Art Frank

Joe Nole

Courtesy photo

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The heaviest revelation during this week’s first candidate forum wasn’t that both candidates for Jefferson County sheriff found themselves in agreement on a wide host of issues.

Instead, it may have been the public acknowledgment that the sheriff’s office now has an armored vehicle in its fleet.

Incumbent Sheriff Joe Nole and challenger Art Frank traded answers on a series of more than 15 questions during the first forum for the
Aug. 2 Primary Election Monday night.

Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Jefferson County, the nearly 90-minute forum featured both Democrats sharing their views on  everything from the department’s strategic plan, to officer certification, to unanswered 911 calls.

Early on, both candidates were questioned about an April memo that said the sheriff’s office had obtained a “surplus military, mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle.” 

The question centered on the cost to maintain and operate the vehicle, and both candidates noted the vehicle was donated to the department, with the cost so far being largely limited to transporting it from California.

“It didn’t cost any money. It was free,” Nole said. “We paid about $3,000 to have it shipped up here.”

Nole said the vehicle would be seldom used, but could be a life-saver at some point.

“Active shooter incidents have been on the rise throughout the country,” he said. “The safety, community safety, suspect safety, and officer safety by obtaining the vehicle at no cost were too great to ignore. And if just one life can be saved due to the acquisition of that vehicle, I think it will have been worth it.”

“My sincere hope is that we will never have to use that vehicle,” Nole said.

Frank said he was the person who coordinated getting the surplus vehicle, and added that the delivery cost was actually $4,500. It may need mechanical work, as well as some equipment installed

The vehicle could be useful if there is an incident with a barricaded person, he said, and added that it was a piece of proper equipment for the department.

“It will just sit quietly until we need it,” he said.

The forum was the first in a series this week for the August primary, with others scheduled for candidates in the races for Washington’s 6th Congressional District, the 24th Legislative District, and county commissioner position for District 3.

Forum moderator Angela Gyurko, president of the League of Women Voters of Jefferson County, said the league received dozens of questions for the first forum.

The questions were whittled down to those that directly addressed the duties of the sheriff’s job.

Each candidate had two minutes to answer each question, and the forum started with a short opening statement.

Both candidates detailed their extensive careers in law enforcement, with Nole noting the accomplishments of the sheriff’s office during his first term, and Frank stressing the need for a change.

Nole, 66, has a 39-year law enforcement career — with 32 years in the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Raised in Tacoma, he lives in Chimacum.

Frank, 61, is a Quilcene resident who was born in California. He has worked in law enforcement for 43 years, and joined the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy in 2016.

“During my many years in law enforcement, I continue to see the struggles faced by our neighbors, including mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, and homelessness,” Nole said.

“I firmly believe that shortcomings in our society have a direct impact on these issues, and I will continue to use the office of sheriff to address these concerns and make local improvements where I can that give all people — regardless of race, color, religion, gender identity, age, disability, sexual orientation, or financial status — the help and understanding they need to end the cycle of continuing contact with law enforcement.”

Accomplishments in recent years, he said, include body cameras for officers, the department’s first mental health Navigator, and the first drug treatment program to be started for jail inmates.

Frank recalled his years in law enforcement in Los Angeles County; service that included work as a patrol officer, SWAT team member, and detective.

“I’ve worked through times of racial turmoil like the Rodney King riots. I’ve witnessed the proliferation of assault weapons in the streets, increasing danger to civilians and police officers,” Frank said. “I was standing next to my partner when he lost his life to gun violence.”

“I’ve seen it all, worked through it, and learned from it,” he said.

Frank said the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was focused inward, and instead pledged greater professionalization, innovation, greater efficiency, and more compassionate support of people in crisis.

When asked about the policy of community policing, Frank stressed the connection between individual officers and the community. 

“It’s not just a car driving down the street,” he said, and reacting to 911 calls.

One-on-one relationships are crucial, Frank explained.

Nole agreed.

“It means face-to-face contact with people in need and an open door policy at the sheriff’s office, where anyone is welcome to come and talk to the sheriff about their concerns,” Nole said.

Likewise, both candidates agreed that efforts to “defund the police” would not lead to greater public safety.

“We run a very lean department in Jefferson County,” Nole said.

That said, Nole added he supports more funding for social services because all crime is tied to the social circumstances that people find themselves in.

“The more we can do to alleviate that, the better,” he said. “I always kind of joke about my goal is to work myself out of a job.”

Frank said the sheriff’s office was already operating at a minimal level.

If deputy staffing was reduced by one or two deputies, Frank said, “You reduce our ability to respond to that emergency in progress.”

“We don’t have the depth of staff that they do, say, in Seattle, or in a larger area, where they have 800 officers, or in Portland, where they have so many officers,” he said.

People can’t expect to reduce the budget of a department and expect the same level of public safety.

“It won’t work,” he said.

During his closing statement, Frank again said it was time for a change in the leadership of the sheriff’s office.

“You have a voice in what kind of law enforcement you want for our county. This is in this vital decision. You have a real choice,” Frank said.

“Do you want to maintain a reactionary status quo that has proven unable to address your most pressing needs?” Frank asked. “Or do you want a proactive leadership that will respond to and resolve your current needs, and prepare JCSO to tackle future challenges?”

He promised to reorient the department to an outward-facing agency and “create a culture of service over self, and embrace change over continuous improvement.”

Nole, during his closing, again returned to his roots.

“I started out as a back country ranger in the Buckthorn Wilderness and a high school biology teacher. As it turns out, that was good preparation for this line of work,” he said.

“I’ve worked at the right hand of the previous five Jefferson County sheriffs, and I learned a lot from them both. What to do, and perhaps more importantly, what not to do.”

Nole vowed to continue partnerships with social service organizations and work toward resolving community challenges in a compassionate and fair manner.

The League of Women Voters noted the candidate forum, held on Zoom, was recorded and an edited version of the meeting will be posted in the coming week at lwvjeffco.org.