Sheriff outlines DARE revival, donated show car and asks to use opioid-settlement funds for a deputy and training
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Summary
Mason County's sheriff updated commissioners about an injured lieutenant, a donated vehicle and equipment to relaunch the DARE program, and requested county support to pursue opioid-settlement funding for a full-time deputy position and prioritized training and evidence-building upgrades.
Sheriff (unnamed) told the Board of Commissioners on Nov. 3 that the department is restarting an updated DARE program for schoolchildren and asked the board to accept a large donated vehicle and consider using opioid-settlement funds to create a full-time deputy position to support the program and related training.
"Our lieutenant, Trevor Severance, fell off a roof last night. He's in Harborview with some pretty severe injuries," the sheriff said, asking the board to keep the department updated and noting the seriousness of staffing strains. The sheriff described donors who have provided a 2024 Mustang GT and in-kind vehicle upfitting (tires, suspension, lighting and wrap) to create a visible DARE outreach vehicle.
Matt, identified in the briefing as the county's DARE lead and now the Washington State DARE coordinator, described the program as a decision-making curriculum that covers bullying, suicide prevention and other topics in addition to one week on drugs. Both the sheriff and Matt emphasized the program's value for building relationships with fifth-grade students and for community outreach through parades and events.
The sheriff said staff had prepared a draft resolution to accept the donated vehicle and sponsors and asked the board to approve acceptance and recognize donors at a public unveiling. The sheriff said county funds were not used to purchase the car and asked for a formal acceptance path; staff confirmed a resolution had been prepared for the board's signature.
On funding, the sheriff presented a proposal to use opioid-settlement funds to underwrite a full-time deputy to backfill patrol and provide additional DARE instruction and outreach. He said the request would amount to roughly $150,000 a year and that the department would bring specifications and more detailed cost estimates to an opioid-funding workshop scheduled next week.
The sheriff also presented prioritized training needs ($34,000 for top-priority training) and a set of second- and third-tier training requests; commissioners asked staff to check for duplicate funding and to reconcile training items with existing allocations before final decisions.
Finally, the sheriff described a multi-year expansion plan for the evidence storage facility and said the department is proposing phased work to address overcrowding, with initial site and security work this fiscal year and larger construction to follow in later years. He noted the proposed capital work would be funded from REIT funds rather than the general fund and that the department will present final cost estimates and timelines for board approval.
No formal votes were recorded during the briefing. Staff said a resolution to accept the donated vehicle and a workshop on opioid-settlement spending will be placed on upcoming agendas for formal action.
