On the books, Ephrata PD fully staffed

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.