(Left to right) Undersheriff Wes Rethwill, Sheriff Rob Snaza and Chief Chris Sweet meet with the Lewis County Board of Commissioners Tuesday March 12, 2019.
A week after county commissioners voted to set pay for a designated security guard at the Law and Justice Center, the guard — a retired Centralia police officer — was on the job.
Sheriff Rob Snaza said they had Neil Hoium in mind for the job for a while, saying that he has more than 20 years of law enforcement experience, most recently as a reserve deputy for the sheriff’s office.
“He’s a perfect individual for this opportunity, and he will set the standards for court security from this point forward,” said Snaza.
The position marks the first step toward addressing ongoing security concerns at the center, with justice system officials saying in previous interviews that time will tell if additional measures prove necessary.
Commissioners set aside $40,000 for the position — dubbed a “casual employee” — with an hourly pay of $25. The amount also pays for a uniform and equipment.
County manager Erik Martin, during a meeting between the sheriff’s office and commissioners, said he hopes Hoium’s presence means deputies won’t have to respond to incidents within the Law and Justice Center, freeing up some manpower.
It also keeps judges from having to run after inmates, said commissioner Edna Fund, referencing a much-publicized incident in district court late last year where Judge R.W. Buzzard gave chase to two inmates who fled from a hearing.
The idea behind the position is for the new guard to patrol the center and the historic courthouse across the street. If a hearing is likely to be a contentious one, Hoium can sit in on it, ready to step in if things get out of hand.
Also during the meeting, Snaza said a deputy hired in December will start training at the state academy the first week of April. Having the position filled will mean the department will still be down one deputy position, he said.
That’s been pretty consistent through the last year, he said, saying they lose one or two deputies per year on average, and the process of getting a new hire qualified to patrol on their own often goes at a sluggish pace.
After someone’s hired, Snaza said, comes up to four or five months of waiting to enroll in the academy. The academy takes another five months or so. Then there’s 12 weeks of on-the-job training, which could take even longer if the person is struggling.
Snaza said they’re currently looking around for someone to fill the other open position.
