Grant County sheriff a local boy doing good

EPHRATA - Some people must have wondered why Tom Jones wanted to be sheriff of Grant County when the election campaign of 2010 kicked off. Surely, he could still sing.

Well, it wasn't that Tom Jones. It was the Tom Jones who was raised in one of the county's smaller communities and was serving as a sergeant in the Grant County Sheriff's Department.

His goal – to lead the department – was simple.

Jones was born and raised in Soap Lake, where his parents had an upholstery business. He joined the military right out of high school and has been serving the county since 1997.

Jones joined the sheriff's department after serving the community of Soap Lake from 1992-1997. On both jobs, he's had to deal with people he's known for a long time, including classmates from school, parents of friends and old family friends. He is thankful that, to date, none has tried to take advantage of the familiarity.

Before joining the SLPD, Jones served in the U.S. Navy. He did a roving patrol stint in Desert Storm aboard the USS Camden, a fast support combat ship. It was his first experience with law enforcement work.

Having enjoyed that moment, Jones started to consider law enforcement as a career. He joined the Soap Lake Police Department as a volunteer in 1992 and attended the Grant County Regional Reserve Academy.

“I had heard that volunteering as a deputy was a good way to start,” he said.

Jones nearly gave up the career six months before leaving the Soap Lake Police and joining the sheriff. He questioned his performance and the risk he was taking after an incident that turned brutal.

A man had taken a former girlfriend hostage at knife point. Jones and the suspect ended up in a physical confrontation that didn't end until Jones received help from his backup several minutes later.

“(The suspect) was pretty drunk. That helped,” Jones said.

What convinced Jones to remain in the career was that woman. She kept saying, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

In at least one way, Jones is a different kind of sheriff. He often includes words of sympathy in his press releases after incidents or accidents in which people have died.

“It comes from my heart. It comes from my Christian background, he said.

The tragedies stay with Jones for long periods of time, some of them forever. He said caring law enforcement officers “always feel something.”

Perhaps the worst occurred this summer when a vehicle went into a canal near George, and a family of four perished. The driver had attempted to avoid a car which had missed a stop sign and swerved into the canal.

Divers were still trying to break into the car after the parents had died. You could hear the children screaming about the horror they were facing.

“It just broke my heart,” Jones said.

“I don't know how you we erase something like that,” he added.

Jones worked for Sheriff Bill Wiester, Sheriff Mike Shay and Sheriff Frank DeTrolio. He was promoted to sergeant in 2002.

Jones decided to challenge for the top spot when DeTrolio declared a run for his third term. His candidacy caused the department to divide into two camps, Jones said, but everyone carried out their assignments professionally.

Jones said he ran not because he didn't like DeTrolio. He ran because he thought he could develop and run a better department.

“If you want stuff changed, run for sheriff,” he said.

Now that he's been on the job more than two years, Jones says, “communication is the absolute key.” Communication within the department, he said, communication with other agencies and communication with the general public.

To that end, Jones instituted a series of town hall meetings throughout the county shortly after he became sheriff. There were 10 town halls the first year, 10 last year, and several were scheduled this year.

The purpose of the town halls is to allow citizens to discuss, complain or even vent about the department. Several department leaders make themselves available. The town halls have been well attended and, sometimes, the sheriff and deputies have received an earful.

Another key is cooperation. Grant County is one of the largest in the state, and it is sparsely populated. There is only enough budget for one deputy for every 1,700 citizens. Average response time for the department is about 15 minutes.

All sheriff's deputies and police department deputies are cross-deputized so they may more easily help each other. It's not unusual to get an assist from local police at Royal City or Mattawa.

Jones noted citizen patrols, like the one at Desert Aire, are helpful. Although they can't arrest anyone, members of these patrols can be eyes and ears for the department.

“It sure helps us,” Jones said. “Calls at Desert Aire were down 60 percent the first eight months in 2013 compared to the first eight months of 2012.”