Washington Sheriffs Sign Regional Agreement

Sheriffs from Lewis, Grays Harbor, Pacific, Thurston, and Mason counties have signed a Regional Cooperative Agreement to provide law enforcement mutual aid and mobilization between each county. The purpose of the agreement is to be able to provide adequate law enforcement services when any member Sheriff’s Office is taxed beyond its ability to respond and render law enforcement services in a timely manner. Pacific County Sheriff Scott Johnson said, “Each member agency has already had the occasion to assist each other a number of times.”

“Grays Harbor and Lewis counties for example, provided assistance to us with a recent homicide investigation, and all four of the other member agencies responded and assisted our office with the 2011 Rod Run festival in Pacific County”. “Our office assisted Lewis County with an officer involved shooting, and most recently our office assisted Grays Harbor County with the shooting incident at their courthouse”.

This agreement formalizes the purpose, services, and authority. This agreement is similar to the one signed by Sheriff Johnson in May of 2011 with Wahkiakum & Cowlitz counties in Washington, and Columbia and Clatsop counties in Oregon. That agreement also gave mutual police powers between each county, and it has allowed Drug Task Force deputies to make arrests on persons trafficking narcotics interstate.

“We are making great strides in developing relationships with other agencies that significantly benefit our local communities”, Sheriff Johnson said. “Sharing resources and personnel, often at no cost, are huge during these tough economic times”. The Sheriff’s were careful to note that they would not invoke the agreement on everyday routine calls, but would feel free to call on one another when a major incident occurs and local staffing was inadequate.

Photo: From Left clockwise around the table, (Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield, Grays Harbor County Sheriff Mike Whelan,Thurston County Sheriff John Snaza, Mason County Sheriff Casey Salisbury,Mason County Chief Deputy Osterhut,Mason County Undersheriff Barrett,Thurston County Undersheriff Braniff,Pacific County Sheriff Scott Johnson and Grays Harbor County Undersheriff Rick Scott).