Slashes in the King County budget may force Sheriff Sue Rahr to cut as many as 100 deputies from the county roster, she told members of the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce last week.

The Sheriff’s Department provides local law enforcement for the Finn Hill, Kingsgate and Juanita unincorporated areas of King County north of Kirkland.

Kirkland is not one of the number of cities throughout the county that contract with the Sheriff’s Department for additional law enforcement help, but the Kirkland Police Department does occasionally assist on calls in unincorporated King County. That level of service is not expected to change with the cutbacks, police chief Eric Olsen said.

In addition to covering 2,000 square miles of King County and providing direct service for about 500,000 residents, the Sheriff’s Department provides support services such as the SWAT team, computer investigation specialists and air support using the county’s helicopter.

The county’s 2009 budget has a predicted budget shortfall of $60 million, which means Rahr has been asked to cut $10 million from the department’s budget during the remainder of this year and in 2009, she said. To do that, Rahr said she’ll be forced to cut 100 deputy positions.

“We’re pretty panicked,” she said.