Keeping Sheriff’s Log from the public is an alarming mistake | Editorial

Published 1:30 am Thursday, July 9, 2026

I am deeply distressed by Sheriff Eric Peter’s decision to withdraw the Sheriff’s Log from local news outlets.

In his July 8 statement, he wrote: “The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to transparency and keeping the public informed. However, the publication of the weekly media log has led to a significant increase in public records requests for the incidents listed in the report, as well as for associated body-worn camera footage. The volume of these requests has placed an unsustainable burden on our Civil Office and the county’s single Public Records Clerk.”

I understand the public records department is maxed out, but I don’t consider this a compelling or logical reason to discontinue the only direct window our communities have into police activity. The Sheriff’s Log has been printed in our papers for decades. We had a brief period when it was unavailable, and former Sheriff Ron Krebs resurrected it for island news sources. It is valuable, and ending it is not worth potential financial savings.

The process is simple. The sheriff’s office forwards us the digital call logs as entered by dispatch. We edit the text to remove identifying information and post it online and in print every week. Prior to this, the department printed it, and news staff picked it up weekly for transcription. Sometimes the entries are humorous (goats in the road). Sometimes they are sobering (domestic violence reports). They are always informative and shine a light on a side to our communities that is otherwise unknown.

This announcement was made the same day three Hispanic San Juan Island women were detained by the United States Coast Guard after completing a cleaning job on another island. While the two occurrences are unrelated, this highlights that we live in a place that continues to mirror national developments despite our best efforts to provide sanctuary and safety. The Sheriff’s Log is a simple and effective way to keep the public informed of its government and police activity, and that has never been more critical than now. This is not a time for secrecy. It is a time for transparency.

The rest of his statement reads as follows: “As many of you know, the county is currently facing a serious budget shortfall, with reductions affecting multiple departments. At this time, there are no plans or funds to increase staffing. As a result, we must carefully evaluate how we allocate our limited resources and identify areas where we can reduce non-mandated work so our staff can focus on fulfilling the duties required by law. We recognize that providing the weekly media line report has been a long-standing courtesy to our local media and community, and this decision was not made lightly. However, our priority must be ensuring that we can continue to meet our legal obligations while maintaining a sustainable workload for our employees and avoiding staff burnout. We appreciate your understanding and continued support as we work to serve our community as effectively and efficiently as possible.”

San Juan County Councilperson Justin Paulsen explained the council has no authority over the sheriff’s office regarding policy. Sheriff Peter is an elected official, and the council sets his department’s budget.

When asked for reconsideration and collaboration on this decision, as well as alternative ways to obtain the Sheriff’s Log, I received a one-sentence reply from Sheriff Peter: “Currently there are no plans to provide things on a clipboard.” I am confused by this disregard for a serious topic.

Unfortunately, even if we made a public records request for the call logs every week, by the time we received just one, it would no longer be timely. We cannot publish this information unless Sheriff Peter authorizes his department to share it with us.

Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1789 that “wherever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” Without a free press, our society is vulnerable to oppression and coercion. We live in small communities that have an advantage over larger places: we deeply care about one another and are lucky enough to have three print newspapers with a staff working tirelessly to bring truth to power. The work we do matters.

As the publisher of our local newspapers, I am committed to holding our government accountable. The Sheriff’s Log is not only a long-standing and expected section for our readers but also a contributor to transparency and public awareness.

I urge Sheriff Peter to reassess his position. This is how it starts, folks. Censorship in the name of “budget shortfalls.”