Chelan County Sheriff’s Office to Enhance Supervisory Oversight

In response to what it characterizes as problematic gaps in supervisory coverage, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office is implementing "significant operational changes."

Effective 2025, "Patrol supervisors" - this can mean sergeants, corporals or both - "will be scheduled to work alongside deputies during every patrol shift," according to Sheriff Mike Morrison.

"Supervisors play a critical role in overseeing investigations, managing critical incidents, evaluating employee performance and ensuring accountability." With their enhanced responsibilities in the new year, "Supervisors will also manage critical documentation and oversee resources," Morrison says.

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"To further promote transparency," Morrison says, "all patrol supervisor vehicles will be marked with the word 'supervisor' in addition to their assigned insignia...allowing the public to easily identify on-duty supervisors. This visible presence is an effort to foster further community trust and ensure that supervisory oversight is recognized in real time."

The perils of undermanagement have come into sharp focus, according to Daigle Law Group, a Connecticut firm specializing in "constitutional police practices."

According to this DLG post, "Close and effective supervision has never been more important than it is today. As states pass police reform legislation, often creating new policies or stricter policies, supervisors must ensure their officers understand and follow all department rules and regulations and are held accountable for any violation of department policies.

"Departments must ensure that their supervisors are properly supervising and disciplining their officers, that all complaints or allegations of misconduct are properly investigated, and that departments regularly and properly train their officers and supervisors. We find affirmative links between the inaction on the part of the supervisor and the constitutional deprivation suffered by citizens."

Click here for a comprehensive look at the police hierarchy.