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Police chief warns of staffing shortfalls, rising overtime and public‑disclosure pressure
Summary
Chief Langdon told the council Lynnwood police face unfunded positions, high overtime, 3,200 annual public‑disclosure requests and operational strain from jail and custody workload, with limited mutual‑aid options and turnover pressure from neighboring agencies.
Lynnwood Police Chief Langdon told the City Council that the department is operating under sustained staffing pressure that is eroding capacity for patrol, specialty units and records work.
The 2025‑26 biennial budget included vacancy savings that reduced police funding by about $2.54 million, which translated to roughly eight unfunded officer positions, Langdon said. "We have a unique position as a public safety 24‑7 service that I can't turn off," he told councilmembers. The budget reductions and hiring pauses left the department short of funded officers and reliant on overtime to meet sworn‑staff needs.
Langdon said one‑time savings — including extending vehicle replacement cycles with public works and holding vacancies — produced approximately $1.1 million in fleet savings and $900,000 in salary savings, but overtime quickly consumed those gains. The department also absorbed about $924,000 from a traffic‑safety fee transfer into the general fund.
Records and public‑disclosure work are a major pressure point. Langdon said the department handles about 3,200 disclosure requests per year and that reduced clerks and a missing records program technician have forced supervisors and sergeants to perform that work on overtime. "The public disclosure requests come in... the work is the work," he said.
Langdon recounted an operational example that increased overtime costs: a person ordered to Lynnwood's jail on a court order from Western State turned out to have a potential communicable disease (tuberculosis), which required hospital isolation and around‑the‑clock custody staffing. The episode cost roughly $10,000 in overtime and highlighted the inability to predict some operational demands.
The chief told councilmembers the department has 27 custody officers but some are in training or otherwise unavailable, leaving fewer officers able to staff shifts. He warned that reduced staffing limits the department’s capacity to address traffic enforcement, investigations, drug interdiction and community engagement.
Councilmembers asked about alternative service models for animal control and whether the union could support different staffing arrangements; Langdon said the city is exploring limited‑commission animal control officer models that do not require full police academy training. He and members also discussed recruitment and retention challenges amid regional competition for sworn officers.
No policy actions were taken; councilmembers thanked department leadership and flagged public safety as a priority for upcoming budget conversations.
