John Lovick knew he was going to be the keynote speaker Tuesday, April 27, at a luncheon for law enforcement officials in Tacoma.
He didn’t know he was going to be singled out by the hosts for special recognition.
Lovick was selected from about 250 sheriffs and police chiefs statewide as the Crime Prevention Sheriff of the Year by the Washington State Crime Prevention Association.
“He’s our champion,” Executive Director Daryl Pearson said.
Since being elected sheriff in Nov. 2007, Lovick has turned to the statewide crime prevention group for guidance and ideas to bring to the sheriff’s office, Pearson said. Lovick realized immediately the important balance to strike between enforcement and education to keep the public safe.
As a new sheriff, Lovick went to Snohomish Police Chief John Turner for ideas. Turner, a longtime member of the group, forwarded the new sheriff to the group’s leaders.
Lovick served in the state Legislature prior to being elected to the county’s top law enforcement position. He also is a former Washington State Patrol trooper. Now, he’s using some of those old connections to help the crime prevention group, Turner said.
“We knew John Lovick’s track record in the Legislature with prevention,” he said.
The group’s work in teaching law enforcement and communities proactive ways to prevent crimes is largely paid for by member fees and donations, Turner said. In the past, the state helped pay for some of the work, but that money evaporated.
It’s unlikely, even with Lovick’s clout, that the legislature will find money this year given the grim fiscal situation in Olympia.
Still, Pearson said he’s hopeful the relationship with Lovick will pay off in the future.
“He realizes the more we can do with prevention, the better off we can be,” Pearson said.
Jackson Holtz writes for the Herald of Everett.
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