If you want more LE field presence, then you need to work the Commission and the Legislature. The Chief would like to have more officers. I'd like to see more officers. A study currently being done says, if I remember correctly, that WDFW could add 80 officers and still not have adequate coverage for patrol efforts. Dollars drive the LE effort. The FY budget had $500K for fuel costs and when gas prices were climbing, LE was projecting a $1M expenditure for fuel which would have generated a $500K short fall just on fuel costs. I'm glad gas prices are falling, but I'd wager the annual fuel budget is going to be pretty tight. If they don't have money to buy fuel, you'lll see even less of the officers in the field.

As of last June, WDFW LE had 18 officers eliglble for retirement and 3 vacant positions. With the pending state budget deficit, WDFW is going to get hit to help save money. In June, the projected WDFW cut was about $2M, with LE having to save $350K. LE will do that by not filling vacant positions and cutting costs in other areas. FY 09/11 is projecting a $10M deficit in the Wildlife Fund. LE might be facing up to $1.5M in cuts.

WDFW gets funding from the wildlife fund and the general fund. In the state budget, approximately 1.4% of general fund monies goes to the various natural resource agencies in the state.

In round figures, there are approximately 120 officers to cover the state. Their contract doesn't provide for much in the way of overtime $$. They are stretched pretty thin. Seasonal demands pull them off the waters during fall hunting seasons. When doing boat patrols, they need at least two officers per vessel. When you factor in training, travel time to get to a patrol area, the other duties besides LE that they are tasked with, it is very apparent why you don't see them very often. If an officer has to drive for an hour or so to get to a patrol area and then the same time to get home, 2+ hours out of the 8 hour day become travel time. It doesn't take long to eat up the other 6 hours with contacts being made and maybe a couple of tickets written.

If you want to get some more details on what LE is tasked with, you can look at the LE webpage at:

http://wdfw.wa.gov/enforcement/