours; volunteers covered thousands of miles in the volunteer vehicle while checking open doors and windows and staffing community events. The department said it currently has 14 volunteers for crime/property watch and 23 volunteers dedicated to kennel duties (two volunteers serve both functions).
Committee members expressed support for police facility upgrades and indicated willingness to champion requests to the full council. Staff requested committee assistance and said they will ask the council for further support as projects and hiring progress.
The committee encouraged continued coordination between staff, volunteers and council as items are prepared for the council agenda.
