State needs more law officers

There was a time many years ago when our state was generally safe and did not have a serious crime problem. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, that was then and this is now.

Washington is among the nation’s leaders in several crimes, including auto theft and retail theft.

While the nation’s violent crime rate dropped slightly from 2021 to 2022, our state saw an increase, according to the FBI.

According to a report by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, there were 394 murders in Washington in 2022, an increase of 16.6% over 2021. This is the highest number of murders recor...