EPHRATA — The Ephrata Police Department is fully staffed, on paper, with two officers completing field training and one at the academy.  

“It’s exciting to finally get our numbers at a reasonable level,” Ephrata Police Chief Erik Koch said. “I am just trying not to count my chickens before they hatch, but we are excited. We are not seeing anything that is indicating that we are not going to get there.”  

Officers Ricky Barquet and Romen Hernandez have both graduated from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission Basin Law Enforcement Academy. Barquet graduated at the end of March, and Hernandez graduated in December. Both are working on completing their field training program.  

When officers get back from academy, they begin a two-week program to ensure they are familiar with EPD systems.  

“We are trying to set them up for success in the FTO program,” Koch said. 

Afterwards, the officer in training will be partnered with another officer for about three months to complete a field training program. The officer in the academy is expected to return at the end of July to complete his training with EPD.  

“By early fall, all of them, hopefully, will be working by themselves,” Koch said.  

Koch said the last time EPD was at full staff, 16 officers including a chief and a captain, was 2019. With the staffing vacancies, the department has had to get creative to fill holes.  

“Currently with, being down essentially three officers right now, that means we're having to take on some of the detective responsibilities on the patrol side, which complicates life,” Koch said. 

He also said the staffing shortage gets stressful when officers request time off or call out sick.  

“We run three-man crews, and we have a minimum staffing per shift of two officers. With one being absent, you have to find somebody else to adjust their schedule,” Koch said. “It obviously then makes it more complicated for us to schedule community events, like the bike rodeo, when you’re dealing with trying to get a full crew for patrol presence.” 

Overall, Koch said he is excited to get the three officers trained in and to alleviate some of the stress off his crew. 

“We are lucky to have the officers we have,” Koch said. “I am just excited to see the growth in our department.” 

    Officer Romen Hernandez, left, graduated from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission Basin Law Enforcement Academy in December. Ephrata Police Department Chief Erik Koch attended his ceremony.