WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – What comes to mind when you think of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) – flashing red lights at a crash scene or unsanitary conditions at the aging jail?

While it’s true that the WCSO includes corrections, which runs that county jail, and it’s true that patrol deputies respond to crashes and enforce traffic rules on county roads, that’s not all there is to the sheriff’s office.

From ordering supplies, managing grants and responding to emergencies to retrofitting vehicles, engaging with news media, and making budgets balance, WCSO employees don’t all wear uniforms and badges. The “Spotlight on Service” series was launched to shine a light on the variety of jobs and individuals who serve Whatcom County through the sheriff’s office. For example?

· Corrections is more than jail guards, the division includes training and administration

· There’s work crew management

· Facilities includes mechanics at the Fleet Shop

· Remote duty deputies, like Deputy Leach at Point Roberts

· Emergency Management, including CERT, ham radio, public information and Search and Rescue

As happens in life, some of those profiled are no longer with the sheriff’s office; some have retired or passed on. But the work and the commitment to service, accountability and transparency remain.

It’s not just about putting people behind bars or cordoning off crash scenes.

Whether pulling someone from a flooded home, ordering food and medicine for the jail, building up cadres of volunteers to staff Search and Rescue or operate ham radios, or just making sure paperwork is done properly, public service is the purpose and goal.

 

Amy Cloud is the Public Information Officer (PIO) for the Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management.  She was born and raised locally, leaving for Whitman College and work in Seattle, Knoxville and Washington, D.C. She returned to work as Supervising News Producer and reporter for KVOS-TV’s NewsView before switching to communications for WWU, PeaceHealth and the City of Bellingham. She also co-chairs the Community PIO Group and is a member of the Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues.