Schwab’s perspective on police panel valuable

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Herald Columnist Sid Schwab’s service on the Everett Police Chief’s Advisory Board is more appropriate than he acknowledged in his recent column (“Schwab: Everett’s police department puts emphasis on community,” The Herald, Jan 2). As a clear and brave herald of the threats to democracy posed by the Trump administration, he understands the role police and military personnel have played in other countries as they collapsed into tyranny.

As an advisory board member, he has had the opportunity to advocate for training on this issue. A good place to start would be with Timothy Snydor’s book, “On Tyranny.” Among the 20 suggestions in the book is the following:

“Be reflective if you must be armed. If you carry a weapon in public service, may God bless you and keep you. But know that evils of the past involved policemen and soldiers finding themselves, one day, doing irregular things. Be ready to say no.”

Donald Trump, Kristi Noem and Marco Rubio are working hard to blur the distinction between police and the military. The “police operation” involving jet aircraft and Navy SEALs in Venezuela is a great example as are the deployments of National Guard in Democratic-run cities.

Police officers will face unprecedented challenges in the near future. Sid Schwab’s input is invaluable.

Ken Dammand

Tulalip