Sheriff Crider Proposes Staffing Court Security With Employees From Private Firm

A core principle enshrined in our Constitution is that the military and policing are accountable to the electorate they serve.

At the County Commissioners meeting held September 22, one of our citizen reporters learned that this principle may potentially be eroded by a proposal submitted by Sheriff Crider that would privatize courthouse security in Walla Walla County . This means a private company would be contracted with by the county to provide security for our courts, elections offices and other functions in the courthouse, instead of hiring the necessary staff.

This proposal may potentially be decided at next Monday's County Commissioners meeting.   You are urged to send comments or questions to the county commissioners at wwcocommissioners@wwcowa.gov or call at 509-524-2512.  

The possibility raises all kinds of questions.  Would private security be able to arrest or detain suspects, carry a weapon, be fully qualified or accountable to our county commissioners?   Even if they were, do we want a private company responsible for ensuring that elections and court proceedings would be protected if threatened?  Contracts must go through the competitive bid process - what companies would be qualified to bid? 

The proposal suggests that a hiring freeze is currently in place in the county.  If so, is this a workaround by Sheriff Crider?

More questions: What do the judges and elected department heads think about it? Will these private employees be unionized? Hiw would they work with the rest of the Sheriff’s Dept?  How will this affect county liability?

Initiatives to privatize government functions are often promoted as a way of cutting costs while maintaining effectiveness, however these efforts often lead to higher costs and reduced effectiveness and accountability. Public oversight of this core government function is reduced. 

Please attend the meeting Monday, September 29th if you can. (held at at 314 W. Main Street, Walla Walla). Write or call the commissioners with your questions or comments.  Make your voice heard.