GCSO's Kriete elected VP of law enforcement association

EPHRATA — Grant County Sheriff Joey Kriete has been elected vice president of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.  

“I am honored to represent the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs in this new capacity as Vice President,” Kriete said. “I look forward to working alongside my peers across the state to support law enforcement excellence and strengthen public safety in all our communities.” 

With more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement, Sheriff Kriete brings a wealth of knowledge and dedication to his new role, according to a statement from GCSO.  

He has been an active member of WASPC since 2011 and has participated in its Corrections Committee, Professional Services Committee and the Accreditation Commission, according to Kriete.  

“A portion of our involvement with WASPC is to help make our state better and our law enforcement be able to do our job even better, and in the long run, that does create a benefit for the community,” Kriete said. “This is just another tool for me to help our local community and hopefully be able to be a voice through the state that also influences everybody.”   

Kriete was elected as Sheriff of Grant County in November 2022 and officially took office in December of the same year. 

WASPC, since its founding in 1963, acts as the only entity in the United States that unites all 39 elected sheriffs, police chiefs, tribal law enforcement officers, as well as state and federal agencies under one umbrella, according to the WASPC website.  

The association's mission is to foster collaboration among law enforcement executives, enhance public safety, improve relationships within the community and promote accountability and professionalism in law enforcement agencies statewide, according to WASPC.  

As vice president, Kriete will help promote the association’s efforts to meet its goals of protecting and serving Washington’s diverse communities. He said he aims to leverage his extensive background in law enforcement to address public safety policies that impact localities statewide.  

“Every one of us in the community that we work in, including Grant County, carries a significant impact, from the sheriffs to our legislative body over in Olympia,” he said. “It’s not just me doing work for the state and the other counties; it literally stems from Grant County.” 

Kriete also aims to promote the interests of local communities through the lobbying efforts of WASPC, ensuring that the voices of residents are heard when discussing important legislative matters.  

“I want to try to be a voice for our legislative lobbyists that we have for WASPC and try to be a good teammate to the other sheriffs across the state and the other police chiefs,” Kriete said. “One thing about law enforcement is we can't do it alone. We use our partnerships that we have in our municipalities, in the counties that we have all through the state.”  

One of Kriete’s initiatives since taking office as Sheriff has been the establishment of a Crime Reduction Team. This team is designed to strengthen investigative capacity and enhance services throughout Grant County, aligning with his vision of proactive service and community partnership.  

Kriete said he will also focus on the continual professional development of law enforcement personnel, advocating for best practices, and enhancing the credibility of law enforcement agencies across the state.  

“I want to stay active and stay on top of the trends happening in the state,” he said.  

Kriete said that the role of vice president may mean stepping into the president's duties when necessary. The current president is Sheriff John Nowels of Spokane County. He said he recognizes the importance of being a dependable ally to fellow sheriffs and police chief counterparts.  

“It's a great resource to be on the committees that I'm with,” Kriete said. “It is big to exchange information and just to exchange ideas with the other chiefs and sheriffs across the state, because chances are, somebody's probably already dealing with a problem that you're dealing with right now. It's great to have a resource to lean on, to be able to get some information and maybe get a bite into some of the problems that we do have.”