Does anyone beside me wonder why every time a lawsuit is filed against Snohomish County the civil division of the Prosecutor’s Office runs to the County Council and says “settle! settle!” In the Jan. 7 Herald story, “Council approves $1M for family of man killed by deputy,” it appears that if one hires an attorney to sue Snohomish County the law firm retained starts rubbing their hands realizing that a big payoff is coming.
Why is the county spending hundreds of thousand of dollars each year for a civil division that can’t defend the county in court? Do any of these civil deputies know how to get to a courtroom in Snohomish County? Perhaps The Herald could find out how many hours in 2018 the Civil Deputy Prosecutors spent in the courtroom. Yes, I realize they represent each county department. I also realize they approve county ordinances, but only as to form, not legality. It is my opinion that most of the law clerks employed at the Superior Court could perform that task.
But before I express my frustration only with the civil deputies, how about having a Superior Court Judge (Judge Anita Faris) having to take a criminal deputy to task for lying to the court, and denying a defendant his constitutional rights. And the penalty handed out by our prosecutor: desk duty. Why is not the sate bar association investigating this violation of law by of all people, a licensed Deputy Prosecutor.
And lastly, does anyone beside an old guy like me wonder why those deputy prosecutors representing Snohomish County citizens in our District Courts continue to negotiate those with “moving violations” to plead to a lesser charge of a non-moving violation. Our police and sheriff’s deputies work to make those drivers who violate our traffic laws pay a price. Then we find out these law breakers have pleaded to non-moving violations such as expired license tabs, taking on the phone, etc.
Don Wlazlak
Marysville
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