Walla Walla County weighs high-tech lifeline for sheriff’s deputies
By Dan Thesman on Thursday, April 9th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA — The Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners is considering a proposal to equip sheriff’s deputy patrol vehicles with Starlink satellite internet to eliminate persistent communication dead zones that the Walla Walla County Technology Services Director Chad Goodhue says pose a grave risk to officer safety.
Presented during Monday’s action agenda, the plan would transition deputies from traditional cellular carriers to T-Mobile’s satellite-backed service. Goodhue commented that nearly one-third of the county lacks reliable radio or cellular coverage, leaving deputies unable to use mobile data terminals (MDTs) to receive critical dispatch updates or file reports during shifts.
“I’m surprised we haven’t had anything catastrophic happen to date,” Goodhue said. “Starlink works everywhere. It allows the deputies in an emergency to be able to text from their phone when they’re away from their vehicle and they don’t have radio coverage.”
While commissioners expressed support for the safety benefits, the $43,519 initial setup cost and $33,698 annual fee sparked a tense debate over funding. With the 2026 budget already finalized and recently cut by five percent, Sheriff Mark Crider issued a warning when asked how the WWCSO would fund the technology.
“We don’t have any money,” Crider said via remote testimony. “We will either cut bodies, which means probably cutting services. There’s no other place to find $50,000 to $70,000 out of the sheriff’s office budget.”
Commissioner Bertha Clayton questioned if the WWCSO could wait for cheaper alternatives but ultimately agreed to table the decision for one week. The board requested a formal budgetary proposal to determine how to absorb the costs in 2027 and beyond.
