Darren Short seems like best choice for sheriff

I was born and raised in Libby, and that is where I started my law enforcement career at the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. I have since retired from a sheriff’s office in Washington State after an almost 30-year career.

While on vacation in Libby this summer, I had an opportunity to talk to law enforcement officers, former law enforcement officers, residents of the county and business owners about the upcoming election for sheriff of Lincoln County.

The common comment about the incumbent sheriff, Roby Bowe, is that he is never there. He is always gone. I was told that he spends most of his time in the mountains either as a guide or hunting. My experience has been that you can’t be an effective manager if you are not there to supervise the day-to-day workings of the office.

The second candidate on the ballot is Bill Clark. He was apparently a law enforcement officer in Washington State for many years where he retired out of a chief of police position in eastern Washington. In reading newspaper articles and talking to individuals in Libby, apparently Clark took a Law Enforcement Officer-Fire Fighter stress disability retirement from his position.

In my experience, I have known several officers who have gone out on disability for stress, and these officers can be lumped into two categories: those officers who had a true mental issue caused by stress and those who went to a doctor known to law enforcement as one who would get you a stress disability just to get you out of a bad situation.

There are many benefits to going out on a disability, not the least of which is that a disability is not taxed.

In my opinion, either way it would be a potential problem in running a sheriff’s office. If you are too stressed to operate in one police force, how can you effectively run another one where you will be subjected to the same stresses?

This summer I had the opportunity to meet the third candidate, Darren Short. I learned that he went to school and graduated from Libby High School. He has put in many hours of community service with Search and Rescue, Libby Ambulance and the Sheriff’s Office Reserve program. He has worked at both the Libby Police Department and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office as both patrol officer and detective. He is familiar with the area, the residents and the issues with the criminal element.

I own property in the county and I hope to move back there when I finally retire. I want the best man to run our Sheriff’s Office.In my opinion, there is only one choice: Darren Short.

- Gary Trowbridge is a former Lincoln County deputy who now lives in Washington State.