Merger with Twisp police department again discussed

By Don Nelson

The resignation of Winthrop Marshal Rikki Schwab, which again leaves the town with only one law enforcement officer, is prompting another discussion about whether the Twisp and Winthrop police departments should merge their operations.

Schwab, who became marshal in May 2014, confirmed at last week’s Town Council meeting that she is resigning effective Friday (July 24). Schwab said she will join her husband in southern California, where he is employed.

Schwab’s departure leaves only Deputy Ken Bajema to patrol Winthrop. The town had recently solicited applications for the position vacated by former Deputy Mark Harreus in February.

Rather than begin searching for both a marshal and a deputy, Mayor Sue Langdalen said this week that now is the time to consider whether the two departments should merge.

Langdalen said she’s not necessarily in favor of a merger, but added that “everything is an option right now.”

Langdalen and Twisp Mayor Soo Ing-Moody met last week to begin discussions on a possible merger, and will meet again soon, Langdalen said.

“Nothing is set in stone,” Langdalen said. “We’re just trying to find out the best way to go. I would hate to lose our department, but we can’t keep going down the same road.”

Langdalen was referring to frequent turnover in the Winthrop Marshal’s Office, which has three full-time officers when fully staffed, and the disruption that it causes.

In an interview this week, Schwab said she has enjoyed her tenure in Winthrop and has great affection for the community. But she has rarely seen her husband since their marriage, she said, and decided that California “was just too far to go back and forth.”

Schwab, who has a master’s degree in applied clinical psychology, said she will continue working on a doctoral degree in neuro-clinical psychology, which requires an internship. She said she is retiring from law enforcement, which has been her profession for 15 years, and hopes to work in the mental health field.

Pluses, and minuses

Schwab said that she came to Winthrop “to renew my faith in humanity” after working in a big-city law enforcement environment for most of her career. “And that has happened ten-fold,” she said. “The people here are remarkable, compassionate community members … I’ve seen a whole different side of people here … the town and the people are amazing.”

Schwab said she was pleased to have accomplished some goals, such as acquiring new patrol vehicles and pursuing criminal investigations having to do with drugs and burglaries.

But Schwab said she believes she could have accomplished more were it not for the actions of some town council members who questioned her about policies and decisions. “There was so much unnecessary resistance on the council … It makes it difficult to do what needs to be done,” Schwab said.

Schwab said she felt like she wasn’t always being given the latitude or support to do her job in the professional manner she saw fit. Asked if she thought some of the “resistance” might be gender-related, Schwab said that it was sometimes “in the back of my mind.”

One particular issue, Schwab said, was that some council members raised questions about Winthrop officers responding to calls elsewhere in the valley. All of the local law enforcement agencies have agreements for mutual aid, she said, which means they back each other up when necessary. “It’s not logical” to restrict the movements of the town’s officers, she said. “It’s unfortunate that there is a mentality that we should be isolated … it’s just not a good thing to do when you are protecting people.”

Merger not needed?

Schwab said she doesn’t think it’s necessary to merge with the Twisp Police Department if the marshal’s office is given the support it needs. “I’m not so sure it’s a good idea but I understand why they would want to look at it,” she said.

“Winthrop can function on its own,” Schwab added. “I think it works better with each town having their own schedule. I hope the town doesn’t give up on having a good police department.”

That will more difficult, she said, as long as “some council members will not refrain from tearing the police department down … I felt like it was a battle for things that just make common sense” — a problem that the next marshal will need “thick skin” to deal with, she said.

Schwab didn’t name names, but over the past year questions have been most frequently raised by council members Vern Herrst and Mike Strulic.

At last week’s council meeting (July 15), Herrst suggested holding a town meeting to get input on the best approach to police enforcement. He also suggested that the council hold an executive session to explore ideas that he doesn’t want aired in the newspaper.

The state’s open meeting law only allows special sessions to discuss specific topics including some personnel issues. There is no provision in the law for general discussions that council members don’t want the public to hear.

After last week’s meeting, Strulic told Schwab that “We haven’t always seen eye to eye, but I wish you the best.”

At the meeting, council member Rick Northcott said he wasn’t sure a public meeting is necessary to discuss police matters because the council was elected to make decisions about such things. Northcott said he supported looking into a merger of the Twisp and Winthrop departments.

Schwab said that issues related to former deputy Harreus had nothing to do with her leaving. Harreus, who was dismissed from the department earlier this year, had raised questions about how the marshal’s office operated and at one point filed a whistleblower’s report. (At last week’s meeting, the council learned that the Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings has dismissed an appeal by Harreus. According to the office’s legal notice, Harreus withdrew his request for a hearing.)

Schwab said she will be available to help follow up with Bajema on continuing investigations.