SPOKANE, Wash. — Washington's primary election is just weeks away. This year, the Spokane County sheriff's seat is up for grabs. Three candidates are running to replace Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and we want to help you get to know them. KREM 2's Amanda Roley met with each candidate over tea to learn about where they stand on important issues.
Amanda Roley
Well, John Nowles, thank you for joining me today to talk about your campaign running for Spokane County Sheriff. You've got the tea. We both have tea, but I have the questions. So we'll start out with a real tough one. What tea did you choose to drink today?
John Nowels
So actually, I think they called it the F-bomb, I clearly don't get to choose (the name), but I asked them what they had that was most similar to drip coffee.
Amanda Roley
So tell me why you decided to run for Spokane County Sheriff.
John Nowels
You know, running for sheriff isn't about ego for me. This isn't something that John Nowles has felt necessary to do for the last 25 years. I didn't come into law enforcement with the idea of being a chief of police or a sheriff or anything like that. But I do care about this profession deeply. I care that we have the most professional policing services in the country, which here in Spokane County, we do.
Amanda Roley
How are you going to stand out among your competitors?
John Nowels
Number one, my experience, my ideas. My competitors, all you hear from them is we need a regime change. We need a change. And all they say about me is "Oh, he's just Ozzie 2.0." Well, I hate to break it to him, but Ozzie Knezovich isn't running for sheriff again. Ozzie Knezovich is retiring. If people want to know how I'm like Sheriff Knezovich, I absolutely believe in accountability. I absolutely believe that we need to support our staff and make sure that they are the most professional, most ethically and morally upright people that we have in our community.
Amanda Roley
What changes would you like to see if you're elected sheriff?
John Nowels
One of my plans is to introduce a community resource deputy program.
Amanda Roley
What would that look like? I mean, door knocking? Hi, I'm in the neighborhood?
John Nowels
Absolutely.
Amanda Roley
So where do you stand on gun rights?
John Nowels
So here's the thing, I'm very pro-Second Amendment. I really do believe we have a right to keep and bear arms right. And clearly, so did our founding fathers. What I firmly believe in is that we need to craft meaningful red flag laws and put restrictions on people who have mental health disabilities, substance abuse disabilities, people who have violent histories, people who have criminal histories that clearly show that they should not possess firearms and that they are a potential danger to others.
Amanda Roley
So what steps would you take to address the violence and the drive-by shootings that we're seeing in our community?
John Nowels
Number one, we have to work with our legislators to get better sentencing. We have to get judges to hold people accountable. We also need to get more and better services to help people get better in the long run.
Amanda Roley
Over the years with Sheriff Knezovich in office, he's been very vocal about policies he either agrees with or doesn't agree with. So can you tell me how you would handle whether you agree or disagree with some policies that come across your desk as sheriff?
John Nowels
It's necessary for the sheriff to have a public voice about public safety things. Where I may differ from Sheriff Knezovich which is about how I go about it. I like to focus on not attacking but addressing the issue. I'm not going to make it personal.
To watch the full 50-minute interview, watch the YouTube video posted below.
To learn more about the candidates in all Eastern Washington races, visit the KREM 2 Voter Guide.
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