Cle Elum May Cut Police Department

This small mountain town is considering cutting expenses by abolishing its police department and having sheriff’s deputies patrol the streets.

Kittitas County Sheriff Bob McBride said Monday he responded to a request by the City Council and submitted a bid that would contract out six deputies to the city and open a local office for $323,000 a year. That’s $76,561 less than the city budgeted for police services this year.

“It’s generally less expensive for small cities to contract with the county for their law-enforcement needs,” he said. “The existing employees in the (Cle Elum) police department could become employees of the sheriff’s department.”

Cle Elum Mayor Gary Berndt said the proposal is one of several alternatives the city is examining for police services in the wake of Chief Sam Krahenbuhl’s retirement in May.