Op-Ed: Being Shot in the Chest a ‘Wake-Up Call’ to Staffing Crisis at County Sheriff’s Office

Posted on August 19, 2015

Note: The following op-ed was submitted to the Outpost by Bang Cao, a former deputy with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

There’s no wake-up call quite like being shot in the chest. On May 6th 2014, I woke up and realized just how dangerous my job was and just how lucky I was to be alive. That afternoon, after about 18 months on the job as a new Humboldt County Deputy Sheriff, I was serving a domestic violence restraining order on Kelly Lane in Shelter Cove with Sergeant Ken Swithenbank. We announced ourselves and attempted to serve papers, but the suspect pulled a gun and started shooting. I consider myself extremely lucky that I was at the side of Sergeant Swithenbank, and his 25 years of experience, that day. He knew exactly what to do, and because of that, we both made it home to our families. My Point Blank ballistic vest was credited for saving my life, but I also credit Sergeant Swithenbank.

Immediately after the shooting, I reevaluated what was most important. I realized two things that I think everyone can relate to. First, I wanted to spend more time with my family (who happen to live in the Bay Area) and second, I needed to be paid fairly for the risk I was willing to take in my position as an officer. That meant I needed to leave the county that I loved, where I lived for 11 years and had just purchased a home. I put out an application and was immediately

hired by a Bay Area Sheriff’s Office. From this distance, I have truly gained perspective on what is happening in Humboldt County.

Humboldt County residents, and especially Humboldt County Supervisors need to realize that Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is in the middle of a major staffing crisis. Even though the population has increased, Humboldt has fewer deputies on patrol (40) than any time in the last 40 years. Deputies know how dangerous remote areas like Garberville, Shelter Cove, Willow Creek and Hoopa can be, which is why they encourage Supervisors to go on a ride along with deputies patrolling these areas at night. You don’t need a ride along to understand what is happening out there. Volunteer firefighters used to be safe in their front yards at night in Willow Creek, and Alderpoint’s “Murder Mountain” used to be called Rancho Sequoia. With only 40 deputies employed to cover 4,000 square miles, usually there are no more than 8 Deputies on patrol at any given hour – and many of them are brand new.

As a rookie deputy, I frequently found myself on patrol way out in the middle of nowhere with the closest backup more than 30 minutes away. Being alone on patrol is exhilarating and having the freedom to act independently is empowering, but it is also very dangerous. I learned firsthand that experience matters. However, because of the danger of the job and because Humboldt County offers some of the lowest compensation packages of any law enforcement agency in the area, experienced deputies like Sergeant Swithenbank are a rare breed. Knowledgeable people are lured into safer jobs with other agencies, and they get a pay raise for doing so. At least 10 experienced deputies have left Humboldt for other communities within the last five years.

In my new position, when I call for backup, five to 10 officers will show up within a couple of minutes. In Humboldt County, you might get lucky and have a Fish & Game officer close by, or someone from the Forest Service, or a CHP officer – and they would still be 20-30 minutes away. My new, comparatively safer Bay Area job pays 50% more than my more dangerous Humboldt job. Being a Sheriff’s’ Deputy in Humboldt County is a challenging, underpaid position that relies on experience and local knowledge. If you want good community policing, you must find a way to keep the officers who know the area on the force. Losing all the experienced deputies to other communities doesn’t serve the honest citizens of Humboldt at all. Humboldt County residents get it. They stepped up and voted to tax themselves to fund better public safety services. So far, only a few rookie deputies have been hired with the funds, but they are still in the training program. That’s not good enough.

I’m grateful for the opportunity the Sheriff’s Office gave me, and want to see more brave deputies willing to take on the dangers of the job. The Board of Supervisors needs to find the courage to think outside the box and do what it takes to keep our experienced officers working in the community and coming home safely.