Local law enforcement honors its own

Sheriff, Ferndale Police officers are celebrated

CALEB HEERINGA

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Officers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty were honored Saturday at an inaugural Law Enforcement Awards Dinner.

Organized by the Ferndale Police Department, the event was also an opportunity for police from many local agencies to network and discuss their shared goal — keeping Whatcom County safe and making it crime-free.

“We have a unique and closeknit law enforcement community in Whatcom County,” Sheriff Bill Elfo said. “The color of the cars and the color of the uniforms make no difference.”

Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste was a guest speaker, praising the county as a model of cooperation among law enforcement agencies. Batiste pointed to WENET, the county’s new data-sharing program, and the sharing of canine units between agencies.

“A dog doesn’t care which agency it works for,” he said. “It goes out and works and all it wants is a toy afterwards. We have a lot to learn (from dogs.)”

SHERIFF’S OFFICE AWARDS

Jason Karb, deputy of the year.

Karb has been the resident deputy in the Kendall area for the last two years, meaning he is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Elfo credited Karb for a drop in crime in the area, including a 31 percent decrease in the number of burglaries last year — from 84 in 2006 to 58 in 2007.

Karb has reapplied for another two years in the position.

Caleb Ericksen, corrections deputy of the year.

Ericksen, who has been with the department since 2005, helped revamp the department’s training program and teach other officers unarmed defense skills.

Spencer Kope, support staff of the year.

Kope, the Sheriff’s Office’s crime analyst, is “like the hard drive of a mega computer — he lives, sleeps and eats his job,” Elfo said. Kope reviews all of the office’s crime reports and processes that information so officers on the street can make arrests.

Michael King and the rest of the office’s Honor Guard unit. The unit presents the flags during public events. King got his start in honor guard ceremonies while in the military as a guard at Arlington National Cemetery.

Doug Chadwick and the rest of the office’s special response team. Formed in 2006, the SRT is the county’s version of a SWAT team, responding to hostage situations and serving warrants on people with a history of violence.

AWARDS FOR FERNDALE OFFICERS

John Vander Yacht and Ken Gates, who is now a deputy for the Sheriff’s Office, Award of Valor.

Both responded to a disturbance call in November 2006 and were assaulted by a suspect, who doused the officers in flammable liquid and attempted to set them on fire. The suspect withstood two shots from the officers’ Tasers before finally succumbing to a third that hit him in the neck.

Officer David Shephard and Chief Michael Knapp, awards from the Ferndale Police Guild.

Speaking for the guild, officer Tom Cain praised Knapp for showing leadership and making “outstanding changes in the department” since he was hired in 2006. Knapp also received the department’s tongue-in-cheek EVOC award for backing out of his garage and breaking off his sideview mirror.

The award is named after the Emergency Vehicle Operators Course, but the department refers to it as the “every veteran officer crashes” award. Every year an officer involved in a minor fender-bender in which he or she was at fault puts his or her name on the award.

Organizers hope to make Saturday’s award ceremony annual event.