LWV Orcas Forum: The Sheriff and His Challenger Come to Town

— by Margie Doyle and Lin McNulty —

Sheriff Rob Nou, left and Deputy Ron Krebs take questions from the LWV Forum audience.

At the League of Women voters of the San Juans (LWV-SJs) Candidates Forum on Oct. 8, Deputy Ron Krebs and Sheriff Rob Nou presented the current state of affairs at the Sheriff’s Office, and answered questions about their leadership of county law enforcement.

Krebs started off his presentation saying the three watchwords of his campaign for Sheriff are Commmunity, Leadership and Communication. He has been a  – Deputy  for eight years on San Juan Island. He pledged to work in and with communities;  to build coalitions with other agencies and taxing districts; to implement clear policies; and to provide a higher level of service.

Nou said it was an honor and a privilege to serve as County Sheriff.  Among his accomplishments as Sheriff he listed:

• preserving deputy and dispatch jobs;
• standardizing deputy training;
• adding mental health, active shooter, domestic violence, DUI and defense tactics to training programs;
• upgrading technology through computers in patrol cars for electronic reporting and an upgraded 911 system;
• implementing prevention programs and traffic safety programs resulting in fewer traffic fatalities.

When questioned about the integrity of the Sheriff’s Department, Krebs said that as Sheriff, he would hold himself to the highest  standards for leadership and communication. He would also implement clear policies. Nou defended the integrity of the department under his leadership, saying that information released to the public regarding  “the laundry  list of incidents” cited by the questioner, were based on the best information at the time. In the instance of the Guardian boat crash while on a Medivac mission, the patients did not sustain “aggravated injuries.” Nou said he “subsequently learned of injury to the EMT (Emergency Medical Technician).”

When Krebs said that Nou’s leadership was creating a morale problem by delays in communication, Nou countered that the delays were due in great part to the complexities of electronic reporting.

The issue of sensitivity to children as  policing is carried out was brought up. Nou said he was “sensitive to the vulnerability and sensibilities of kids.” Krebs said that as deputy there was no direction or policies guiding officers in such situations. “My job will be to set clear policies and provide better discretion from the top.”

Illegal drug use and sales is  not just a local problem, said Nou, but extends throughout the state and nation. “We are dealing …on a constant and ongoing basis,” to work with the community to make sure information is shared among the deputies and detectives. The Sheriff’s office must  establish patterns of traffic to support a  search warrant: Nou said, “The threshold to enter a house with a search warrant is burdensome.” The responsibility to protect the community from illegal drug use must be balanced by the right to be secure in one’s own home. “The issues are complex and time consuming,” he said.

Krebs faulted the current Sheriff for a lack of “communication between the administration and the community and even less communication among deputies.” He pledged to hold as many town halls and similar meetings as requested by the community and to keep a deputy presence in the neighborhood to put pressure on “drug houses.” He said, “They will keep moving and they will leave.

“The drug problem is always with us; that doesn’t mean you don’t do anything about it.”

The next question brought up staffing levels on Lopez and Orcas Islands. Nou said there are limited personnel, who also have time off, sick leave and training demands on their time. “You can only split the deputies so far.”

Krebs claimed that there have been staffing issues for several years on Lopez/Orcas. He pointed out that the Undersheriff, Detectives and Sheriff himself, are also sworn officers and can cover shifts. “If I have to leave my desk, if that’s what it takes, that’s what you do,” he said.

How the arson fires and thefts last year in Olga and follow-up to the community were addressed by the two candidates for Sheriff. Krebs said that the information which came from the Orcas Fire Dept was investigated by the Sheriff’s office.Further information to the public, “should come from us [the County Sheriff’s office],” Krebs said.

Nou said that the Sheriff’s office detectives engaged the Orcas Fire Department, ATF [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives} and Crime Labs in investigating the crimes. He said the Sheriff’s office did attend a local meeting to address concerns about the incident.