A System Worth Saving
Vancouver’s public safety infrastructure is under pressure. The city has one of the lowest police officer-to-resident ratios in Washington state, with just one officer per 1,000 residents. As the population grows by roughly 3,000 people annually, the Vancouver Police Department has struggled to keep pace. Since 2017, call volume has surged by 24%, and over 3,000 cases per year have gone uninvestigated due to staffing shortages.
In response, city officials proposed
Proposition 5
a public safety levy aimed at hiring 13 new officers and funding essential equipment like squad cars, body cameras, and computers. This represents a major reduction from last year’s failed Proposition 4, which sought funding for 80 officers and 36 support staff. The scaled-back approach reflects both fiscal constraints and voter feedback. If passed, the levy would raise approximately $6 million annually for six years, increasing property taxes by $0.15 per $1,000 of assessed value, about $75 per year for a $500,000 home.
The root of Vancouver’s funding challenge lies in
Initiative 747
a Washington state law that caps annual property tax increases at 1% without voter approval. With costs rising 3–4% annually, city leaders say it’s difficult to maintain services, let alone expand them. This constraint affects not only the Vancouver Police Department but also the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, which reported “critical understaffing” and a need for 90 new deputies and 24 support staff over the next six years.
Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle and City Manager Lon Pluckhahn have emphasized the importance of community input in shaping public safety priorities. In 2024, the city conducted over 40 engagement projects and received more than 6,000 survey responses. Public safety consistently ranked among the top concerns, alongside homelessness, climate resilience, and economic development.
The city’s strategy is now focused on methodical growth, adding officers incrementally, improving response times, and restoring proactive policing. Chief Troy Price noted that officers are currently “going from call to call to call,” with little time for community engagement or crime prevention. The goal is to shift from reactive to proactive policing, but that requires sustained investment and voter support.