Submitted by Fox First at Ten on January 22nd
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE FROM THE SPOKANE COUNTY SHEIFF'S OFFICE: Do you believe a sheriff or police chief should be forced by an arbitrator to rehire a peace officer if the peace officer has been found, during an investigation, to have committed an illegal act or an act of dishonesty in the discharge of his/her official duties? Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich has proposed legislation in Washington State that would stop arbitrators from ordering the reinstatement of a peace officer in this situation unless the arbitrator also overturns the finding the peace officer engaged in an illegal act or act of dishonesty. This proposed legislation is supported by all of the Sheriffs of the State of Washington and Washington State Representative Kevin Parker (6th District) has agreed to sponsor the bill. Last week, Sheriff Knezovich sent individual letters to Spokane area Senators and Representatives asking for their support. An email with copies of the letters and proposed legislation was also sent to all of the remaining Senators and Representatives of Washington State asking for their support. Sheriff Knezovich stated in his letter, "The legislation is not about eliminating the Due Process, the just cause standard nor the arbitration process concerning disciplinary matters." "This proposed legislation is about integrity, the integrity of a profession." wrote Sheriff Knezovich. The letters sent to our State Legislators, along with the proposed legislation, can be viewed, printed or saved by clicking the following link: http://www.spokanecounty.org/sheriffintegrityproposal If you would like to contact us, would like further information or want to let us know your thoughts about Sheriff Knezovich's proposal, please send us an email at sheriff@spokanecounty.org
