Dear Editor,

As this season unfolds, I unfortunately hear more and more inaccurate information about the candidates for Sheriff. Due to this, I feel compelled to share with our community, so they may make an informed choice.

Mr. Stroe was hired as a deputy by Sheriff Humphreys in 2007. Matt attempted and did not graduate from the basic police academy on two separate occasions. Upon my taking office in 2011, the Criminal Justice Training Commission advised that Stroe had not achieved state certified peace officer status due to not successfully graduating the academy. Stroe’s hiring was honored and the legal requirement of setting a new academy date for him began. During that process, Stroe claimed a disability.

A needed Crime Analyst Technician position was created in 2011. Due to his situation, Stroe was offered and accepted this role. In 2013, Stroe resigned from the Sheriff’s Office and accepted an unarmed security position at Whitman College.

When people opine that a person is qualified because he is a nice person and “from here,” I often wonder if those same people only seek nurses and doctors who are “from here.” Great work is being done by the Walla Walla and College Place Police Chiefs, even though they are not “from here.”

I’ll tread lightly when it comes to Mr. Cooper because of the claims he has filed against our county in the past. Many current deputies and firefighters have worked around Cooper and I will let their Associations’ endorsements of current Undersheriff Mark Crider speak for itself.

On the other hand, Undersheriff Mark Crider, although he was born and raised in a small Ohio town, is more than qualified to be a great Sheriff for our county. In his 10-year Navy career, not only was Mark an F-14 flight officer, he managed personnel and large government budgets. Crider possesses a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State’s School of Agriculture and a master’s degree in Safety and Systems Management. In his 22-year FBI career, Crider supervised complex crime and cyber investigations, obtained master trainer certifications, ran operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, was an FBI SWAT sniper, worked alongside and trained our deputies, and supervised law enforcement personnel and budgets. Mark is currently doing a great job as our Undersheriff.

Mark Crider possesses the education, training, character, and experience needed to be a great Sheriff for our community. Please join me in voting for Crider for Sheriff.

Sheriff John Turner

Walla Walla