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Surrey wrestles with dwindling police force

By JILL SCHRAMM 4 min read

SURREY - The City of Surrey is looking at a skeletal police force with the recent resignation of three officers and the desire of its part-time police chief to enter retirement soon.

At the end of August, Surrey expects to have just one part-time officer under its part-time chief, which will force the community to rely on the Ward County Sheriff's Department for backup coverage.

Police Chief Kevin Howe, who has 47 years of law enforcement experience, started his career in Surrey in 1979. He came back in 2014 for four years and again as chief in 2020. He said he hadn't made up his mind about retiring, but with the resignations, he feels it is time.

"I'm not turning in my resignation right away. I want to see the applicants come in, but I am thinking I can't do it past October 2 by myself," Howe told the council at a special meeting Monday, Aug. 24, to accept the resignations.

The council indicated it would proceed with filling two officer positions. Because it could be October or November until officers are hired, the council won't fill the third position, which is scheduled to be eliminated in January.

In drafting a 2027 spending plan, the council determined it needs to eliminate an officer to save $60,000-$80,000 and balance its budget. However, police officers at Monday's meeting denied the budget cut is driving their resignations.

"We are not leaving because of money. We are leaving because of disrespect," officer Paul Cooper said.

During the emotional and sometimes heated meeting, officers accused the council of making negative remarks and showing a negative attitude toward them. They and their supporters demanded apologies, which grew to demands for a full council resignation as the meeting went along.

Council member Brady Morgan said the stress over the budget may have led to some of the tension between the council and officers.

"It got way more about numbers and way less about people and their feelings. So, I will apologize to the police. It probably came off not right at all," Morgan said.

Council member Tammy Hein-Sack, who handles the council's police portfolio, defended her decision to contact the Ward County Sheriff's Department about potential coverage, saying it was out of a need to have a plan after cutting an officer position and not out of disrespect.

"To have officers sit here today and say that we don’t respect the blue is heart-wrenching to me," said an emotional Hein-Sack. "Because I do respect the blue and if there was anything I could do to keep a full police department and the part-time employees, we would have done it."

Mayor Mike Thiesen said the city's decision to cut its police coverage was a financial decision.

"It was not an ideal situation. We were hoping that in the next year the state would have opened up some exceptions for police force, which would allow us to bring in some more money," he said of the state's 3% tax increase cap.

"It's not just a Surrey problem," he added. "There's at least 12 other communities in the state right now in this last budget cycle that have had to reduce force in the police department or completely eliminate them."

Surrey officers noted the sheriff's department will only respond to 911 calls, leaving a gap in the services they provide.

Community members worried backup by the sheriff's office would come too late. They aired desperate pleas for a police force to respond when there are life-and-death emergencies or an armed robbery like one that occurred a few years ago. They voiced concerns about crime increasing if the city lacks enforcement.

"The public knows why we need an extra backup officer on nights," Howe said, recounting a dangerous incident that almost cost one officer his life last year. "And you wonder why we want to have another officer to back us up that isn't in Kenmare or Makoti. We realize it costs money, but we also want to go home to our families, and we're here to protect you."

"You are not saying anything we don't understand," council member Steve Fennewald said. "Spreading false rumors as far as 'We don't like the police. We have no money. We don't care. We don't back the blue - that does absolutely no good on social media for us to find officers to help us."

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