Why one Constitutional Sheriff has created a growing volunteer posse
When you think of the wild west, you might imagine a sheriff, keeping watch over a small, dusty town he calls home. And a posse of locals: ready to be called up to fight off cattle rustlers or moonshine smugglers who threaten to cause trouble.
It’s hard to imagine something like that now, in 2024 Washington State.
But, in Klickitat County, down south on the Columbia River, a sheriff's posse has been making the news for its growing size and the number of responsibilities it’s taking on within the community.
Advocates say the posse is filling shortfalls within the Sheriff’s budget.
Critics say it’s empowering citizens to take the law into their own hands – and allowing the sheriff to choose which laws he’ll enforce and which ones he’ll ignore.
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Guest:
- Paul Kiefer, a freelance reporter who covered this story for Investigate West
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Libby Denkmann
Host, Soundside
Libby Denkmann joined KUOW in December 2021 as the host of the midday show Soundside. She’s a native Pacific Northwesterner who grew up in Redmond, graduated from the University of Washington, and covered local news as a producer and reporter with KIRO Radio.
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Sarah Leibovitz
Supervising Producer, Soundside
Sarah joined KUOW in 2019 as senior producer on The Record. She is now Supervising KUOW’s new noon time show, Soundside. Prior to working at KUOW, Sarah was lead producer at the Seattle podcast production company Larj Media, and a teaching artist with Path with Art.
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