WCSO field office offers Westend residents face time

Wahkiakum County residents living west of KM Mountain have, at times, had to travel 30 minutes or more to go into the Sheriff’s Office in Cathlamet to do any in-person filing or to speak with staff. The Wahkiakum County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) recently reopened a field office at Johnson Park in Rosburg to, according to WCSO, “provide folks on the Westend better access to us, have face-to-face contact or, if they have any questions, comments, or even complaints that they might not call the main office line about.” The office being located in the Westend also provides an opportunity for residents who struggle with transportation and brings a regular presence to the part of the county that doesn’t have as much with regards to the sheriff’s office. The systems there have been connected directly to the courthouse through the county’s fibre network, allowing staff and deputies at the Johnson Park office to assist residents with making reports and filing complaints. Should staffing allow for it, the goal is to have someone at Johnson Park every Thursday. “I’m going to have more deputies here,” said Sheriff Mason. “I just hired two new deputies and they’re going to the academy in July.” The addition of these two deputies puts the Wahkiakum Sheriff’s Office at full staff.

The Johnson Park field office was open previously under Sheriff Mark Howie but has been closed in recent years. Reopening the office has been a goal for Mason, as he and staff have implemented some additions. Emergency Management Coordinator Austin Smith will be at the field office two Thursdays a month, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The team believed having the EM Coordinator present in the area of the county that is tremendously impacted by flooding and other weather-related emergencies would be especially advantageous to residents to get information and learn more about emergency preparedness. Smith also brought some of the county’s emergency supplies like emergency food and cots with him so that the park can serve as an emergency shelter. “The Red Cross also has an emergency response trailer stored here,” said Smith. “This would be our primary place that we would house and feed people here on the Westend if we had to open up a large shelter.”

Appointments are not necessary at the Johnson Park field office, which will be open Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (times subject to change) and closed for lunch from noon to 1 p.m. “[Residents] are welcome to walk in if we are there, and we will try to be out there every Thursday,” said Smith. “If anyone would like to meet with me for emergency management related questions or concerns, they are welcome to make an appointment to meet with me there outside of Thursdays as well.” To schedule a time with EM Coordinator Austin Smith, email EM@co.wahkiakum.wa.us. To see when deputies are available in the Westend, watch the Wahkiakum County Sheriff’s Facebook page (facebook.com/wahkiakumcountysheriff).