Year in Review 2017: Whatcom County Sheriff

By Bill Elfo, Sheriff

Thank you, Birch Bay, for your continued support of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO). We appreciate your partnership in working to keep our community safe.

While deputies work hard to prevent crime, Birch Bay citizens are sometimes victims of theft, car prowls and other crimes. It is important to promptly report crime and secure vulnerable items. Recording serial numbers may help us recover stolen property. Neighborhood deputy Todd Damon is available to assist.

This year we noted a significant increase in the number of people suffering from severe and dangerous forms of mental illness. While all deputies are trained to recognize and appropriately respond to this issue, a crisis intervention deputy will be added to the force in 2018. This deputy will be trained to intervene in the most challenging of cases and work closely with mental health professionals to improve safety and divert appropriate individuals from the criminal justice to the mental health system.

As our community confronts an opioid crisis, the Gang and Drug Task Force successfully dismantled several major drug-trafficking networks. We are also coordinating with the Whatcom County Health Department to increase access to treatment and we issued deputies Narcan to treat narcotic overdoses and save lives.

Emergency preparedness remains important. WCSO received grants from Phillips 66 and others to install all hazard alert broadcast radios, (Tsunami Sirens) covering Birch Bay and Blaine. Emergency response teams (CERT) members were trained to act as first responders during disasters. CERT training will be offered again in 2018.

The county will make improvements to some of the most critical life-safety, security and infrastructure issues in the downtown jail and will send more inmates to out of county facilities when capacity is reached. During 2018, the WCSO will continue to enhance community safety and maintain the quality of life that exists in Birch Bay and surrounding areas.