GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY, Wash. — Grays Harbor County Sheriff Darrin Wallace is sounding the alarm about what proposed budget cuts would do to his department, should they be approved.

The county is facing an $8 million budget shortfall for 2026, and one proposal would seek to make up nearly a quarter of that spending through the sheriff's department budget. The Board of County Commissioners asked the agency to reduce its operating budget by $2.16 million for the next fiscal year.

Wallace is pushing back, arguing the proposed cuts would amount to a public safety issue if they are implemented. The Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office would lose seven patrol deputies and two corrections officers as a result of the budget reduction, he said.

This would leave "large portions of the county" withou

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