— by Lin McNulty, updated Feb. 26 at 9 a.m. —
Sheriff Ron Krebs, right, along with Council Member Rick Hughes, speaks to a concerned crowd at the Senior Center.
A curious and concerned crowd gathered at the Senior Center last night to listen to Sheriff Ron Krebs address the delayed response by deputies to a recent armed home invasion.
The incident occurred on February 9 when a local resident, a recently hired OPALCO employee, was awakened by an armed, masked, and gloved intruder standing over his bed, gun pointed at his head, voicing intimidating threats. Two days later, the OPALCO building was sprayed with additional threatening graffiti.
After a 13-minute 911 call with the victim, determining that the suspect was no longer on the scene, the dispatcher “advised” the on-call supervisor of the incident, but did not initiate a dispatch. Arrangements were made for the complainant to meet with a deputy later in the morning to file a report.
This delayed response to a potentially life-threatening incident is not in keeping with the policies and procedures of the Sheriff’s Office, expressed Sheriff Krebs. “We all take this very, very seriously,” Krebs stressed. Skagit County Sheriff’s Office has been enlisted to conduct an internal investigation at Krebs’ request.
Meanwhile, a change has been made in policy and procedure: the Dispatcher will no longer need to call the supervisor until AFTER a deputy has been dispatched. Although there are times when no deputy is on patrol, there is always one on-call with a mandate to respond within ten minutes of the notification.
The problem was a “system problem, not a personnel issue,” said Krebs. As a result, funding has been obtained to hire an additional dispatcher so there are always two on duty. One life-threatening EMS call in the middle of the night can easily tie up a dispatcher who may be giving telephone CPR instructions, dispatching EMS units, and arranging for medical evacuation.
Many audience members shared their thoughts and feelings about Krebs’ willingness to stand in front of the Orcas community and answer any questions. “A mistake was made. Let’s move on,” said Bob Phalan.
For now, the Sheriff’s Office has no viable leads on the suspect, but continues to diligently work through the case, conducting interviews with anyone who may be seen as remotely knowledgeable. A pledge of $25,000 is currently offered as a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of this person.
Anyone with information is asked to call the anonymous tip line at 360-370-7629, or at 360-378-4151.
Sheriff’s Kreb’s Senior Center meeting on the delayed response to the recent Orcas home invasion was very welcome. The Sheriff has honest and forthright. He shouldered responsibility and protected his team. Clearly mistakes were made in how this scary incident has handled. The fact that the Sheriff has been quick to acknowledge mistakes and did not offer excuses, or rationalizations was refreshing, and confidence building. The meeting was a great reminder that it is not the mistake we make that get us in trouble as much as our efforts to hide our mistakes. Thanks Rob for your impressive leadership.
Equally impressive at this meeting was the response of the Orcas citizens who attended. Their concern about this incident was palpable, but their respect for our local deputies and the sacrifices they make to keep us safe was impressive. While the national news is frequently peppered with examples of strained relationships between citizens and law enforcement, we should all appreciate the mutual respect that was present at this potentially combustible meeting. Now if we can only all work together to identify the culprit ……..
Well said Paul. We need to support our Sheriff and make sure he is fully funded with each budget we pass.
I thought that Sheriff Krebs said that the dispatcher will no longer need to call a supervisor to send out a Deputy. This needs to be verified. Thank you
You are correct, Pierrette. And thank you. Sheriff Krebs verifies your statement, as follows:
“I just wanted to let you know that Pierrette’s comment on your article is accurate. The Dispatcher will no longer need to call the supervisor until AFTER a deputy has been dispatched.” –Sheriff Krebs
(The article has been updated to show the correct information)