A vehicle-use policy that was a long-running issue between Clallam County Administrator Dan Engelbertson and former Sheriff Joe Hawe has been saving tax dollars since appointed Sheriff Joe Martin agreed to follow the policy.
Martin was appointed in September. The sheriff, seeking his first elected term in office, recently said he believes his department will be able to work with the change.
“Joe has been very cooperative,” county commissioners Chairman Steve Tharinger, D-Dungeness, said of Martin.
The policy refers to the private use of Sheriff’s Department command staff vehicles, which were being driven for private use, including transporting family members.
A county charter-backed policy generally states the county commissioners and administrator control the use of all county vehicles. It was adopted by the commissioners May 14, 2002, at Engelbertson’s recommendation.
The vehicle policy was reviewed and approved by county Chief Deputy Prosecutor Chris Melly, said Engelbertson, who openly talked about his concerns over the use of Sheriff’s Department vehicles for private use.
“The previous sheriff did not agree with the policy, and I was trying to get him to comply with the policy,” Engelbertson, a former undersheriff, recently said.
He added that in general, sheriff’s command staff vehicles were still being used by department administrators for personal use.
Among those who were using county vehicles for private use were Hawe, Martin, Undersheriff Fred DeFrang and patrol Capt. Steve Snover, Engelbertson said.
“Vehicle use, like any property control, is a matter of accountability for the public employee to the taxpayer,” Engelbertson said.
The sheriff, before he resigned in September, contended that command staffers were on call seven days a week, 24 hours a day, so they had to use county-owned vehicles at all times.
