A contract establishing law enforcement coverage in Pe Ell by the Morton Police Department is currently under review by the Morton City Council after it was approved by the Pe Ell Town Council on July 5.
In its current form, the contract would be in effect for three years.
According to Pe Ell Mayor Lonnie Willey, the idea of Morton providing police coverage for Pe Ell was introduced to the council several months ago when Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza and Morton Police Chief Roger Morningstar visited the town.
“Sheriff Snaza recommended Morton because they were handling Mossyrock and that seemed to be working out there,” Willey told The Chronicle.
The idea for the contract originated with the Lewis County Sheriff's Office. After the Pe Ell marshal left in September 2020, the sheriff's office began providing coverage for the town while Pe Ell sought a new marshal, a position the town is still actively trying to fill. But, due to staffing shortages, the sheriff’s office began searching for another agency to administer law enforcement services for Pe Ell, Snaza said.
“The sheriff's office cannot guarantee presence all the time for them,” Snaza told The Chronicle Wednesday.
According to Snaza, the sheriff’s office first reached out to Toledo to see if its police department could cover Pe Ell. Snaza said former Toledo Police Chief John Brockmueller was open to the idea. Snaza said without a marshal, Pe Ell’s reserve police officer was legally unable to carry out law enforcement duties. The original plan was for Toledo’s officers to cover Pe Ell while the town’s reserve police officer underwent training to become the new Pe Ell marshal. However, those plans fell apart after the Pe Ell reserve officer left his position.
“The purpose of having Brockmueller there was to administer until the officer was qualified,” Snaza explained.
When Pe Ell’s reserve officer left, there was no longer a police presence in Pe Ell for Brockmueller to administer.
After the Toledo plan was scrapped, Snaza reached out to Morton Police Chief Roger Morningstar and began developing what he called a “collaborative idea” for the Morton Police Department to provide police coverage to Pe Ell. Snaza said he began discussing the idea with Morningstar at least six months, and possibly over a year, ago. While Morningstar was initially hesitant about the plan, Snaza said in the past few months, after considering Morton’s police coverage in Mossyrock the past several years, he’s come to believe his department would be capable of providing the necessary coverage for Pe Ell.
“I think what Morningstar was looking at in Mossyrock, he felt Pe Ell could be an option,” Snaza said.
Still, the plan is not without its problems.
Morton Mayor Dan Mortensen told The Chronicle there are concerns in Morton about the administrative challenges the contract presents.
“Being on the opposite end of the county is the first concern,” Mortensen said. “Staffing and administrative procedures have to be taken into account before anything can happen.”
Mortensen, who said the council was first approached by Snaza and Morningstar after the sheriff had reached out to Pe Ell and Morton, made clear Morton would not accept a situation in which its officers would have to commute across the county.
“One thing we don’t want is to commute, so we have to come up with staff that will be close to Pe Ell but will be managed by our department. Those things are being addressed,” Mortensen said. “We’re not going to commute.”
According to Mortensen, the commuting issue could be resolved by having Morton police officers who live west of Morton cover Pe Ell.
“We have some people on board currently here in Morton that have voiced some interest in working in (Pe Ell) who live much closer to that area than we currently are,” he said.
Mortensen described himself as being “optimistically cautious” toward the contract.
“We have (the contract) on the agenda for (our city council meeting) Monday for consideration, but not necessarily to be accepted,” Mortensen said. “There’s a lot of work that has yet to be completed. … We’re not going to move forward until we’re ready and we feel we can fulfill those requirements appropriately.”
Snaza is optimistic about the plan’s ability to work.
“I think this is a challenge for (Morningstar) but I think it’s something he would be able to do. He’s got ideas,” Snaza said. “I think this is a win-win opportunity for everyone if chief Morningstar is able to provide those services. Unfortunately because of staffing issues, we can’t provide those services at this time.”
Even if the contract doesn’t work out, Snaza said he still believes his department will be able to continue supporting the Pe Ell community.
“With what (Morningstar) is able to offer I hope it works, and if it doesn’t, then the sheriff’s office will still be able to provide coverage,” Snaza said.
Morningstar was contacted by The Chronicle but chose to refrain from commenting until after a final contract has been approved by both municipal councils.
The Chronicle has also requested a copy of the contract as currently written from both Pe Ell and Morton but neither has provided copies, citing ongoing negotiations between the two municipalities. The Chronicle was told a copy of the contract could be provided following final approval.
