A blue state sheriff says despite being in what he believes is one of the “least policed states in the nation,” his red-leaning county is seeing success and not falling into the statewide trend in violent crimes on the rise.
“Washington State overall is the least policed state in our nation, and sadly, it’s showing; our state crime rate rose dangerously in the last 5 years,” Kittitas County Sheriff Clay Myers wrote in an address on public safety in the county.
“Thankfully, Kittitas County managed to buck this trend.”
Myers spoke with Fox News Digital following his address and explained the shortage in law enforcement across the state has played a huge role in the crime issues.
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“We, unfortunately, as a state, have a very low ratio of law enforcement to its citizens. And here in our county, our community supports law enforcement. And our local legislative body supports law enforcement. They understand that less policing has a direct correlation to more crime,” Myers said.
Myers said there are a number of studies that compare the ratio of law enforcement in communities and the impact of that on crime.
“Washington is very low, but with respect to the state itself, we’re in the top third with respect to our ratio of law enforcement to community members. We’re under 2%, which is still a low number.”
Myers said that the number of reported crimes has remained flat in Kittitas County in recent years, despite the county’s population growth.
“I think the primary reason is the makeup of our community. And it’s not that our citizens are any better than other citizens. It’s not that our government here is better than others, or we’re doing a better job. I think it’s a combination of the small things that really make a difference,” Myers said.
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“Our community tends to be less tolerant of crime. They’re just simply less tolerant of it, and there are a lot of communities, unfortunately, that have become a little bit numb to a lot of crime.”
Myers said there is an expectation in his county that law enforcement is going to do everything they can to address crime, to respond to calls and to make a difference.
“We want a safe community. Our legislative branch here, our judicial branch, are very supportive. They understand that people want to move to a safe community. People want to live in and recreate in a safe community so they support us,” Myers said.
More than 55% of voters in Kittitas County cast their ballots for President Donald Trump in November, bucking the trend of a state where Trump’s opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, received more than 57% of the votes in the 2024 presidential race, according to state voting records.
Myers added that there are also hurdles they have to overcome when it comes to budgets, but he said they have been fortunate to have local government support.
“Our local government supports us. And that’s where the difference comes in is that we’re able to put more law enforcement out there. We understand community policing. We understand that we are part of the community. And our philosophy here at the sheriff’s office is that we work with our community. We get to know them,” Myers said.
Though the crime rate has not risen in the county, Myers said deputies and detectives are “working hard, making more arrests and conducting more traffic enforcement than ever.”
“2024 custodial arrests were up 12% from 2023, to nearly double the arrests of 5 years ago. Our office is sending more cases to the county prosecutor’s office than ever, and we continue to work closely with prosecutors and the courts to bring justice in our county,” Myers said in his address.
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“Both the citizens and elected officials of Kittitas County have chosen to make this a place where crime is prosecuted and public safety is a priority.”
Myers added that the department’s calls for service have remained relatively flat, which says a lot about the community.
“The number of calls that we receive and respond to has been relatively stable. It hasn’t changed significantly in over a five-year period. That, to me, is a very telling number. That’s one of the best numbers, I think. It’s not ratcheting up every year.”
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Myers said while he is blessed to have a good relationship with most of the sheriffs in Washington state and many of the Western states, he said many of them aren’t as lucky to have the community and local government support that his county has.
“I’m not trying to criticize anybody here, but they don’t all have the support of their legislative branch. And that’s where the funding comes from. That’s what allows them to have an adequate number of law enforcement on the street, an adequate number of detectives, an adequate number of forensic support. Those are all things that they desperately want. So many of them are just doing the best they can with what they have,” Myers said.
In January, Bob Ferguson was sworn into office as the state’s first new governor in 12 years.
“We face real challenges as a state and as a people,” Ferguson said after taking the oath of office. “Our state is unaffordable for many Washingtonians. We rank 50th, last, per capita, in number of law enforcement officers.”
Ferguson also vowed to address the public safety needs across the state and backed a $100 million proposal to help police departments recruit more officers.
Fox News Digital reached out to Ferguson’s office for comment.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected]
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