Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza talks about some of the many of the new plans he has for his office.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
SALKUM – More than 30 men and women met with newly-elected Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza and Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer at a “town meeting” held in Salkum.
Snaza said it’s something the two began talking about doing a long time ago.
“We’re a team,” Snaza told the gathering.
Meyer introduced himself as the defense attorney-turned-prosecutor.
He spoke of successes with drug court and the new track for a small number of mentally ill offenders, which they call a mental health alternative program.
“For too long, we as a criminal justice system said we couldn’t do anything till they did anything bad enough,” Meyer said.
Wednesday afternoon’s event at the Salkum Timberland Library was the first of what is expected to be a series of meetings around Lewis County, to talk with citizens, answer their questions and listen to their concerns.
Meyer is just beginning his second term in the elected office. Snaza took office in January, after two decades as a deputy.
Snaza shared the prosecutor’s enthusiasm for new and different ways to get at reducing crime and approaching their roles.
“We’re not just here to put people in jail,” Snaza said. “But also to help provide help to people who need assistance.
“If you could save one person’s life, would you do it?”
The sheriff said he has plans for getting each deputy 40 hours of crisis intervention training and talked about the jail’s more concentrated efforts to address mental illness.
He introduced Special Services Sgt. Fred Wetzel, whose responsibilities include coordinating neighborhood watch groups.
And the new sheriff told the group that every deputy has been assigned a school.
“We just let the schools know, we’re here,” he said. “We’ll do presentations with them, talk about texting, social media, whatever they want.”
The two, accompanied by Undersheriff Wes Rethwill as well, spent almost two hours chatting and answering questions.
Among the concerns from the audience were the new gun law I-594, animal cruelty, trespassing, boating patrol, unmarked vehicles, drunk driving, police cars flying by without lights going and the number of patrol deputies in their area.
Snaza said they’re not sure when and where the next meeting will be, but said they are thinking of doing one more before summer.
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For background, read “Town meeting: Got a question for the sheriff, the prosecutor?” from Sunday March 22, 2015, here
Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer speaks to the small gathering at the Salkum Timberland Library.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
While I try to not feed the trolls, I just have to ask. Just who are all the corrupt cops of the sheriff’s department of whom you speak?
I worked for Rob in the office when he was still a Sgt. He really does care about this community. He was a great boss and I would still be there if the grant position could have been made permanent. He was always honest with me, did not micro-manage my every minute, respectful and I never once saw or heard anything unprofessional from him or anyone on the team. I heard their reports, since I typed them up word for word from recordings, listened to and typed up interviews with suspects and every day I was amazed at how they kept their cool with all the crap said to them on these tapes. I can’t imagine going to work everyday and have to deal with the things they deal with. They never know if the next person they pull over or door they knock on is going to pull a gun or knife. To not know if today is the day you get shot or you have to shoot someone to save your own life or someone else. To have to tell someone their loved one died today in an accident or homicide. Most people, if you make a mistake at work it is not a big deal, one of them make a mistake it could cost a life, maybe their own. I get that there are corrupt police, but 99% are not. They all have families in this community too and want a safer place for their kids as much as you do. I won’t speak about Jonathan Meyer because I have never met him or worked with him. I do know someone he defended several years ago and I was told he was a stand up guy. That person took responsibility for their actions, plead guilty and did their time.
This seems like a “cover their ass, and make them look good” tactic, because of all the corrupt cops, and sadistic jail staff they had to deal with negative press about. Or maybe they really are making changes. I hope for the latter, but who knows in this county. They really have gone above and beyond in the past, to give all law enforcement a bad name. If this is sincere, cue the slow clap.