IT'S ABOUT CREDIBILITY

Until The Public Sees Effective Dialogue and Reform, It Won't Support a New
Jail

A credibility gap lies beneath last Thursday's front-page headline --
"Derickson, Marquis clash over purse strings." If county commissioners and
law enforcement officers want a new jail or other post-conviction options,
they must engage each other more constructively in their public dialogue.

This lack of accord -- between District Attorney Josh Marquis and County
Administrator Scott Derickson and within the Public Safety Coordinating
Council -- should not be allowed to destroy an essential process.

Marquis and Derickson excel in their separate arenas. Marquis is a
aggressive prosecutor and Derickson is an insightful manager. Marquis
excels at argument and Derickson excels at analysis. However, the
differences in their professional preferences are inhibiting good dialogue.

Marquis is alarmed that Derickson seems to be suggesting reductions in his
department and other parts of county law enforcement. Derickson says he
only wants to encourage a discussion within the Public Safety Coordinating
Council (PSSC) over how the county's $18 million law enforcement budget
might be adjusted to reflect new priorities. County commissioners want that
dialogue to become more productive.

There are at least two processes under way within the PSSC, which is
chaired by Circuit Court Judge Paula Brownhill. There is the explicit
discussion of county law enforcement and how it could deal more effectively
with drug and alcohol offenders. For instance, Judge Phil Nelson suggests
the county would be wise to allocate resources to programs such as the drug
court, which has turned some lives around.

County Commissioner Helen Westbrook cites "the growing substance abuse
crisis" as one reason why commissioners are prodding Administrator
Derickson as well as the PSCC to look for new options.

The second process within the PSCC is about credibility. The 2004 National
Institute of Corrections Local System Assessment noted that the various
elements of Clatsop County law enforcement -- sheriff, district attorney,
judges and police -- tended to have discussions within their own confines
and be "silos of influence." They did not engage each other as a group of
partners. The NIC report also noted gross deficiencies within the county
jail and the sheriff's department.

County law enforcement officers, in the form of the PSSC, need to show the
public they can find a more effective approach to the task, and Judge
Nelson's drug court is emblematic of the kind of innovation that will make
the public believe the county is being effective.

Conversely, other things are bad for business. It's important that the
disagreement between Marquis and Derickson gets worked out within the
confines of the PSSC.

Sheriff Tom Bergin also needs to demonstrate that he's serious about
reform. It was a disappointment that Bergin filled the position of chief
deputy with an insider. Bergin told this newspaper and County Commissioner
Helen Westbrook that he must bring in an outsider for this key position,
and that he would conduct a national search. Bergin's search moved no
further than the city limits of Astoria.

The county cannot afford to have Bergin fail in the task of cleaning up his
department. Moreover, the sheriff must be the most visible county leader in
the drive for a new jail. To succeed where John Raichl failed, Bergin must
engage the public as someone who is serious about reform and change.

All of this gets back to credibility. Until the harsh findings of the 2004
National Institute of Corrections assessment are cleaned up, why should the
public support a bond measure to build a new jail?