Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Eyeing Several Items Legislature Convenes
As the 2025 Washington State Legislative Sessions get underway, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office is working to both forward and prevent certain actions from being taken in Olympia over the next four months.
Sheriff Mike Morrison says one of the key items his agency is looking to accomplish is developing pathways to access more funding when long-term situations, such as wildfires, arise.
"We're looking at trying to see if there is any way that we can work ourselves into getting more reimbursed for things like the fires that we deal with. For example, this past summer, we dealt with the Pioneer Fire and it was an unfair burden to have to absorb the costs of an operation that lasts for three months. We're seeing a lot of other entities such as fire (districts/departments) on the federal and state side being reimbursed for their time on the ground but the sheriff's office doesn't get the same kind of funding and support."
Morrison says it will be critical for his agency to educate lawmakers about its requirements and contributions during a protracted emergency in order to potentially secure additional funding.
Chelan County's top lawman also says his office is working in concert with the King, Snohomish, and Spokane County Sheriff's Offices to secure additional funding at the state level for its aviation unit, which he says is vital for many search-and-rescue and SWAT operations.
As for any laws related to policing in the state, Morrison says he's fairly pleased with the direction the things appear to be going, with the exception of one proposal which he believes does not align with the public's best interest.
"I do have some concerns when I've heard about the state possibly discussing the limitation of traffic stops, specifically when looking at violations that are related to equipment. It almost appears like they just don't want us to do traffic stops. I think anyone who might hear that would understand that such an action would bring about a lot of consequences and I don't think it's fair for our community or the citizens of the state to be exposed to that. We are not an experiment. In a sense, it almost seems like we're inviting chaos back to Washington State if we were to see something like that happen."
Morrison likened the potential limiting of traffic stops to the stringent restrictions that were placed on pursuit laws in the state several years ago, which he says have thankfully since been loosened.
During last year's legislative sessions, there were a pair of measures introduced which would have placed limitations on law enforcement's ability to initiate traffic stops, including House Bill 1513, Senate Bill 5572, neither of which gained enough traction to pass their respective chambers.
At the federal level, Morrison says he's also hoping to enhance the way his office works with its partners at agencies like the U.S. Forest Service, whose officers are now allowed to enforce state laws in Washington.
Morrison says the sheriff's office already has two deputies who patrol the county's forestlands and he would like greater clarity on how the Forest Service's officers will overlap with personnel from his agency.