By Greg Banks,

Island County prosecutor

For years, I have turned down requests to endorse candidates for Island County elected offices. Recent coverage of the race for sheriff has caused me to reconsider my past practice.

One of my duties as county prosecutor is to promote public understanding of the justice system.

In the Record’s profile of the two candidates, Deputy Lane Campbell promised something that is not allowed by the law. In doing so, he created a false impression about the separation of powers between prosecutors and police.

Specifically, Deputy Campbell said: “You are not going to be a career criminal and be in drug court if I’m sheriff.” Deputy Campbell’s armchair quarterbacking sounds tough, but he might as well have promised to make touchdowns in the NFL worth 20 points.

A sheriff has no legal authority to put someone into drug court, block someone from entering drug court, or remove someone from drug court. In our criminal justice system, the police investigate crimes and make arrests.

Then, it is the prosecutor who decides who should be prosecuted in court, and how severely. This boundary is a critical check on the power of both of our agencies and a bedrock concept known to all who work in law enforcement.

The prosecutor, by law, is the gatekeeper who decides whether a defendant gets into drug court or not. No one can participate in drug court who has ever committed a serious violent or sex crime.

Beyond that, we reject or accept requests based on a full picture of the defendant’s history. If the judge also agrees to allow participation, the judge, prosecutor, treatment provider and others require defendants to make closely monitored progress for at least two years. If they are drug free, educated and employed, they graduate and have their criminal charges dismissed. Those who fail drug court are found guilty of the original charges, and sent to prison.

This is not the first time Deputy Campbell has criticized our drug court, free of the restraints that come from knowing how it works. Earlier this year, his bluster caused both of our Superior Court judges to write a guest editorial pointing out his misunderstandings.

They explained that drug court graduates reoffend at a lower rate than those who are prosecuted and jailed. The judges noted that Deputy Campbell had never raised his criticisms with them.

Deputy Campbell has also never met with me to discuss our office’s practices regarding drug court admission and termination. For that matter, he has never shown any interest in learning about the many issues that the sheriff and I work on together.

It’s easy to sit in the bleachers and lob verbal grenades when you don’t understand what’s happening on the field. Being able to lead the county’s largest police agency requires, at a minimum, a baseline understanding of how the system works.

I have known both Deputy Campbell and Chief Deputy Rick Felici for over 20 years. Deputy Campbell is a good patrol deputy with no leadership experience.

Chief Felici was also a good patrol deputy. In addition, Chief Felici has the leadership credentials that only come after years of patrol duty, followed by increasing responsibilities as sergeant, major crimes detective, and chief deputy.

It is vital, in my opinion, that our law enforcement officers are led by someone like Rick Felici, who understands all facets of this complex and difficult job.

• Greg Banks is the Island County Prosecutor