Zollars joins Sheriff's race

SPOKANE VALLEY-Fifty-six-year-old Michael Zollars has joined the race for Spokane County Sheriff. He's the third candidate to step up as a possible successor to Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich.

Zollars is running against Undersheriff John Nowels and longtime deputy Wade Nelson. All three have filed with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission as Republicans.

Knezovich has publicly endorsed Nowels.

Zollars officially announced his candidacy on Monday, May 16. He shared his thoughts on holding Spokane County's top law enforcement position.

"I want to be a sheriff for the people. Decisions I make will be based on how they help our agency and how they help Spokane County citizens," Zollars said. "Under my leadership, I want to be very responsive to people, very involved."

Last year, Zollars retired from the Spokane County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) as a Patrol Lieutenant. He had been with the agency for over 32 years working in numerous departments, including Patrol, DUI enforcement, general investigations and the Property Crimes Task Force.

Zollars worked his way through the sheriff's office as a Patrol Sergeant, Traffic Unit Sergeant, Patrol Lieutenant /Shift Commander and SWAT Team member for 22 years. He also served as the Sheriff's representative on the Spokane Regional Emergency Communications System project, where he assisted in designing, training, and implementing the system.

After retiring from his position with Spokane County last October, Zollars began working for Kalispel Tribal Police as a sergeant.

"I retired for the county and immediately went over to the tribal P.D. They'd been recruiting me for a few months," Zollars said. "I was brought on to modernize and increase the professionalism of the agency."

In his current position, he supervises officers as they perform their daily duties, including responding to criminal activity at Northern Quest Resort & Casino and other Kalispel-owned properties.

Zollars has served as a volunteer firefighter and EMT for Fire District 4 in north Spokane County when off duty. He's done it for over 38 years.

"I was going to fire and crash scenes before I joined. I would go with my dad. He was a volunteer firefighter for 19 years," Zollars said. "I would be the kid that would grab flares and run back and forth with road signs. Back in the day, you could do that."

Zollars believes he has an advantage over his fellow candidates in the sheriff's race.

"I have the ability to converse with just about anybody about anything. I'm a good networker," Zollars said. "I see that there are some strained relationships with the state, between the sheriff's office and the Criminal Justice Training Commission. I think I have the ability to fix those relationships."

Zollars also feels that Spokane County doesn't currently have the law enforcement personnel it needs to ensure public safety.

"Our staffing is horrible. We don't have enough people. You've got sick days, you've got training days, so you end up paying overtime," he said. 

He's unsure the county's current recruitment methods can provide enough qualified candidates.

"I'm not convinced that paying hiring bonuses is working," Zollars said. "I think the hiring bonuses are bringing people here and once they get here they realize it's a great place to work, but it very quickly becomes a grind when they're constantly being tasked with overtime."

Knezovich has been the face of the Spokane County Sheriff's Office. He has been visible and very vocal in his time as Sheriff. Zollars hopes he'll have a solid working relationship with those that report on the sheriff's office if he's elected.

"I think at times our current administration has fought the media. It's not beneficial to anyone," Zollars said. "The media has a job to do. You're passionate about your job. I'm passionate about what I do. Let's find that place where we can all talk to each other and put some information out for people."

Zollars describes himself as a kid from the country. He grew up in Elk, Wash., and graduated from Riverside High School. After a lengthy career in law enforcement, no one could fault him permanently for taking off his badge. He says he's not interested in doing that right now.

"Ultimately, yes I would love to retire one day," Zollars said. "I know there are people in my world that want me to stop working. I like what I do. I like working with the public. I'm just not ready to retire."