It’s a tight fit – strapped in the passenger seat of a Ford Explorer Police Interceptor crammed with radios, radars, computers, keyboards, and both lethal and non-lethal long weapons. Ten-year veteran Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff Brandon Przygocki holds the wheel. I am on a four-hour ride-along. Turning left out of the compound, we’ve barely made it down the road 100 yards when the lights go on, the siren sounds, and “we” have made our first traffic stop.
Przygocki’s demeanor is non-threatening – pleasant even, and empathetic (if not sympathetic). Ten miles over the speed limit, no priors, valid registration, current insurance, and the driver is let go with a warning.
Why a ride-along? Unless you are intimately familiar with law enforcement, or with the opposite extreme of the judicial system, ride-alongs offer access to an “undiscovered country” (to paraphrase Shakespeare) “from whose bourn (most) travelers return, and which can puzzle the will.” Sharing a day in the life of a traffic cop gives citizens a double dose of reality.
Five minutes later, and we are joining a two-car response to a domestic disturbance on Marrowstone Island. Not that I could understand the static-laden instructions relayed from dispatch. It takes special skill sets to decipher the terse reports breaking squelch on three to four channels, while keying the mic to respond, while keyboarding the computer, while whipping the car around 180 degrees, stomping on the gas, engaging the light bar, and goosing the siren as needed to move through traffic at speed. The car-to-car tactical channel confirms an officer ahead of us on the scene as we head to the domestic disturbance on Marrowstone. But now “we” have spotted a car with no front license plate.
A bleep of the siren, a quick check with dispatch, and Officer Przygocki engages the driver. No driver’s license – never had a driver’s license – couldn’t pass the driving test – and no insurance. A quirk in the Washington State Traffic Law codes “driving without a license” as an “infraction” with a $550 fine. Driving with a suspended license is a misdemeanor with a maximum jail sentence of ninety days in jail and a $1000 fine (first-time offenders, not due to gross negligence or DUI). If the suspension was for more serious reasons (multiple offenses or DUI) it is punishable by a fine of up to $5000 and a maximum sentence of 364 days. Police don’t write the laws – but they do enforce them.
We complete the original domestic disturbance call (a dispute between roommates resulting in one moving out) and are sent on our next assignment. A dog has been caught in the tide and is being swept towards Puget Sound. We are called off as the dog manages to paddle its way back to the beach.
Another domestic disturbance call – this one between siblings and the third call of the day to this same address. Again, two cars respond. The officers gently, but firmly de-escalate the conflict and one of the disputants departs the property.
Another traffic stop, thirteen miles over the speed limit – just outside of Port Hadlock. No priors, brand new car, dealer’s plates – the driver acknowledged an unfamiliarity with the new car and was released with a warning. Many, if not most traffic violations come down to driver inattention. If they weren’t paying attention before the traffic stop, chances are they are paying attention now, at least for the near future.
The last stop of the day (at least the last stop of my four-hour shift) provided an adrenalin/dopamine rush that had me wired for hours. Deputy Przygocki spotted a familiar face at the wheel of a car he probably shouldn’t have been driving, on the other side of a four-way intersection. An almost immediate about-face wasn’t enough. When we got across the intersection – there was no sign of the suspicious vehicle. Lights, siren, calls to dispatch, calls on tac channels, ploughing the center lines as traffic on both sides of the road (with varying degrees of alacrity) pulled over to make room, all the while keying the keyboard with his free hand (while I hung on for dear life). It’s amazing how fast and how far a screaming patrol car can go when it’s driven with a will. We quickly reached Port Ludlow but found that the suspect vehicle had turned off. Two can play that game. We clover-leafed through side roads at a more deliberate pace making our way back (without the lights and sound) until we’d all but closed on Port Hadlock – when there, around the corner and just off the waterfront, was that familiar face.
The driver was on a suspended/probationary license, with multiple DUI infractions and a mandated ignition interlock to monitor alcohol intake prior to starting and operating a vehicle. The driver was handcuffed, searched, and placed in the backseat of the police interceptor. A second squad car took charge of the driver’s passenger and vehicle, while we headed to the Jefferson County Sheriff compound, with a prisoner bound for the Jefferson County Jail.
It’s all about safety – public safety, and officer safety. Stopping a car for a few miles over the speed limit might not seem like a high-risk stop, but then again – it might be. Why were they speeding? Were they running from something? Running to something? Was it inattention, or a willful violation? If inattention – was it due to a medical condition? or intoxication? or confusion? If willful, does that display a chronic predisposition to criminal behavior?
Is there a gun in the car? Traffic stops are the leading cause of death for police officers, according to statistics from the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. They report that between 2000 and 2009, 118 officers were killed conducting traffic stops, compared with 82 handling domestic-violence complaints and 74 during disturbance calls.
Officer Przygocki knows the danger inherent in even the most routine traffic stop. He palm prints the back of every vehicle before approaching the driver. He’s putting his fingerprints and DNA on the vehicle to prove this was the last vehicle he had contact with if the stop turns violent and he’s unable to say it with words. His ritual is a grim reminder of how very dangerous his job is.
Ride-along programs offer a powerful bridge to the community. Officers (and their ride-along) are injected into the otherwise private lives of their fellow citizens unexpectedly, often during times of stress, vulnerability and anguish. Every contact has within it the possibility of escalation. To say it was “fun” trivializes the experience. To say the experience was “educational” evokes a noncommittal cliché that communicates nothing. For me? Witnessing even a small slice of a police officer’s job from the “other side of the windshield” was sobering, humbling, and infinitely reassuring.
Energized Democrats in Jefferson County delivered commanding victories up and down the ticket Tuesday, with Greg Brotherton winning a landslide victory for the open seat on the Board of County Commissioners and Joe Nole unseating incumbent Sheriff Dave Stanko.
Unofficial results from Tuesday’s election show Brotherton with 68.3% of the vote over Republican opponent Jon Cooke, who captured 31.5% of the ballots cast. Brotherton’s win means all three seats on the Board of County Commissioners will continue to be held by Democrats.
The General Election results in the sheriff’s race paralleled those of the August primary, with Nole unseating Stanko, who was endorsed by county Republicans, by a margin of 62% to 38%.
In the race for county prosecuting attorney, James Kennedy defeated incumbent Michael Haas by a 20-point margin, with Kennedy winning 59.3% of the vote compared with 39.9 for Haas. Both Kennedy and Haas are Democrats.
Democrat incumbents in state House District 24 retained their seats, with Mike Chapman defeating Republican Jodi Wilke by a 17-point margin in Tuesday’s election. Steve Tharinger won his race against the GOP’s Jim McEntire by a 14-point spread.
Gun control activists locally and statewide won a substantial victory Tuesday with I-1639 winning both in Jefferson County and across Washington. I-1639, which imposes a variety of new Second Amendment restrictions including compelling buyers of certain firearms to waive their medical privacy rights and potentially criminalizing self-defense with a firearm, was approved locally by a margin of more than 2-1, with 69% of county residents voting in favor of the restrictions and 31% voting against. The gun control initiative passed statewide by a narrower 60% – 40% margin.
Two other ballot initiatives involving taxes were decided in favor of low-tax advocates statewide.Initiative 1631, which would have imposed a carbon tax, was approved by Jefferson County residents by a 57% – 43% margin, though the initiative failed statewide by a margin of 56% – 44%. It is the second time a carbon tax plan has failed to pass in the state in recent years. Critics of the initiative warned it would lead to higher PUD bills and increased costs for gasoline.
Another initiative which prohibits municipalities from taxing groceries, I-1634, was approved by voters statewide 55% – 45%, but was defeated In Jefferson County by an 11-point margin.
Voter turnout in Jefferson County was brisk Tuesday, with the Auditor’s Office reporting 18,378 ballots returned, or 72.87% of registered voters, according to preliminary results. The number of votes cast in the 2018 election eclipsed vote totals for the 2017 and 2014 elections, but was shy of the 2016 presidential election, in which 21,171 people voted.
I-1631 should look familiar to Jefferson County voters. It is the misleadingly labeled “carbon fee” plan that is actually exactly like the carbon tax scheme soundly rejected by voters just two years ago. Indeed, it imposes the very same tax on energy, but now attempts to misleads consumers by deceptively trying to persuade people it is nothing but a “fee on major polluters.”
Baloney. It is primarily a tax on gasoline. It will take $2.3 billion from consumers in just the first five years, according to the Washington State Office of Financial Management.
And it keeps going up. Every year, with no end in sight.
Here’s where Jefferson County voters will see Prop 1 loom its ugly head: All that money gets divvied up by a panel of unelected insiders, with no accountability for failing to produce results that make much of a difference. It is similar to Prop 1’s scheme to pass around the money, giving that power to people from organizations that stood to benefit by making life more expensive for taxpayers.
And like Prop 1, I-1631 is coldly regressive. It hits the most economically disadvantaged among us the hardest. Sure, there are vague provisions in the initiative that include job retraining for workers who will lose their jobs and families that need financial help as I-1631 makes everything more expensive. But it is a scheme of forced dependency: people who once were independent will be forced to rely on handouts from the friends of politicians.
Newspapers from every corner of the state are opposed to I-1631, including those who can reliably be counted as liberal and progressive in their editorial leanings. Scores of union groups, whose workers know they will be the first casualties of the energy tax, stand in opposition.
And noted University of Washington atmospheric scientist Cliff Mass has criticized I-1631 from its inception. He is not a “climate denier.” He knows his stuff and wants action on carbon emissions. But he knows I-1631 is a scam.
We can’t say it better than someone with the technical knowledge of Dr. Mass. His blog is one of the most widely read sources of opinion and information on climate. Here is his entire post from October 14:
Initiative 1631: Bad for the Environment and Washington State
I-1631 is poorly written, will do little to reduce greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere, gives control of billions of dollars to an unelected board, is regressive, so it hurts low-income folks the most, has no concrete plan for spending vast sums of money, is highly partisan, and is odds with our basic democratic principles. I have written three blogs describing its problems:
The pro-side has been highly deceptive, saying things that are demonstrably not true. Their mailers are telling folks that big polluters and oil companies will pay: this is a total falsehood. Everyone will pay.
Avista Utilities, which covers the eastern third of Washington State, yesterday released the numbers of how utility costs would increase under 1631 (see below). Roughly $ 400. per year in the fifteenth year. Amazingly, the Yes campaign denies this.
If you want to find out how much 1631 will cost you, check out this handy app. For most working adults, the 1631 fee will run between 150 and 300 dollars the first year (depending on your transportation choices, living arrangements, etc.).
The Yes side suggests that the initiative will have a significant impact on greenhouse warming. Simply not true. Let’s assume that the initiative produces the promised reductions in emissions (down by 20 million metric tons in 2035 and by at least 50 million metric tons by 2050). If one plugs this into a climate model, one gets a global cooling of about .0001 degree C. Washington represents a very, very small part of global emissions and we are already quite green.
Today, the Yes on 1631 side has gone even further in its false stories. They accused the No folks of adding names to their endorsement list without permission. This has gotten a lot of press….but is inconsistent with the facts. The No side has SIGNED endorsement sheets from everyone noted as endorsing (and these signed endorsement sheets were shared with the Seattle Times).
And with all the tall tales provided by the YES on 1631 side, their advertisements accuse the No side of lying.
Truth and ethics matter. It is ironic that the Yes side is following the approaches of the President they despise, with false stories, inaccurate information, wild claims, and name calling become stock and trade of the Yes on 1631 side.
There is a religious fervor by some 1631 supporters to do something RIGHT NOW or the world will end. The truth is the best science does NOT suggest a sudden tipping point, and doing something of little value is both wasteful and prevents more effective actions. American’s has rushed into “doing something” without a real plan and it has gotten us into trouble before (e.g., Iraq, Vietnam). 1631 would be a similar error, but for our state.
Global warming is too serious and the impact on our state too significant to throw away our ability to do something meaningful. 1631 is hyperpartisan, hardwired to a support a certain agenda, and will not work in a meaningful way to reduce our fires, prepare the region for climate change, or reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
On October 22, 2018, I wrote an editorial, “Sheriff Stanko, Please Stand Down,” about why I believe Dave Stanko should not get another term as Jefferson County Sheriff. In it, I asked “What’s with Republicans?” Though not endorsed by the party, many prominent Republicans are backing the Sheriff’s re-election. Here is a response from Gene Farr, a well-known leader of the Jeffco GOP, who is one of Stanko’s supporters and financial backers. This is his personal opinion and not a statement from the county party organization.
Change is hard. It’s even harder when your Undersheriff gets in the way.
Despite being undermined every step of the way by his former Undersheriff, Sheriff Dave Stanko has made remarkable progress reforming the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Upon election in late 2014, Sheriff Stanko asked Joe Nole to be his Undersheriff. Stanko trusted that Nole’s long tenure as a detective at the JCSO provided ample experience to help the Sheriff bring the department into the 21st Century. His trust could not have been more misplaced.
In public comments made recently during candidate’s forums in Port Townsend, Chimacum, Quilcene, and most recently Port Ludlow, former Undersheriff Joe Nole admitted to insubordination and dragging his feet when it came to following Sheriff Dave Stanko’s orders. After a period of underperformance, on July 21, 2016, Sheriff Dave Stanko asked Joe Nole for a timeline to improve his performance, promising him “You should no longer be under water. support you and will help you continue to be successful as Undersheriff.” Instead of modifying his work habits—a trait well documented since his first performance evaluations in 1995—Joe Nole had this to say about the Sheriff’s orders: “He was asking me to do things that I didn’t believe in… And I drug my feet and I didn’t do those things.” Joe Nole, Port Ludlow League of Women Voters, Candidates Forum, October 11, 2018
Disappointed with his performance, on July 25, 2016, Sheriff Stanko relieved Joe Nole of investigation oversight, reducing his core job responsibilities to three important projects: 1. Lexipol update; 2. Accreditation; and 3. Grant management. Joe Nole has this to say about the period in question: “We started going separate ways and I wasn’t getting done the things he wanted to get done. I was helping other deputies, helping detectives that needed help on cases.” Joe Nole, Quilcene Candidates Forum, August 16, 2018.
If you were Dave Stanko, how would you have reacted to your Undersheriff openly disregarding your direction and helping detectives that needed help on cases after he’d been formally relieved of investigation oversight? Sheriff Stanko did the only responsible thing. In January of 2017, Stanko demoted Nole based on underperformance, inability to multi-task, and manage his time effectively, deficiencies that were previously referenced by two JCSO sheriffs since 1998. Here is how Nole characterized his performance: “I never felt I was given an order by the Sheriff to do things. He asked me things he wanted me to do. I would say that it was borderline insubordination.” Joe Nole, Port Ludlow League of Women Voters, Candidates Forum, October 11, 2018.
If Nole had a problem with Sheriff Stanko’s orders, he could have gone directly to him, or to the County Commissioners, or to the County Administrator, Philip Morley with his concerns and complaints. He did none of these.
Who do you want as your Sheriff? A man who expects his chosen management team to follow direction? Or someone who failed as number two? Joe Nole cannot be expected to lead deputies who’ve witnessed him going his separate way. Dave Stanko is the true change agent in this race. He has an opponent because he holds his employees accountable. That he has been able to accomplish so much in the face of stiff resistance is reason enough to re-elect him.
Stanko has a great record of Community Service
With a decade of serious community service, David Stanko was named “Citizen of the Year.” He served as president of the Homeowners Association in Cape George, president of PT Rotary, drove seniors for ECHHO, and serves on the board of Dove House. It is with this background, plus his 30 years in law enforcement, that he ran and won in the 2014 sheriff’s race.
Stanko has brought to this office professional policing built on the community model recommended by the Obama Task Force. This includes the first ever Citizens’ Advisory Committee. Guided by the LEMAP management program, he’s made operational changes to IMPROVE services to our community. Most important has been his de-militarization of the department–-getting rid of the Hummer and military equipment of a previous administration.
The last stop of the day (at least the last stop of my four-hour shift) provided an adrenalin/dopamine rush that had me wired for hours. Deputy Przygocki spotted a familiar face at the wheel of a car he probably shouldn’t have been driving, on the other side of a four-way intersection. An almost immediate about-face wasn’t enough. When we got across the intersection – there was no sign of the suspicious vehicle. Lights, siren, calls to dispatch, calls on tac channels, ploughing the center lines as traffic on both sides of the road (with varying degrees of alacrity) pulled over to make room, all the while keying the keyboard with his free hand (while I hung on for dear life). It’s amazing how fast and how far a screaming patrol car can go when it’s driven with a will. We quickly reached Port Ludlow but found that the suspect vehicle had turned off. Two can play that game. We clover-leafed through side roads at a more deliberate pace making our way back (without the lights and sound) until we’d all but closed on Port Hadlock – when there, around the corner and just off the waterfront, was that familiar face.
