Bikers volunteer to police their Snohomish show

Published 11:36 am Friday, March 6, 2009

SNOHOMISH — Organizers of a popular motorcycle show are trying to persuade Snohomish city officials that they can police themselves instead of paying for 44 police officers.

Snohomish Police Chief John Turner has rejected the idea of cutting back on cops and leaving security to bikers at an event that draws members of outlaw motorcycle gangs.

“They’re basically saying, ‘Turn the city over to us and we’ll keep order,’ ” he said. “I have a problem with that. It goes against the oath I took to protect the city.”

The Sky Valley Chapter of the American Bikers Aimed Toward Education, threatened to cancel its event in Snohomish after it was told it would need to pay up to $30,000 for police enforcement this year. They paid $5,000 for 70 police officers last year.

About 22,000 people attended last year’s Old Snohomish Antique and Classic Motorcycle.

Some business owners have criticized city officials for shutting out an event that brings cash to downtown.

Turner has met with event organizers. He has encouraged them to charge admission to pay for police services. They have rejected the idea.

ABATE expects to present the Snohomish City Council with a security plan that involves using volunteers in support of police officers, Martin Fox, a Seattle attorney who represents the group, said Thursday.

That’s worked in other towns, he said. The biker volunteers could calmly talk down a situation and use walkie-talkies to summon police if a situation got out of hand, he said.

“I’m not saying they should physically handle anybody,” Fox said. “This is a common-sense approach.”

Turner said he welcomes discussing alternatives but has questions, particularly related to civil liability.

In Anacortes, motorcycle clubs help police the Oyster Run, an annual fall event that draws an estimated 28,000 bikers. The formula has worked well for the city for the past 27 years, said Mark Krueger, an Anacortes city employee who manages street fairs and festivals.

At one time, the City Council wanted to shut down the event. They discovered “canceling the show might cause more problems than it solves,” Krueger said. The city kept the event after bikers threatened to come anyway.

“If you didn’t, you’re just going to have people come to town and there’s no control,” Krueger said.

Anacortes directs 22 police officers — every person it can spare — to work the Oyster Run, Assistant Police Chief Ken Clark said. The city would like to have more officers at the event but can’t afford the cost, he said. The police department eats nearly $5,000 in overtime each year. The organizers don’t pay any security costs.

“We are stuck in the middle,” Clark said. “It’s a difficult situation.”

Turner acknowledged that only some of those who come to the Snohomish show are outlaw bikers. ABATE members usually don’t belong to outlaw clubs, police said. In the past, however, the self-identified “1 percenter” bikers have made a strong showing at the event.

The Hells Angels set up a booth, and the Bandidos usually attend in big numbers.

A Bandidos leader attended a meeting last week with city officials. The Snohomish-area man, once a “hang-around” with the Hells Angels, was called as a witness in a 2007 federal racketeering case.

That trial landed several Hells Angels behind bars, including a Snohomish man accused of murdering Michael “Santa” Walsh, of Arlington. Walsh was shot to death at a 2001 party because he falsely claimed ties to the Hells Angels.

An Arlington man who lured Walsh to the party and helped cover up the crime ended up in federal prison. Police say he first met Hells Angels members at an ABATE function in Eastern Washington.

The Bandido officer who met with Snohomish officials last week was summoned in the racketeering case after he reportedly told police a Hells Angel member extorted a motorcycle from him. Once on the stand, the man testified he simply handed over the $15,000 bike as a part of a gentleman’s agreement once he stopped hanging out with the Hells Angels.

Monroe police detective Barry Hatch was one of the lead investigators in the case. He said there are about 25 members of the Bandidos and one Hells Angel member living in Snohomish County. Events such as the one in Snohomish can draw outlaw bikers from all over the area.

An ABATE gathering in 2000 in Zillah erupted in gunfire between rival gangs. One man was killed. Hatch said historically those sorts of problems are rare.

Biker gang members tend to police themselves, Hatch said, and that often means violence.

It also only takes one person to disobey a leader to create a dangerous situation, he said.

There is some indication that tensions between some groups are mounting. In December, a Hells Angels associate was shot at an Everett bar popular with Bandidos.

The Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce and ABATE are talking about holding a scaled-down version of the show in July in Sultan.

The chamber hasn’t discussed security with Sheriff John Lovick. On Thursday, Lovick said he would follow the same model Turner used to determine how many police officers are needed in Snohomish.

“I’m not going to tell them I back Snohomish and do something different,” he said.

Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463, hefley@heraldnet.com.