A long-time law enforcement leader says his first experience inside a jury box left him with a new appreciation for the justice system.
You can see Steve Strachan’s complete interview with Northwest Newsradio’s Ryan Harris in the video above.
The former King County Sheriff and Bremerton and Kent Police Chief had to appear in court many times over the years, so he planned to be dismissed from jury duty right away – especially since the case was assault on a law enforcement officer.
Instead, the director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs says he found himself with a group of about 50 people, who told the judge and lawyers why it would be hard for them to serve, but whom Strachan says were still willing if they were needed.
Strachan says what he did not see was the polarization over law enforcement we so often see on TV but instead found a thoughtful conversation as the lawyers asked them their feelings about police – all of it, he says, reminding him why a jury of our peers was and still is a good idea.
