PULLMAN, Wash. — While sheriff's deputies and police officers from Whitman County mourn the loss of one of their own, other local officers and troopers are stepping up and covering patrol shifts for them.
On Wednesday, several law enforcement officers from the Palouse attended the funeral for Cowlitz County Deputy Justin DeRosier, 29, in Portland.
DeRosier, a former deputy in Whitman County, was fatally shot by a suspect on April 13th while responding to a call about a disabled motorhome blocking a road in Western Washington.
DeRosier, a graduate of Washington State University, served with Whitman County starting in 2011 before becoming a full-time deputy in 2014. He left in 2016 to return to his home in the Kelso-Longview area and began serving with Cowlitz County.
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"He was that guy everybody wanted on that call with you. And he did a fantastic job," said Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers of DeRosier last week.
Myers subsequently reached out to other local law enforcement agencies asking if other officers would be able to cover shifts for Whitman County deputies who planned to attend DeRosier's funeral.
Pullman Police, Washington State University Police, and Washington State Patrol all answered Myers' call.
"We're more than happy to help," said Pullman Police commander Chris Tennant.
As part of the agreement, Pullman officers are able to travel outside of their typical jurisdiction and respond to calls that Whitman County deputies would normally handle.
On Tuesday alone, Tennant said PPD officers responded to a sexual assault call in St. John and a domestic violence incident in Union Town that resulted in an arrest.
"It hits home. As a law enforcement community, you want to reach out and be part of something," Tennant said.
As a law enforcement intern with WSU, Tennant said that DeRosier likely spent time touring PPD's facility and processing arrested people at the department's holding area.
DeRosier would later become part of a regional SWAT team.
"I had seen him in the office and at training," Tennant said.
The assistance from Pullman Police and the other agencies comes as some of their own officers attended DeRosier's funeral.
Five Pullman officers attended the service in Portland along with several officers from WSU's police department, according to Tennant. The Pullman Police Department was already down a handful of officers and is in the hiring process.
"We're short on bodies. But people were willing to step up and fill in some slots and help out," Tennant said of staffing levels.
Tennant added that many area officers and troopers saw covering shifts as a way they could pay respects to Deputy DeRosier.
"Helping back at home so those people that are emotionally involved can [go], is being part of that," he said.