PORT ANGELES — Clallam County’s two candidates for sheriff traded jabs — but no roundhouse punches — in their first face-off of the campaign Tuesday.
Joe Martin, 72, the incumbent, and Bill Benedict, 56, a sheriff’s sergeant, face each other in the general election ending Nov. 7.
They spoke to a breakfast meeting of the Port Angeles Business Association.
What could have been the biggest issue between them — allegations made last November of misconduct by several sheriff’s deputies and employees — emerged only after the candidates had leveled countering claims about accreditation for the department and deputizing tribal officers.
Accreditation had been a question raised by Clallam County Commissioner Mike Chapman, R-Port Angeles, before he withdrew his candidacy for sheriff to devote more time to his second career as minister of Olympic Vineyard Christian Fellowship.
Reducing the risks
Benedict, who was Chapman’s campaign manager, took Chapman’s place on the ballot and picked up the topic at Tuesday morning’s meeting.
Accreditation by either the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs or the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies would set a higher standard for the sheriff’s department, Benedict said, and lower the department’s risk of liability.
It might do that, Martin agreed, but it wasn’t worth the cost of taking deputies off patrol.
“We pulled deputies off the road for weeks and months’ to handle accreditation duties, the sheriff said.
The Washington association had certified the Clallam County department for 20 years until 1995, when the county dropped out.
Since it left, the sheriff’s liability rating had slumped, Benedict said.
Specifically, the department had been sued on allegations of negligent vehicle operation, sexual harassment and false arrest.
Martin, who noted that the county is part of a 26-county risk pool, said, “You train your people the best you can” to avoid lawsuits.
Peninsula Daily News learned from county Human Resources Director Marge Upham that the claims Benedict cited were filed and settled out of court when Joe Hawe was sheriff.
Hawe left office in October 2003, and county commissioners appointed Martin, then Hawe’s undersheriff.
Martin ran for and won Hawe’s unexpired term in 2004 and now is running for a full, four-year term.
Tribal officers’ role
As for cross-deputizing tribal officers, Benedict said doing so for members of the Lower Elwha Klallam and Quileute tribal forces would put more officers on patrol.
“This is a huge force multiplier,” he said. “We need the manpower.”
Martin said he long ago had approached Lower Elwha Police Chief Rodney Charles, who asked him to delay the move.
The Lower Elwha now share the sheriff’s radio frequency, however, which Martin called a major step forward.
Furthermore, Charles has asked him to renew the cross-deputizing offer, Martin said. Charles could not be reached for comment.
Regarding the Quileute, Benedict said the force had four to five officers, while Martin said it had only a chief.
The PDN learned that Quileute chief Bill Lyon recently lost two full-time officers but has replaced them and also has hired a part-time officer. Two vacancies remain on the Quileute force.
The candidates didn’t directly approach last year’s scandal until queried about it by a member of the audience.
Following an internal investigation in November 2005, one deputy was fired after conducting an extramarital affair on county time and misusing his cell phone.
In addition, a sergeant resigned after he was accused of misappropriating property in evidence, a pair of sunglasses.
An undersheriff also suddenly retired and a captain was reprimanded for actions related to the turmoil.
Prosecutor dropped cases
At the time, Martin accepted responsibility for the problems but said he had been unaware of them because his commanders hadn’t informed him.
Benedict, however, said the problems were “symptomatic of our department then and now.”
The incident with the sunglasses compromised the sergeant’s credibility to the point that Prosecuting Attorney Deborah Kelly dropped charges against several defendants.
“There are dope dealers running around Clallam County because their cases were dropped,” Benedict said Tuesday.
Martin countered, “I will enforce the standards of my department.”
Concerning the scandal, he said, “That has all now been done with. The slate is clean.”
Discussion of the scandal led to a question about who would be undersheriff for each candidate.
Martin in January hired Rich Sill as undersheriff.
Sill, former police chief of Chino, Calif., had retired with his family to Sequim.
Martin said Sill will retain the position if Martin is re-elected.
Benedict said, “This election is about the sheriff and not the undersheriff.
“I work for him (Sill) right now. Maybe he won’t want to work for me.”
Experience vs. aspiration
On other issues, Martin stressed his 30 years’ experience in law enforcement management in the Air Force, for the Makah tribe and for Clallam County.
He used OPSCAN — the Olympic Public Safety Communications Alliance Network — as an example.
It will eliminate radio “dead spots’ on the Peninsula and enable different emergency response agencies to talk to one another.
“That project was my vision years ago,” Martin said. “If you can’t communicate, you can’t help people.”
Martin also cited improvements to the county jail and the U.S. Highway 101 Safety Project as among his accomplishments.
Benedict said he wanted “a sheriff’s department that is the absolute envy of the rest of the state.”
When each candidate was asked why he wanted to be sheriff, Martin said, “I’ve had a burning passion my whole life” for police work, starting as a child.
