Sheriff’s office given informal OK to pre-hire deputies ahead of summer academy

Dave Handy of the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office asked the board for permission to run an April oral board and hire one or two deputies ahead of a July academy so new hires can enter training with minimal delay.

Handy described the county’s use of a shared testing service that allows applicants to apply to many agencies. He said the department routinely invites roughly 35–40 applicants for oral boards, typically gets 10–12 turnouts and sometimes only six who meet final criteria. At a recent oral board four candidates passed and three accepted positions elsewhere. Because retirements are expected in June and an academy begins in July, Handy said the department wanted authority to hire early "while we still have these other people on the books." He said the hires would be funded from salary savings and would not require additional money from the board.

Commissioners responded with informal agreement. One commissioner said, "I don't see any issue with that, Dave," and others agreed. There was no formal roll-call vote recorded; board members stated consensus approval and Handy said thank you.

Why it matters: The sheriff’s office said early hiring would shorten the time between selection and a deputy becoming fully field-ready; academies are five months long and the office estimates about a year from hire to solo field status. The board requested no additional funding and staff said the hires would be handled through existing salary-savings.