Port considers $115,500 annual contract for dedicated Pangborn sheriff’s deputy

EAST WENATCHEE — The Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority is considering a contract with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office that would place a dedicated deputy at Pangborn Memorial Airport at an estimated annual cost of $115,508 after reimbursement from the Transportation Security Administration.

The proposal is intended to give Pangborn a more consistent law enforcement presence and improve the airport’s ability to meet TSA response requirements as commercial air service expands.

Port officials said they had previously explored hiring a regional security coordinator but received little interest in the position. Discussions then shifted toward contracting with the Sheriff’s Office for a deputy who would remain a Douglas County employee while spending much of the workweek at Pangborn.

The Port’s TSA security agreement requires access to law enforcement within a prescribed response period. CEO Jim Kuntz said that can be difficult under the current arrangement when deputies are responding to calls elsewhere in the county.

The issue is becoming more pressing as Pangborn prepares to add daily nonstop service to Portland on Oct. 3 while retaining its two existing daily Seattle flights.

Airport Director Trent Moyers said a deputy working about six hours per weekday could provide a law enforcement presence for roughly 15 of the airport’s 21 weekly commercial flights.

“This looks to me like, just based on if the new flight is successful and we have the six hours per day, that’s three flights,” Moyers said. “It comes out to about 15 of the 21 flights we would have a law enforcement officer present, which is a lot better than what we’ve had previously.”

Moyers said the arrangement would both support the airport’s TSA obligations and provide the Sheriff’s Office with an additional deputy.

Douglas County Sheriff Tyler Caille said the deputy would remain fully employed and supervised by Douglas County, creating a clearer division of responsibility than previous airport law enforcement arrangements.

“I think this eliminates quite a bit of gray out of the issue that we ran under for a lot of years,” Caille said. “It makes a much brighter line. The port district has a contract and is requesting services from the sheriff’s office. We provide those services.”

Caille said the proposed position would be incorporated into his department’s budget and could potentially be filled by either a new recruit or an experienced lateral hire.

If the position is filled by a new recruit, the timeline could extend into next year because the candidate would need to complete the state law enforcement academy. A lateral officer could begin much sooner.

Caille told commissioners he is working against a county budget deadline and needs to account for the position in his preliminary spending plan.

The Port already owns much of the equipment needed to outfit the deputy, including a body camera, Taser, handgun, long gun and portable radio. Caille said a vehicle would likely be added during the second year of the agreement rather than included in the initial cost.

The deputy would not simply stand at the TSA checkpoint throughout the shift.

Officials discussed additional duties including assisting with airport badging, security reviews and patrols of other Port properties in Douglas County. Moyers said Pangborn processes and vets roughly 400 airport badges, creating an administrative workload that a deputy could help reduce.

Caille said a deputy assigned to Pangborn could also patrol other Regional Port properties in Douglas County, such as the Trades District, while remaining available to respond at the airport.

The deputy would not be used to provide law enforcement coverage on Regional Port properties in Chelan County, Caille said, because the employee would remain a Douglas County sheriff’s deputy.

Officials also discussed how absences would be handled. Caille said sick or vacation shifts could be offered to other deputies as overtime assignments. If no replacement were available, Pangborn would temporarily return to its current system of relying on deputies responding from elsewhere in the county.

Longer term, Caille said he would like to cross-train more deputies in airport operations.

“If you take money out of the equation, and I just look at the public safety component and the growth of our valley and how we can grow together, seven-day-a-week, 365-day coverage is what I envision would be the best solution,” Caille said.

He said broader airport training would also give more deputies familiarity with Pangborn’s secured areas, improving the department’s ability to respond to emergencies.

Moyers said the Sheriff’s Office could also be incorporated into the airport’s regular meetings with TSA, airlines and terminal personnel so all agencies remain informed about airport operations.

The proposal was presented as an informational item Tuesday, and no final contract was approved.

Port officials indicated they intend to continue developing the agreement with the Sheriff’s Office.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media