Outgoing Chelan Co. Sheriff Proud of Three-Term Legacy

Outgoing Chelan County Sheriff Brian Burnett is leaving a legacy of achievements he believes will continue having positive impact on the office and the county's citizens for many years to come.

Burnett says there are several specific examples that he is proud to have been a part of spearheading and instituting.

"We brought back our school resource officers. We partnered with public works on implementing a traffic safety unit. We recently brought on code enforcement for the county commissioners. And most recently we added the behavioral health unit, which I think is probably the most impactful item among all those things."

Burnett is a native of Chelan County and graduated from the state's law enforcement academy in 1996. He began his career with the sheriff's office as a reserve deputy the following year, prior to becoming a corrections deputy in 1998.

Burnett, now 55, was first elected sheriff in 2010 and is finishing his third term in the post. He was defeated by fellow Republican Mike Morrison in November's general election by almost 3,000 of the 31,658 votes cast.

After the results of the election were known, Burnett says he was approached by several law enforcement agencies in the state about potential leadership positions, but ultimately he decided on a local opportunity that arose.

"Someone who was getting ready to add to their administrative team at a growing private business reached out to me and offered me a job working remotely on that team. It's a position that's still going to keep me connected to the law enforcement world. I'm also going to be working for a company that I've actually hired in the past as sheriff that does leadership training and consulting work."

Burnett will officially hand over the reins of sheriff to Morrison on January 1.