FILE PHOTO — Sheriff Rob Snaza accepts a sign reading “we support all first responders” from community member George Chandler during a meeting in October 2020.
Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza wants residents to know that he and his office are dedicated to serving everyone in Lewis County — not just the people who agree with his personal opinions.
And to those who don’t agree with him on something, Snaza encourages anyone to sit down with him and have a civil conversation.
“There may be things that we’ll never agree on,” Snaza said in an interview with The Chronicle last week. “(But) if you are able to get over that … can you imagine the difference that we could make? Because I guarantee that there is going to be something that we can both agree on.”
Snaza made national headlines this summer due to comments he made about Gov. Jay Inslee’s mask order during a rally near the Uncle Sam Hamilton Billboard in Napavine; specifically, he encouraged people not to be “sheep” when asked about the order, which was new at the time.
“I respect the governor and his positions,” Snaza said. “It’s OK to disagree, though I’m not trying to be adversarial.”
Snaza further clarified his stance on face coverings, stating he believes in their effectiveness “up to a point.”
“I believe it should be an individual choice, but I do believe that if a business is asking for it, you wear it. But are we to make people wear it?” Snaza asked.
Based on his experiences out and about in Lewis County, Snaza estimates that over 80% of county residents are regularly wearing masks.
“If you were to open a business, they would do what you ask,” he said.
His primary frustration with past and current pandemic restrictions, Snaza said, is a lack of effective communication from the govermor.
“I just wish I knew what the plan to recovery is,” he said.
Shutdown conditions have had a significant impact on the volume and types of calls that the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office receives, Snaza said.
The total call volume went up about 5% in 2020, and he anticipates that number to further increase in 2021. Many of the calls since restrictions began in March 2020, Snaza said, have started out as requests for a wellness check for somebody the caller thought was going to commit suicide, and deputies are dispatched in an attempt to locate the subject. The sheriff’s office has also seen an increase in cases of domestic violence and other family disputes, as well as calls related to drug problems or drug overdoses, Snaza said.
Deaths by drug overdose rose dramatically in 2020 — from five deaths in 2019 up to 29 in 2020, with a 30th pending — according to the Lewis County Coroner’s Office. Deaths by suicide also increased, from 14 recorded in 2019 to 18 in 2020.
Both the sheriff’s office and the Lewis County Jail work hard to set up foundations for people to recover from drug abuse and mental health issues, Snaza said.
“My concern is that people on the road to recovery are slipping,” he added.
An increase in cases of child abuse is another major concern, Snaza said, although his agency won’t know the extent of the problem until kids return to school and have the opportunity to safely disclose incidents.
“Getting back to school is huge,” Snaza said, adding, “Zoom isn’t the answer to a child’s education.”
Both the sheriff’s office and the Lewis County Jail are short on staff, Snaza said, and he plans to formally request two more patrol deputies and two more jail deputies so the jail can achieve state accreditation. He intends to wait on that request until the community starts to see financial recovery from the pandemic and associated restrictions.
Shutdowns have impacted the level at which the sheriff’s office is able to engage with the community, and Snaza is looking forward to a return to normalcy.
“I choose to believe that we’ll go back to a regular time,” he said. “I think living in fear is wrong; that isn’t to say don’t live cautiously, but living in fear is overpowering.”
Regardless of his personal beliefs, Snaza said that the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office will always enforce the law, and that he and the sheriff’s office proudly serve the entire county.
“We have great men and women here, we have a great staff, and I just know that I am blessed to have the opportunity to be sheriff in Lewis County,” Snaza said.
