WAITSBURG – A half-dozen community members showed up to ask questions and hear updates from Walla Walla County Sheriff John Turner and Deputy Gerrod Martin at the March 19 Sheriff’s Round Table, in the Waitsburg Elementary School library. Turner presented updates on contract hours and crime rates and touched on the topics of drugs, gangs, burglary tips and traffic safety.

Turner said the city of Waitsburg has contracted with the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Department for a minimum of 4.2 hours of patrol service per day. A chart tracked patrol hours at 573 hours above the hours contracted for 2014.

“We don’t stop patrolling Waitsburg just because we reach our contracted amount,” said Turner. As of Jan. 31, 2015 the chart showed 63.5 hours above the contracted rate for 2015.

Turner said the Walla Walla Valley Strategic Gang Initiative, with local enforcement agencies working together on zero tolerance for gangs, is still ongoing. A $23,000 grant has allowed for the hire of a consultant and architecture firm to design the Clearinghouse for Hope to be located at the Health Center right next to Lincoln High School. The two-story building will provide walk-in services for tutoring, health and social services on the first floor with a youth hostel on the second floor.

“No more couch surfing and homelessness. That will be a game changer. My experience is that there is not a lack of social services but it’s getting people who need the services hooked up with the right people,” said Turner.

Turner said he has regular conversations indicating that people don’t realize how serious the drug problem is in our communities. Walla Walla County 2014 statistics show 22 cases where drugs were directly related to the cause of death and five cases where alcohol was the direct cause. Nineteen deaths were attributed to a combination of the two. There have been three suspected drug related deaths so far in 2015.

Attendees were surprised to learn that, according to Walla Walla Coroner Richard Greenwood, the average age of males who died from illegal or prescription drugs in Walla Walla County was 46 and for females the average age was 43 for illicit drugs and 49 for prescription drugs.

Turner urged attendees to support the Sheriff’s Department to the county commissioners in creating a dedicated drug task force that would allow the department to be proactive in the education and enforcement arenas rather than being reactionary. “One of my top priorities is to be proactive in the areas where we can’t unvictimize people,” said Turner.

Turning the topic to traffic safety, Turner said per capita or per miles traveled, Walla Walla County is usually in the top five of 39 counties in the state when it comes to serious injuries and traffic fatalities, according to the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission. Turner recently chaired a group that is trying to get the Walla Walla Community Council to do their 2016 study on traffic safety.

Finally, Martin gave some tips on how to prevent burglaries. Most importantly, he urged communication between neighbors and said not to hesitate to call 911 if something seems unusual. Too often, witnesses come forward after the fact and say they noticed something odd but that it didn’t seem to be a big deal, he said

“Be the eyes and ears and pay attention to details,” he said. Martin said burglars often enter through a back door that is protected from sight behind a fence or shrubbery and urged residents to lock their doors even if going to the store for a few minutes. He also stressed the importance of not announcing a trip out of town on social networks like Facebook.