WCSO Updates
Several local law enforcement issues have been in the news lately, so we sat down with a couple of deputies of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO)—Chief Deputy Errol McCrea and Chief Deputy Jim Wheaton. In addition to discussing the new drone test and the license plate readers, we also talked about recruitment and training.
Drone as First Responder Program (DFR)
WCSO has been testing Skydio X10 drones to quickly gather information on emergent situations and relay it to responding deputies. The initial testing is taking place in the Aloha area. According to the recent press release, “During the trial period, DFR may be seen in the Aloha area, recognizable by their red and blue emergency lights, and operate at a lower elevation of about 200 feet or less due to FAA regulations. A Pilot In Command (PIC) can deploy a DFR to police calls where exigency necessitates a quick response. Each PIC holds a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) license, and Skydio trained each pilot in the specific use of the X10 drone.”
The deputies explained that the drone cameras are pointed straight ahead until they reach the destination. “The privacy of our community members is paramount, and drones cannot be used to establish probable cause or reasonable suspicion of a crime, even if that crime was committed in view of the pilot during a training flight.” They are used to assess the situation so that patrol officers can be deployed and prepared to best deal with whatever is happening.
“Following the trial period, Sheriff’s Office leadership will conduct a comprehensive review of deployment data, response times, and operational outcomes to evaluate the program’s effectiveness. Based on those findings, the agency will determine whether to expand coverage to additional areas of the County through a longer-term partnership with Skydio. Additional information will be shared after the evaluation is complete.”
Flock cameras
We wrote about the license-reader cameras that were briefly deployed by WCSO last summer in the December 2025 issue. Sheriff Massey reported to the Board of Commissioners at a Work Session on February 10 this year. You can view the video recording of the session here, and see the PDF of her presentation here. After hearing the serious concerns from the community, the program was suspended while WCSO further studied issues around the security of the information collected and met with representatives of the manufacturer.
Two main concerns were raised by the public: access to the data, and the possibility of hacking. We learned that there is no “free text” searching, all queries must include a specific case ID and come from one of the partner agencies. The company said that there has been only one instance of hacking during the nationwide program rollout, and that only provided access to the system but not the data. The department ran audits to ensure that queries were conducted according to state and county law.
The program was begun specifically to target retail theft operations. While the WCSO program is still suspended, private companies can deploy their own cameras on their property, and the public has no way to know who they share information with. So if you see cameras in, for example, Home Depot or Target parking lots, only those companies control who gets the data.
Recruitment and Training at WCSO
As we have observed with incidents involving some federal law enforcers, attitude and mindset of officers is critical in providing fair, equitable, and lawful protection of our community and enforcement of our laws. Many recruits come from a military background, where an “us versus them” mindset may prevail. How does WCSO recruitment and training work to instill a community service attitude in their officers?
The deputies explained that first a number of interviews and tests are conducted with potential recruits to weed out those with any strong bias contrary to the mission. Then recruits receive six months of training that covers law, interpersonal skills, and tactics, and including training, they are under an 18-month observation period. The Professional Standards Division oversees the whole process.
WCSO is always looking for both deputies and non-certified employees. Learn more here.
