Every rural county in the state of Washington should be so lucky as to have someone like Ron Krebs running for re-election for the office of county sheriff.

Krebs and the highly qualified team he has assembled are attacking both our local drug problem and domestic violence in our communities, and he fully understands the many complicated and interconnected issues surrounding both of those. He and his team do not put undue emphasis on numbers of arrests, but concentrate on rehabilitation which includes making sure perpetrators know where they can receive expert help to break the vicious and hopeless cycles involved. It is next to impossible to break the bonds of addiction, for example, without such professional help.

With his emphasis on community-based policing, Krebs uses his knowledge of this county to assist those who find that circumstances are pushing them toward the commission of crimes against their fellow citizens. He makes sure his deputies listen carefully to those they contact, and makes sure our community members are treated with respect and compassion. As this approach is carried out, over time we can expect both crime and the rate of arrests to decline, which will attest to the success of our local law enforcement crews. Krebs has a deputy fluent in Spanish to deal with the folks who do not speak English, and has access to translators for other languages if necessary.

I was pleased to learn about Krebs’ emphasis on encouraging our young people to make the right choices in their lives, including their habits while driving their cars, attending parties and facing the temptations of drinking alcohol or using recreational drugs. He understands that if he can change the behavior of our children, then our adults in the future will require less policing as well.

Krebs and his staff emphasize clarity and transparency in everything they do, and this has fostered trust between them and our communities. I think we should re-elect Ron Krebs so that he can continue doing the excellent job that he does in directing local policing.

Rita M. O’Clair

Friday Harbor