James Paul Sauter was accused of using red and blue law enforcement style lights on his white 2012 Dodge truck on multiple occasions back in May 2017. Lewis County also has white unmarked Dodge trucks in their fleet lot, similar to the truck reportedly driven by Sauter.
On May 12, Lewis County sheriff’s deputies and Chehalis police officers were advised of a suspicious circumstances call in Chehalis, where a man in a white Dodge truck had threatened a woman, accusing her of being an “ISIS member,” and intimidated another woman at Steck Clinic while using red and blue law enforcement-style lights, which were installed in the grill of his truck.
While investigating, deputies noted the LED style lights installed on the subject’s truck, but there was no probable cause for arrest or ticketing, according to reports. The suspect — well-known to law enforcement — was warned about impersonating an officer.
In the two weeks that followed, the man would go on to be arrested for multiple other incidents, starting with possession of controlled substances on May 19 and for shaking a woman’s vehicle, kicking tires and banging on the windows while she was inside. The suspect told police he had a “bad feeling” about the car and the woman inside it.
Then, on May 25, that same man in the white Dodge truck was the subject of a harrowing pursuit. State Patrol troopers responded to a report of a possibly hit and run on U.S. Highway 12. The suspect vehicle was traveling in excess of 100 mph and reportedly passing vehicles in “no-passing zones and around blind corners,” with red and blue lights flashing on the vehicle.
At one point, Troopers located the suspect further east on U.S. Highway 12 — with another civilian vehicle pulled over — before the suspect activated his red and blue lights and took off again.
Eventually, LCSO and WSP would arrest the suspect in Packwood. The driver of the white Dodge truck was arrested wearing a vest with a Centralia Fire Department badge pinned to his vest and a can of pepper spray.
There’s a couple of takeaways here.
First of all, one suspect did all of this in a white 2012 Dodge truck that was very similar to the white Dodge trucks that sit in the county fleet lot near LCSO and are used by law enforcement.
Secondly, despite the subject’s documented history with law enforcement, aggressive nature and suspected mental health issues, law enforcement was not able to arrest or charge him with a crime following the initial incidents. And, neither the Sheriff’s Office or Chehalis Police Department appeared to have issued any sort of proactive warning or reminder to citizens on what to do, should they be stopped by a suspicious vehicle, despite the potential for obvious confusion.
I understand that you can’t warn the public about someone who hasn’t been charged with a crime, but there are general messages that could have been utilized, as a simple precaution, reminding drivers what to do if they are pulled over by a suspicious vehicle, in light of these concerns. Both agencies maintain a social media presence.
The initial incident didn’t appear in the Sirens section of The Chronicle or LewisCountyWatch.com. Law enforcement declined to release the public records in the May 12 incident for a full week following the initial incident. Citizens were vulnerable to this threat.
The incidents involving this white Dodge truck come at a time when the Sheriff’s Office is considering making the full transition to darker, less visible vehicle graphics — at a time when law enforcement style lights are available via Amazon Prime.
And, at a time when WSP is reportedly conducting traffic stops in Nissan Xterras and other non-traditional vehicles.
There is a lot of potential for confusion as law enforcement vehicles become less recognizable — and that leaves citizens more vulnerable to would-be impersonators.
•••
I’d like to give some major props to Sheriff Rob Snaza for appearing on a local call-in radio show recently in response to my columns regarding LCSO’s vehicle graphics. I found it refreshing and highly commendable for an elected official to respond so quickly — and live, on the radio. I was honestly pretty blown away by that response. I thank the sheriff for his professionalism, and for being so accessible and willing to have this important conversation in full view of citizens.
During the show, Sheriff Snaza indicated to a caller that he believes the newer vehicle graphics — the black-on-dark-grey lettering with the slim silver outline — is considered “contrast,” among other things. For consideration, I would like to respectfully submit a couple of points:
(1) RCW 46.08.065 states that “letters” (identifying the agency, etc.) shall be displayed “in a color contrasting with the color of the vehicle.” The RCW appears to require that each letter itself, in its entirety, should be in a contrasting (“strikingly different”) color to the vehicle, as opposed to solely the outline of the letters.
(2) The 2009 Emergency Vehicle Visibility and Conspicuity Study by the Federal Emergency Management Agency states that retroreflective graphics hold great promise specifically to enhance the conspicuity of contrasted graphics on emergency vehicles. Retroreflective materials are not recommended as a replacement or alternative to traditional contrast.
(3) When you ask citizens to proceed to a well-lit area and call 911 to ascertain the legitimacy of a traffic stop, you’re asking them to risk being suspected of breaking two additional traffic laws — failing to yield and the newest distracted driving laws (DUIE, taking effect July 23) — while already under suspicion for whatever the reason is behind the stop. That’s a nerve-wracking spot between a rock and a hard place for citizens, and also assumes they both possess a cell phone and have cell service in all areas of our county. At the end of the day, It’s asking citizens to weigh their sense of safety against potentially being suspected of committing additional infractions in full view of an officer.
•••
Brittany Voie is The Chronicle’s senior media developer. She welcomes correspondence from the community by email at bvoie@chronline.com.
