I was a police officer, deputy and detective for 36 years until I retired from the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office last year, after working on Orcas and San Juan Island since 2011. I worked under the previous sheriff and for Sheriff Ron Krebs. I am saddened by all of the hateful rhetoric that is being posted on social media. I personally know every member of the sheriff’s office, and in the last few months, I have spoken to the majority of the deputies. Every deputy I have spoken with supports Sheriff Krebs over Deputy Asher.

When Sheriff Krebs was elected four years ago, there were multiple employees who were not performing at a level that was acceptable to their coworkers or the community at large. Over the last three year, Sheriff Krebs has been addressing those issues and correcting the behavior of those employees.

I completed background investigations on a number of current employees, and I found that Sheriff Krebs carefully reviews the characteristics of each person before he offers them a job, to make sure that they will be a good fit for the island life.

There has been much discussion about drug use in the islands. Sheriff Krebs is in the process of obtaining a drug-sniffing dog, which will help in making arrests. Unfortunately, in this county, the sheriff’s office makes an arrest, the prosecutor’s office fully prosecutes and the judges allow the drug users to go free. Taxpayers do not want to pay for more deputies, so the drug dog is a good option.

Bottom line is I have worked directly with Sheriff Krebs and found him to be a leader who cares for his employees and the public he serves. He is a leader who will stand behind his employees if they are right, and he will discipline them if they are wrong. He genuinely cares about the people he serves and is always willing to meet with people who want to discuss an issue. He is fair and honest and in my opinion the best person for the job.

Jack Wilsey

Orcas Island