My name is Ron Krebs. As your next Sheriff of San Juan County, there are a number of goals that I want to achieve. There are a number of issues that I believe directly affect the communities that we serve. My goals are as follows:

To improve communication-by increasing and improving the accessibility and responsiveness of the Sheriff’s Office to the community. We are public servants, and we are here to serve you the public first and foremost. Without your input and support we cannot properly do our jobs. Good communication is the key.

To address drug problems the primary mission of the Sheriff’s Office of San Juan County is to provide a safe and secure environment for the residents and visitors through good department programs and community policing efforts. I will make drugs and the problems associated with them a high priority with the Sheriff’s Office. Drugs are a problem that affects us all in one way or another.

To increase community involvement and compliance- I will take a more collaborative approach to law enforcement with better communication with the members of the community. My approach will be based on community involvement and compliance rather than a “by the book punitive approach” to law enforcement. Punitive enforcement should be a last resort, not the first.

To restore the morale of the department by good communication, leading by example, holding higher standards, and by being in the office consistently, I will restore the morale of the department. With consistent and fair accountability, I will hold all of the members of the department to the same high standards that I hold myself to and create a department we can all be proud of. This approach will allow us to retain quality employees as well as recruit new high quality employees.

To restore cooperation with first responders- Good communication and relationships with the other first responders of our community, like Fire and EMS, are vital to protecting the community and its members. I will open up lines of communication with Fire, EMS, and the Prosecuting Attorney’s office to allow us to start working together again.

To provide training – domestic violence, DUI, and drug intervention are some of the areas for which the Sheriff’s Office is sorely lacking in training.

The department has not been through Domestic Violence training in the last eight years, something that should occur a minimum of every two years. Domestic violence calls are the most dangerous calls that we as Deputies respond to on a daily basis. They have a higher probability of injury to both the Deputy as well as the those involved. Continual training is vital for the safety of everyone involved.

My main goal through all of the above is to put community – oriented policing at the forefront of the Sheriff’s Office. We are a strong community, and together we can all make a difference. Together all of us are stronger than one of us.

Ron Krebs

San Juan Island