Spokane sheriff gives names of deputies arrested for DUI

Associated Press

SPOKANE — The names of four Spokane County sheriff’s officers arrested for drunken driving over the past two years have been made public.

What was more surprising was the person who made them public: Sheriff Mark Sterk.

"The only thing we have going for us is integrity," Sterk said in releasing the names Thursday. "If the community thinks we are trying to hide something, we can’t survive."

The sheriff said he is working with several law-enforcement unions on an arrangement that would give him authority to offer first-time offenders the option of alcohol evaluation and treatment programs.

"If we’re going to salvage someone’s career, I need the tools to be able to do that," Sterk said.

Currently, suspension or termination are the only options for law enforcers caught intoxicated on the road. Participation in alcohol diversion programs is voluntary.

Sterk said he’s willing to give a deputy a second chance, but would opt for termination after a second offense.

All four officers — three deputies and a sergeant — were off-duty when they were arrested and charged with drunken driving by other police agencies in Washington and Idaho.

Deputy Gary Redmond was fired after his July 2000 arrest. Sgt. Dave Martin received a letter of reprimand, and deputies Travis Hansen and Brett Hubbell were suspended briefly.

In the most recent incident, Hubbell’s eight-day suspension was reduced by half when he agreed to enroll in an alcohol evaluation and treatment program.

That prompted Sterk to approach the unions. He said he hopes to reach an agreement with them within 45 days.

Jana Scherling, local president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, complimented the sheriff for his efforts but said law officers "need to be held to a higher standard."

Sterk’s announcement came as KREM-TV was preparing a story about deputies who have been cited for drunken driving.

Times have changed since the days when officers could count on their comrades to let them off with a warning if they were stopped while driving drunk.

"There were some people who drove home when you could have poured them out of a bucket," one sheriff’s deputy told The Spokesman-Review, describing the behavior of some colleagues after partying in the 1970s and ’80s.

"We’re not special anymore," said the deputy, who asked not to be identified. "We get paid better, and we should behave better. I think the sheriff has made it perfectly clear that you’re going to live on a record you create for yourself."