New King County Deputy Contract Includes Raises, Body Cameras

KING COUNTY, WA — King County reached a contract agreement with its police officer's guild this week, securing raises for hundreds of deputies and laying the groundwork to roll out body-worn cameras starting next year.

The collective bargaining agreement was approved by the Metropolitan King County Council earlier this month and has now been approved by the union representing more than 630 members of the sheriff's office.

"These critical agreements will help alleviate historic recruitment challenges while ensuring transparency and accountability in how we deliver public safety in King County,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. 'I thank our Office of Labor Relations, the Sheriff’s Office, the King County Police Officer’s Guild, and the Council, and look forward to ongoing collaboration as we implement this new contract."

Raises secured in the contract include a retroactive 6 percent boost in pay for this year, followed by a 10 percent increase in 2023 and a 4 percent hike in 2024. Existing recruitment bonuses, which include $7,500 for new hires and $15,000 for lateral hires, will remain in place for the new contract. Officials said incentives helped the number of new hires grow by 47 percent this year.

Following months of discussions and a pilot program last year, the new agreement also finalizes policies for the sheriff's office to begin deploying body-worn and vehicle cameras across the region by early next year. The deal also finalizes voter-approved changes for the county's Office of Law Enforcement Oversight, granting the watchdog the power to issue subpoenas during its investigations.

"The public has been clear in their call for more independent oversight of law enforcement," said King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove in a statement. "Like many others, I have pushed hard for years for these important changes in order to strengthen law enforcement oversight. When people throughout King County took to the streets to demand more accountable policing, we seized that momentum and have kept at it.  As a result, we now have made real progress for King County with truly independent investigations and subpoena powers."