Paul Budrow
Please describe your professional experience, public service, and any other background relevant to this position.
I have 38 years of law enforcement experience and have been chief of police for Twisp for 11-plus years. I was director of emergency management and chief of police for the Upper Skagit Tribe for eight-plus years. I had to rebuild both agencies.
Other career experiences are as follows: Skagit Valley College adjunct instructor, teaching a multitude of different classes to law enforcement degree students, State Parks Academy cadets, and at the reserve police officer academy; regional training manager in advanced interactive systems (teach and evaluate police departments in use of force and other specialty trainings). Reserve police officer and deputy for Blue Earth Police Department and Faribault County (Minnesota), and was their training officer. Adjunct instructor, Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission academy. Skagit County Sheriff’s Office firearms instructor, SWAT team member, training officer and team leader, traffic unit and certified accident reconstructionist, reserve officer coordinator, police cadet coordinator (like Scouts, but for law enforcement), drug K-9 handler, search and rescue coordinator, active-shooter instructor and instructor in many of the above and other specialties. U.S. Navy (aviation antisubmarine warfare technician). Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office (Massachusetts) dive team leader/instructor, SWAT team member.
I have done all of the above while being fiscally responsible with the taxpayers’ money and communicating with the appropriate persons to justify the need for monies spent and or saved.
What are the three main issues for the Okanogan County sheriff, and what would you do to address them?
• The jail being severely restricted. This leads to all other crimes being heightened due to the fact the offenders know they will not have to go to jail and that there are no consequences for their actions.
• Communication with all the police departments, prosecutors’ office, judges, commissioners, and the community, which is currently poorly lacking. I will explain what the jail’s inefficiencies and its strengths are. I will work with the jail staff to come up with positive ideas for how to effectively handle the offenders as they are processed, due to our justice-system protocols and state laws. I will not violate my oath of office and will earn the trust of the Okanogan County citizens.
• Morale is very low within the Sheriff’s Office. I will get them the support, equipment and training they need to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, which will turn around the morale tremendously.
What makes you the best candidate for sheriff?
My experience in leadership and managing police departments and the ability to fix what is broken is unsurpassed by the opposing candidate. I have the knowledge and experience to remake and rebuild the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff oversees a large staff and several divisions. Please describe the managerial and financial skills you bring to the job.
I have written, managed, and been fiscally responsible for numerous departments, including the Twisp Police Department, for 11-plus years, with experience in fiscal budgets and oversight and management of grants.
How would you ensure that the Sheriff’s Office is adequately staffed, and what would you do to attract and retain qualified law enforcement professionals?
I am in the process of a building a marketing campaign to attract both new and lateral officers. I will build the morale of the deputies already working for the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office by letting them know that I will give them the tools and communicate with them so they are able to do their jobs. Once they know they are appreciated, they will also be our biggest recruiters. Due to my diverse experience outside of the county, I have the connections and resources available to me to be able to make contact and connections with high-quality officers who trust and support my new administration.
Does the Okanogan County jail adequately serve the county? What changes, if any, are needed to ensure that the jail provides necessary services to inmates and county residents?
No. The equipment, training and facilities are all lacking and will be completely fixed and/or identified to get funded as soon as possible. The building itself is outdated and does not work for the needs of Okanogan County.
Are there ways to preserve public safety while finding paths for people who’ve been in trouble with the law to become productive members of society?
Yes, working with all the community and outreach programs is already working and building a better communication and outreach in all of the county. Continued work needs to happen to bridge gaps in providing mental health care and opportunities to those in need.
How can the Sheriff’s Office address its needs within the county’s limited budget?
Better communication with the commissioners, and letting them know the needs of the Sheriff’s Office and helping them to work with the state Legislature to get more funding available to the county to meet the needs of the Sheriff’s Office.
How would you keep Okanogan County youths safe, both in and out of school?
I will do as I do here in the Methow. My officers will be encouraged to attend all the schools within the county to have lunch with the kids, go to special events the school hosts, and go to ball games and events within all county communities. I will provide community events to support and engage the youth of Okanogan County.
Please explain how you would approach laws in light of rights granted by the state and federal constitutions. Are there situations where you believe the Constitution grants you powers that differ from state law?
Every law that gets passed by the state Legislature should be reviewed by the sheriff. If the law is deemed to be unconstitutional, then the sheriff’s job is to be the stop-gap between bad law and good law. The decision not to enforce a law due to unconstitutionality will then be sent to the next level, which is the courts, to make the decision whether or not it is constitutional.
Do law enforcement officers have adequate tools to deal with public safety issues, including mental health situations and drug use?
Not completely, as the law’s changed in such a drastic way and we keep being put behind the curve, due to the fact the law change costs money and/or training to implement, but it is not funded and/or completely known what the trainings should consist of.
The ideas behind law changes are good, but the results of the changes have made our jobs more difficult. Decriminalizing drugs in hopes that the addicts would get help has backfired and is causing an escalation of crime. The law changes have not helped. Mental health and drug counseling help usually needs to be done by court order to get help for a person in crisis or who is addicted. Trainings should be focused on mental health, de-escalation, and identifying risk factors with all the EMS personnel at the same time.
Okanogan County Sheriff Tony Hawley
Please describe your professional experience, public service, and any other background relevant to this position.
I have served as Okanogan County sheriff for the past four years and earned executive-level certification. I am in my second term as an Okanogan School Board Director.
I began my career with the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office in the corrections division in March 1995. Since December 1996, I have served in many supervisory roles, including field training deputy, traffic deputy, collision reconstruction, drug recognition expert and instructor, basic collision investigation instructor, and special response team (SRT). After promotion to sergeant in January 2012, I supervised a patrol squad and served as SRT team leader, SRT team commander, field training program coordinator, and the DUI Court law enforcement liaison.
I earned my AA in general studies from the University of Phoenix, a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership criminal justice from Mountain State University, and a master’s degree in strategic leadership from Mountain State University.
As sheriff, I have continued my leadership training, completing the West Point Leadership course, FBI Command College, National Sheriff’s Institute sheriff’s course, and the national command course. I serve on the Washington State Law Enforcement Certification Board, Washington State Single Point Background Check Advisory Board, and Okanogan County Community Coalition.
What are the three main issues for the Okanogan County sheriff, and what would you do to address them?
• Dealing with drugs and drug-related crime. I will continue to engage the state Legislature through direct conversations and the Washington State Sheriff’s Association (WSSA) and the Washington State Sheriff’s and Police Chief’s Association (WASPC). I will continue to engage community stakeholders for assistance in working with the Legislature to understand the root cause of drug-related crime is a lack of ability for law enforcement to hold people accountable and enable investigations into trafficking of drugs and property. Most of the crime occurring is linked back to those trying to fund their substance-abuse addiction. Not all we deal with are amenable to treatment, so we also need to have the tools available to hold them accountable.
• Hiring. Continue working with the board of county commissioners (BOCC) to remain competitive and progressive with regard to compensation and employee well-being. The trend in public safety has moved toward signing and recruiting bonuses. We are continuing to work with the BOCC and civil service commissioners to remain competitive.
• Jail facility condition and population. Our corrections facility was originally built in 1984 for a very different population of inmates. We are currently conducting a jail-feasibility study to identify our needs in order to have a facility that can safely house those who are incarcerated while being able to deal with the challenges of housing people based on many issues — severity of crime, mental health, gang affiliations, and gender, to name a few.
What makes you the best candidate for sheriff?
I have the knowledge, experience, and relationships to continue in a positive direction for Okanogan County. I have the understanding for a 90-plus-person Sheriff’s Office that performs five distinctly different roles (law enforcement, corrections, communications, civil court services and records management), which requires a strong, flexible and knowledgeable team of professionals.
The sheriff oversees a large staff and several divisions. Please describe the managerial and financial skills you bring to the job.
Over my term, I have been directly involved with planning and management of the Sheriff’s Office divisions — patrol, corrections, communications, records, and search and rescue. There are multiple budgets, funds, and grants. As an Okanogan School Board director, I am involved with the school’s budget.
How would you ensure that the Sheriff’s Office is adequately staffed, and what would you do to attract and retain qualified law enforcement professionals?
I have been working with the BOCC and Civil Service Commissioners to attract qualified applicants. I have created an additional hiring list and implemented a streamlined hiring process. I have worked with the BOCC to implement a countywide recruitment bonus and incentives for hiring, such as a bonus and leave for lateral transfers.
Does the Okanogan County jail adequately serve the county? What changes, if any, are needed to ensure that the jail provides necessary services to inmates and county residents?
We have been making this facility work for several years. It needs proper upgrades to address the needs of inmates and staff. The corrections center needs upgraded medical, booking, intake and isolation areas; HVAC; and kitchen and laundry facilities. Our inmate population has changed and there is a need for more ability to deal with mental health, increased criminal violence, and gang-related issues.
Are there ways to preserve public safety while finding paths for people who’ve been in trouble with the law to become productive members of society?
Yes, I have worked with Okanogan County Treatment Courts since 2013. Most of the criminal activity in our county is directly tied to a substance-abuse issue. Our treatment courts not only hold people accountable for their actions, but also provide them tools and support to actually change their lives.
How can the Sheriff’s Office address its needs within the county’s limited budget?
The budget is set by the BOCC, based on available funds. I continue to present the needs of public safety to the BOCC to improve our budget, especially for training and equipment. I will continue to advocate for the needed funding.
How would you keep Okanogan County youths safe, both in and out of school?
I work with several school districts to improve school safety. Increasing security measures at schools is the first step so our children have a safe learning environment. The best measure would be to increase our presence at the schools with school resource deputies, which would be a major budget increase for the schools and county.
I continue to work with the Okanogan County Community Coalition to educate youth and the public about substance abuse and reducing access to impairing substances. When deputies contact with youth, they can refer them to the proper services in the community that may be able to assist them.
Please explain how you would approach laws in light of rights granted by the state and federal constitutions. Are there situations where you believe the Constitution grants you powers that differ from state law?
As sheriff, I have the duty to protect the rights of the people as well as ensure public safety. When I know the law would be a direct violation of a person’s rights, I will use my authority and not enforce that law. Knowing the law would be held unconstitutional, I should not knowingly violate the person’s rights and open up the county to a lawsuit.
Do law enforcement officers have adequate tools to deal with public safety issues, including mental health situations and drug use?
No. The current laws on illicit substance possession need to be improved. I will continue to work with our state Legislature to improve this law. We still need to be able to hold those who break the law accountable. The county’s treatment courts and other resources can focus on those who are amenable to treatment to get them on a better path for themselves and our community.
I have been working with Okanogan County Behavioral HealthCare and the BOCC to get better mental health crisis response. Law enforcement is not the right answer to respond to someone in crisis who is not endangering themselves or others. There are times when we can respond to ensure safety, but having a trained crisis responder at the scene will also increase the safety of all involved.
