New deputy hired for Lopez Island
posted 03/22/02
San Juan County Sheriff Bill Cumming has hired Jeffrey Patterson as a deputy. He served as reserve officer in the county in 1987 before leaving to become a police officer in Oregon. Patterson, who is also an accomplished potter, and his wife Linda will live on Lopez Island. He is undergoing orientation and should be on duty on Lopez next week.
New deputy hired for Orcas Island
posted 03/22/02
John Scott Taylor, a former Border Patrol officer and Army Reserve captain, will begin work as a San Juan County Sheriff's deputy on Orcas Island next week. Taylor is married and has two children. "We're very excited to have him on board," said Sheriff Bill Cumming. Interviews are being conducted to fill two more vacancies in the sheriff's office.
New deputy hired
posted 08/10/01
Louise Ferris, an officer from Shawnee County, Kansas has been hired to replace San Juan County Deputy Chris England. He is leaving to accept a position in Okanagon county. Ferris joins other recent hires Lem Pratt and Shelley Trepl in the San Juan County Sheriff's Office.
The new hirings allow Deputy Scott Johannsen to be assigned full-time to traffic safety. Sheriff Bill Cumming says he is seeing positive results. "The number of complaints about speeding are down," he said. Traffic studies done by the county Public Works department show average speeds are also down.
Undersheriff Jon Zerby speaking to the Friday Harbor Town Council about the traffic officer last week said, "He's averaging three to 12 tickets a day. He doesn't give many warnings." Johannsen rotates between the ferry-served islands.
Herb Crowe returns home to law enforcement career and family
By Matt Pranger
posted 2000
San Juan County’s most recently hired deputy is beaming about his assignment to the islands where he was raised. "I’m looking forward to being a full-time deputy on Orcas," says Herb Crowe, who grew up on the Horseshoe Island and graduated from high school there.
Crowe recently finished three months of basic training at the state’s police academy. He is learning basic department procedures for a couple of weeks on San Juan Island before moving to Orcas.
"I’m excited about Herb being here," says San Juan County Sheriff Bill Cumming. "The dedication and enthusiasm he’s brought bodes well for the department and the community."
Crowe fills a gap created when former detective Jim Gover resigned last year. Orcas Deputy Ed Commet is assuming that detective position, Cumming says.
The San Juan Islands’ newest deputy is by no means a rookie: Crowe has logged more than 5,000 hours as a reserve police officer. He served 1.5 years in San Juan County, one in Bremerton and five years Wenatchee, where he became that city’s reserve force commander.
A business manager in Wenatchee before moving back to Orcas Island, Crowe has wanted to be a police officer for a long time. "I feel very blessed to be able to do this full time and to make it my career," he says.
Crowe has been married to his wife Margie for 14 years. They have two children: Brittany 8, and Spencer 5. Returning to Orcas makes it easier for Crowe to visit his parents, Alice and Geno Crowe.
In his spare time Crowe heads for the sea. "I love anything that has me doing something out on a boat," he says. "I love to fish, also."
Deputy OK after crash
posted 02/19/01
Deputy Herb Crowe, his legs pinned between a car and a tree, managed to call for help on his radio during Friday's snow storm. The Orcas Island deputy had stopped to see if anyone was in a car which had gone off the road. Another car slid into the first vehicle, trapping Crowe between the front door and a tree.
Sheriff Bill Cumming said tow trucks pulled the car free and Crowe was OK. "He'll miss a few days of work," said Cumming.
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