By Jim Haley

Herald Writer

An early and intense campaign to defeat incumbent Prosecuting Attorney Jim Krider suggests there’s plenty of dissatisfaction with his office.

The unions of two big Snohomish County law enforcement agencies that have already endorsed his only announced opponent say Krider is the root of their discontent.

In addition, those unions and the union that represents deputy prosecutors have heaped high praise on the challenger, former deputy prosecutor Janice Ellis.

"She has discussed ways to create teamwork between police officers and prosecutors," said Detective Sgt. Steve Rider of Lynnwood, whose union for the first time has endorsed a political candidate.

The very early fervor of the campaign is unusual, especially for a county race when candidates won’t even file for office until the last week of July.

It’s only May, and the unions representing Lynnwood officers and Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies have given the nod to Ellis over the two-term incumbent.

So, what’s going on?

Among other things, representatives of the two law agencies say they are unhappy with communications with Krider, problems with charging polices and a failure by the prosecutor to disseminate information to his deputy prosecutors.

Krider, who feels besieged at this stage, declined to address specific criticisms now. He said he’ll answer them in his own time as the campaign continues.

"I’m going to stand on my record," he said. "I think I’ve done what the people of Snohomish County want me to do."

The office has a reputation for being tough on crime, he said. "Tell me what we haven’t done."

While some from law enforcement have criticized Krider, the prosecutor said he is reluctant to fire back.

"I have chosen at all times never to criticize law enforcement," he said. "Law enforcement in this county in general is very good."

His own deputy prosecutors have abandoned Krider, too.

Chris Dugovich, president of the Washington State Council of County and City Employees, said Local 1811-PA endorsed Ellis because she brings the necessary skills and experience to be a strong leader in the criminal-justice community.

"I’m not going to be critical of Mr. Krider," Dugovich said. "He put in a couple of terms of service to the county which are positive. For a variety of reasons, folks think a change in course is the way to go at this point."

The Lynnwood Police Department raised some issues with the prosecutor’s office about a year ago, and since then Krider and his staff members have been meeting periodically with law agencies.

What came out of his department raising those concerns was "more of an adversarial attitude," Rider said.

He said he’s brought issues to Krider, and nothing has been done about them.

"That tells me the problem is at the top," Rider said. "This is a leadership issue."

The Lynnwood guild was created more than 10 years ago, and this is the first time it has jumped into the political fray. That’s how important Lynnwood officers see the upcoming race.

"It’s real important to let the voters know there’s a problem, and they can help fix it," Rider said.

Krider complained about not getting a chance to make his pitch for an endorsement from either the deputy sheriff group or Lynnwood. Rider said he has listened enough to Krider, and he didn’t see any sense of inviting him to a meeting to seek an endorsement.

The deputy sheriff’s group said it sent notice to representatives of both political parties for its endorsement meeting. Only Democrat Ellis showed up. Krider said word never filtered down to him through his Republican party.

When the deputy sheriff’s group announced its pick, Krider called in an indictment of his office and staff.

"That’s not the case at all," the union’s Sgt. Ty Trenary said. "We think very highly of the staff he has now."

Trenary said he recalls Krider’s promise four years ago to establish good communications and a firm relationship with law enforcement. He said he’s personally called Krider twice with issues "and both times he has not returned my call."

Deputies also want more emphasis on prosecuting nonviolent crimes such as auto and identity theft.

"I think we could do a much better job in public safety," Trenary said. "I don’t personally think Mr. Krider has been on the bandwagon as far as addressing … ongoing issues."

You can call Herald Writer Jim Haley at 425-339-3447 or send e-mail to haley@heraldnet.com.