Clark County is gearing up for its biggest sheriff staffing boost in years, signing off on 22 new deputy positions plus about 43 civilian support roles after a council vote this month. The move targets long running understaffing that has left the sheriff’s office near the bottom of statewide per capita staffing rankings. County officials say recruitment should start this summer, with the new hires rolling out in stages over the next several years.
Council Vote And Funding
At a meeting last week, the five member Clark County Council voted unanimously to authorize the new positions, using an optional 0.1% public safety sales and use tax to pay for them, according to Clark County Today. The decision covers 22 deputies plus dozens of civilian jobs across the courts, jail and prosecutor’s office.
Councilors pointed to a state law approved last year that let counties adopt the extra sales tax, saying that new revenue stream made a multi-year public safety staffing plan financially realistic instead of just a wish list.
Cost And How The Plan Phases In
County figures and news reports put the short term price tag for the added staffing at roughly $4 million to $5 million per year, while the full six year buildout could cost about $7 million to $12 million annually, as reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting. Start up spending will cover patrol vehicles, body armor and academy training, on top of salaries and benefits.
To avoid a sudden hit to the budget, officials plan to stagger the hiring over multiple years. The county’s 2026 budget request breaks out both recurring costs and one time expenses that sit behind the projected range.
How Undersized Is The Sheriff's Office?
The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs ranked Clark County toward the bottom of the state for per capita law enforcement staffing in its 2024 report. The county’s own budget analysis estimates the sheriff’s office at roughly 0.57 deputies per 1,000 residents, well below statewide averages.
County leaders argue that bringing on more deputies along with civilian specialists should help cut into backlogs in warrants, records and investigations. In theory, that frees more patrol deputies to focus on calls for service instead of paperwork. Those staffing calculations and the anticipated impact on individual units are detailed in the Sheriff’s 2026 budget request and the WASPC report.
What The Sheriff Said
“I would like to thank the Clark County Council for approving additional full-time positions for the Sheriff’s Office,” Clark County Sheriff John Horch said in a statement published by Clark County Today. Horch said the agency plans to begin hiring in July and expects the extra staff to reduce overtime and improve response times for residents.
The statement credited coordination among the Sheriff’s Office, the county manager and the Budget Office for moving the staffing proposal through the county process and into the approved column.
Next Steps And Outside Funding
County officials say they plan to stretch the new sales tax revenue by chasing outside funding wherever they can find it. Horch told reporters his office is applying for $6 million from a $100 million state law enforcement grant that lawmakers authorized in 2025, according to reporting by Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Actual hiring timelines will depend on how many qualified recruits are available, when academy classes are scheduled and what future budget decisions the council makes. If grants or other revenues do not materialize as hoped, councilors have signaled they may have to revisit the staffing pace in upcoming budget cycles.
For now, though, the unanimous vote marks a notable shift after years of lean staffing. County leaders say this round of hiring is meant to be a first step toward bringing Clark County’s sheriff’s office closer to peer staffing levels and easing the day to day strain on deputies across the county.
