SOUTH BEND - Pacific County Sheriff Scott Johnson graciously accepted to do a lengthy interview with the Willapa Harbor Herald. Johnson, who graduated from South Bend High School in 1980, is also a graduate of the Washington State Sheriff's School in 2010, the National Sheriff's Institute, in Aurora, Colo., the Rural Executive Management Institute, in Denver, Colo., the University of Arkansas Mid + Executive Police Management in Little Rock Arkansas, the Washington State Patrol Trooper Basic, Shelton, Wash., 1982, and the Washington Criminal Justice Training Commission Reserve Academy of 1982.
Sheriff Johnson discussed a wide-range of topics for our readers. Here is Part II of II.
Should the laws on domestic violence be stricter so that spouses (predominantly men) can't get away with beating up their married partner?
"While there are often minor language changes that need to be made to existing laws, Washington was quite proactive and ahead of the game when it wrote many of the current domestic violence laws. I feel the current laws, as they are, are very effective in most situations. They apply equally to men and women. Some people don't recognize that there are men that are the victims of domestic violence as well. No one should get away with any spousal abuse, or abuse of their partner, period. The PCSO along with the local police departments work well with the Crisis Support Network. Their Executive Director, Kathryn Burr, has done an excellent job bringing all of our law enforcement partners together to improve training, call response, case review, and the overall working relationship we enjoy."
Does the State Legislature do enough to help law enforcement? Can and should they do more?
"I'm prejudiced on this one. Any Sheriff will always want more help and more
resources, especially those of us that feel we under-serve. I will tell you though that we have a great team of state officials in Senator Dean Takko, Rep. Brian Blake, and Rep. J.D. Rossetti. Our state is once again facing a budget shortfall, and many important things (like proper school funding) need addressed. In my mind, rather than increase taxes we need to focus on getting the biggest bang for the buck.
"Some state programs need cut even more or eliminated. If we are indeed going to start
this next legislative session with a 34 billion dollar revenue shortfall, some tough cuts need made. I'm also tired of all of the metro areas getting resources. I look at all the beauty bark being placed along the freeways in Olympia, Vancouver, and elsewhere when our roads are falling apart. Have you driven to Grayland on S.R. 105, or taken a ride out Highway 6 to Pe Ell? Our roads, our infrastructure, is falling apart. These are our gateways in and out of the area for commerce and tourism.
"It's the same for law enforcement. People won't come here if they don't feel safe and secure. It's imperative we regain the Rural Drug Task Force monies. An inadequate compliment of deputies can't provide meaningful reductions in crime...and while I am generally against tax increases, the Tim Eyman initiative that capped property tax increases at 1% does not make sense...it does not keep pace with inflation and every year causes local government to struggle. Sheriff Mark Nelson of Cowlitz County lamented that today he has far fewer deputies and a significantly higher county population than when his father was sheriff in the late 1970's. Something is wrong with this picture and for all of us to restore what we have lost will require the help of our state senators and representatives."
What types of things do law enforcement address that aren't discussed that are under the radar or don't make the headlines?
"There's pretty much something every single day that is unusual or surprising, and most of it isn't headline news. I've pretty much found that nothing surprises me anymore. It's what makes the job exciting though."
How is your budget going? Do you need more money, if so, how much, and for what? How has the budget gone up or down during your reign as Sheriff?
"We are living within our means. Every year some non-debatable costs increase. Things like insurance policies and health care costs. Those things are negotiated when possible, but they still usually result in an increase. Our personnel budget fluctuates based on the number of authorized positions, but whenever an increase in wages is negotiated between the county and the union the budget increases.
"Overall though, we are always trying to maintain services and hold the line on the budget. Cost increases have often outpaced our Operating budget, but we have managed by forgoing some budgeted items to pay for other unanticipated expenses. Chief Deputy Denise Rowlett does an excellent job of keeping us on track, as we often have a margin of error that is less than 2.5%. The county eliminated the "13th month" (which used to be January), which allowed us time for some course corrections. This means even one day's expenditures could put us over budget.
"My biggest concern is overtime expenditures. There is no way to project our future needs. We often need to respond to calls in the middle of the night and that adds up quickly. We don't have the manpower to cover those hours any other way. We closely watch when and where most of our calls for service come in, and we try to allocate our resources accordingly. My goal would be for us to have two deputies on countywide 24 hours a day. That seems to be a very reasonable goal and it would take a ton of stress off of our patrol staff. Undersheriff Clark has used the analogy of the personnel budget being like wringing out a wet towel for coverage...eventually you can twist it all you want and nothing more comes out."
Over the years, a lot of citizens have complained that the Sheriff's Office and local police departments have too big of a budget, too many deputies and police on the road, and too many over-expensive vehicles in the sheriff's office for such a small area. How do you defend outbursts against those stances? Or, does Pacific County actually need more law enforcement, especially on a 24/7 basis?
"You get what you pay for. My job is to provide the best law enforcement possible for the best price I can. Back in 2009, when this office was fully staffed, we provided far better service to the public than we do today. That doesn't mean we don't do everything to the best of our ability, but sometimes calls outpace our resources. I have occasionally heard, "too many police around here," but that is only the superficial appearance. South Bend is the county seat, and therefore the "beehive" of law enforcement activity. The reality is much more harsh. We do our best to cover the outlying areas, but proactive patrolling and being visible is impossible when calls are waiting. We struggle to provide the level of service I feel the public deserves. Unless you are a crime victim, you probably will not recognize that. We are often "call responsive" with pending calls on the board waiting for a response from our deputies. Some days it is not uncommon to have people wait hours for us to get to their call for service.
"While we do prioritize calls, there are few calls we don't respond to. This is very different from some agencies that have long lists of call types that they won't go out on. Property crimes (burglaries, car prowls / break-ins, motor vehicle thefts, etc.) are often on Do Not Respond lists. Instead you are expected to file a report online and no officer comes out to meet with you. To me, this is very impersonal and shows a 'we don't care' attitude. It also promotes an attitude of 'Why should I call? ...they didn't come out last time.' I also notice that the Do Not Respond lists just get longer as staffing doesn't get addressed. I don't want that here and I'm going to make sure that in most all cases we personally respond to every call for service, even if they have to wait for it.
"In regard to vehicles, we have a mixed fleet of vehicles, many of which have exceeded their original projected lifespan. We've been through a recession, and like everyone else, the county has gone through some tough financial times.
"During my tenure, the depreciation life of a vehicle has increased from four years to five, and now from five years to seven. Our fleet is projected to have an accumulated 2.7 million miles on it at the end of this year. This past quarter we patrolled 96,600 miles. Eleven of our patrol cars are 2007 and 2008 models. One thing we worked hard on is care and maintenance of what we have. Some of us have had to stretch the life out of our personal vehicles, and that means we have to pay close attention to how we care for them.
"The PCSO increased service intervals to 5,000 miles because the data showed no adverse impact on the vehicle, and a huge savings in O+M (operation and maintenance). We also require routine cleaning, polishing, and disinfecting of our fleet. This has also had the effect of citizens commenting on our "new" vehicles that are actually eight or nine years old. While it makes me proud, it also creates a (misconception) that we have a fleet of new vehicles...we don't. The changes I outlined combined with using removable "wraps" for our livery that lessen paint damage has significantly improved our resale value. Used patrol cars that often sold for $300 to $600 dollars at auction are now bringing in around $8,000. This helps significantly when it is time to replace a vehicle.
"A patrol car is a deputy's office. Today's modern patrol cars have computers, printers, mapping hardware, multiple radios, and a host of electronic devices. Our unique geography that includes lots of forest land and over 30 miles of ocean beach require us to have vehicles that will get us where we need to go. There's no time to go back to the office to check out a 4x4 when needed. One day I observed one of our sergeants was called into the woods three separate times in one shift. We have had to handle a variety of calls off-road ranging from fatalities to cedar thefts. We also need to carry a very large payload of objects from flares to fingerprint kids, especially because we are not often close to an office when we need something. Much consideration is given to the type of vehicles we purchase. Ground clearance is a huge factor. So is the number of people we can detain and place in the back seat.
"What we have to remember here is that if you or I purchased any of the types of vehicles the Sheriff's Office uses, we would pay significantly more. I'm not suggesting that our purchases are cheap...they're not. But they are sold to us through state bid at a fraction of the cost of what we would pay through a dealer. It's the benefit of buying hundreds of similar vehicles at one time. It means limited choices (only one interior color for example) on options, but the savings are well worth it, and like I mentioned I make certain we respect and take care of our vehicles so that they last a long time and also still have value at the end of their life."
Has the Pacific County Emergency Management operation been successful? Is it overstaffed or under-budgeted?
"Yes, but the true measure of our efforts are only shown in the face of a disaster. I am very lucky to have been able to work with PCEMA Chief Deputy Stephanie Fritts my entire time as Sheriff. Many people don't know she is only part-time because she works so hard and passionately at what she does. Chief Fritts is also the part-time Director of 911 Communications.
"Pacific County is one of few counties, possibly even the only county in the state, that does not have a full time director. For PCEMA, Stephanie has a full-time Deputy Director, Scott McDougal, and a part-time Americorp volunteer Jessica Rowlett. PCEMA is governed by the PCEMA Administrative board, which has representatives from each city in the county and members of the Board of County Commissioners. Much of the operational expenses for the agency is from dedicated federal funding. Staff works hard on educating citizens how to take care of themselves in an emergency, on what resources are available, and what to expect in the aftermath of a disaster. Response plans are reviewed and updated on a regular basis."
What type of advice to offer to young students who are looking forward to a career in law enforcement?
"It can be a very rewarding career in public service. Today is a difficult time to try to recruit people. The long lines that would form when a law enforcement position opened up are no longer. We try hard to find the very best when we hire. Citizenship, honesty, and trustworthiness all play a huge role. I would rather have a position vacant than one filled by the wrong person. I would encourage students to mentor with an officer or deputy, and to join up with a police Explorer program when possible. The Kiwanis Youth Law Enforcement Career Camp is an excellent opportunity to find out more about the profession and get a foot in the door. Study the basics like math and spelling, we can teach you the rest."
Johnson's term ends at midnight, December 31, 2018.
"My focus is about the tasks and challenges we are facing today, though I would be honored to serve another term."
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