UPDATE: Kennewick Benton County sheriff’s office open to the public again
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office in Kennewick opened to the public again on Thursday.
The Prosser office remains closed. Officials haven’t said whether they have started taking concealed pistol license applications again.
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The Benton County Sheriff’s Office is shutting its doors because of a staff shortage caused by “COVID exposure.”
The sheriff’s office shared the news in a Friday Facebook post that said the Kennewick and Prosser offices were shut to the public until Aug. 16 because of a lack of employees.
It’s not clear how many staff members were exposed or contracted the virus. The notice says the decision was made to ”minimize the risk to the community and our employees.”
Officials were in the process of rescheduling concealed pistol licensing and fingerprinting appointments that were supposed to happen during the two-week closure.
“We will keep you posted on any changes to the above closure date,” the notice said. “Thank you for your continued support.”
People were directed to contact the records department at 509-735-6555 or by email at bcsorecords@co.benton.wa.us with questions.
Details about the closure weren’t shared with other departments, according to county officials.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office previously stopped taking new pistol licenses in early 2020 shortly after the governor’s stay-at-home order. They restarted in August 2020.
While they did cut back on some of personal contact, they kept lobbies open, according to a memo from Sheriff Jerry Hatcher at the time.
This story was originally published July 30, 2021 at 5:17 PM.