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Serving Orcas, Lopez and San Juan County
WEDNESDAY, November 11, 2015 VOL. 48, NO. 45 75¢ islandssounder.com
COUNTY NEWS | Council upholds ban on pesticides; responds to lawsuit [2] CRIME | San Juan County Sheriff ’s Log [3] ENVIRONMENT | Bats in the San Juan Islands [9] ARTS | Upcoming concerts on Orcas [10 and 11]
Year in review with undersheriff Johnson by MEREDITH M. GRIFFITH Sounder contributor
When Sheriff Ron Krebs took the helm of the San Juan County Sheriff ’s Office this January, he appointed Lead Detective Brent Johnson his second in command as undersheriff. The Sounder asked Johnson to share his perspective on the past year. One of his top messages to the community was this: “We have good deputies. They’re here to serve, and they really do try to serve. As a whole, the deputies are good people. We want people to call, and we’re here to serve, and we will listen to you and try to make things better if we can.” As undersheriff, Johnson said he helps Krebs hammer out decisions on department policy, and he also provides support to the deputies, helping provide them with needed training and equipment. He said the most critical law enforcement issues he sees facing our community are domestic violence, alcohol and drugs and driving under the influence. Not surprisingly, Johnson also said drug and alcohol abuse is one of the main drivers behind domestic violence. As for how the changing of the guard has affected the law enforcement department, said Johnson, “I would hope the community as a whole would realize that Sheriff Krebs has looked at the department, and he is trying to address things in the department that have
become weak, that have not been addressed in the past four years. We had to correct a lot of those issues.” Johnson said at the top of their list for reform was communication: with the community; with groups like DVSAS, EMS and fire and inter-department communication with deputies on staff. “Some organizations basically stopped hearing from us, and that was a real shame,” he said. Johnson said that at the beginning of 2015, the San Juan Island EMS department was not making use of the sheriff ’s boat for emergencies due to an earlier breakdown in communication. “Now we have good communications, and a boat policy,” he said. “We also have training requirements for all the people that use that boat. We are back together as a full team.” Johnson said that he believes this year, deputies are handling calls better and doing a better job of listening to the public better, adding, “I think the public is happier with us… We’re not perfect and we’re not going to solve all crimes. I wish we could. But we are definitely trying to do the right thing, and trying to do things the right way.” In regard to domestic violence, Johnson said he and Krebs have been working to develop more effective policies and ways to follow state RCWs, as the existing county protocol was “way outdated.” He said discussions with
Contributed photo
Left: Undersheriff Brent Johnson.
DVSAS have helped the department better understand domestic violence dynamics so they can improve deputy response. “Domestic violence can be a very dangerous call for us, but also affects so many people in our community,” said Johnson. “No matter the economic standing, color, background, [domestic violence] crosses all economic lines. We really have to keep our eyes open and be fair, listen to what’s going on and what’s being told to us.” He wants people to know that the law very specifically requires that, in any domestic violence situ-
ation, if the officer can establish who is the primary aggressor, that person must be arrested. “To me, what makes police work very unique, is that we as police officers must protect the suspect as well as the victim, and that is kind of unique in our system,” he said. “When someone is accused of a crime, I work for him too, at that point. We have to protect both sides.” He added, “Our ultimate hope is not to put someone in jail, although that is sometimes necessary, but how can we help this family so it doesn’t continue to happen, so they can live in peace
Orcas Vikings finish up fall season by MARTY ZIER Sports contributor
Amy Masters/Contributed photo
Viking Ivan Bullock during the game against La Conner.
The Orcas Cross Country team was proud to send Stephen Hohman, Jr. to the State Championship meet on Nov. 7 where he finished 89th out of 150 participants. “The meet was fun despite Stephen Jr. not having his best day Saturday, but it was a great learning experience for him as well as us,” said Coach Steve Hohman. “This was a very good first year for the kids and Orcas Island Cross Country. Overall I would say we are in excellent shape heading into next season. We look forward to continuing to work with this great group of kids and hope they stick with running over the offseason.” The Vikings boys soccer team ended their strong season with a playoff loss to Friday Harbor 3-1 on Nov. 4 and finished 4th in league at 11-5. The Viking football team traveled to La Conner on Nov. 5 to decide the league championship and lost to the Braves 39-14 in a night game under the lights. “It was great to see all the fans and family members at the game,” said Coach Justin Frausto. “It was huge to be in position to play for the
SEE VIKINGS, PAGE 5
and have a decent family experience?” Though women do sometimes offend, he said that in his experience, primary aggressors, as a rule, are male. As for drug use in the county, Johnson said, “It’s very difficult to work on those, because … the folks who are doing drugs know who we are, they know where we live, they go to school with our kids. We have to depend a lot on informants, because we can’t buy drugs from somebody unless they’re really stupid.” He said that community members sometimes express frustration with the process of working to apprehend drug abusers, but explained, “Even if they’re drug users, they have rights. We can’t just walk up and [search them]. We don’t want to become a police state; we have certain federal and state rules we have to follow… We have rights in this country to be secure in our homes, our cars, and in our person. Homes are very protected for obvious reasons, so nine times out of 10 it means a search warrant.” For the sheriff ’s department to create a drug purchase sting operation requires extensive documentation, every step of which must follow protocol exactly and then be verified by a judge within 14 days.
SEE JOHNSON, PAGE 7
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