Sultan precinct hosts open house

The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office is hosting an open house at the East Precinct (515 Main St.) in Sultan from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 14.

The family-friendly event will feature children's activities and demonstrations by numerous specialty units, including K9, search and rescue, SWAT, marine and patrol. Car seat inspections will be available, along with information about neighborhood watch, public safety and crime prevention. Sultan Police Chief Monte Beaton will grill hot dogs and other refreshments will be served. -á

The event is meant to celebrate a departmental milestone, as all three Snohomish County Sheriff's Office precincts will soon be "full-serviceGÇ¥ precincts.-á

Although the East Precinct already offers full police services to the residents of east Snohomish County, Beaton decided to host the open house so that members of the community could come and get a behind-the-scenes tour and interact with local deputies.-á

Both the North (15100 40th Ave. N.E., Marysville) and South (15928 Mill Creek Blvd., Mill Creek) precincts will transition to full-service on May 18.-á

The transition to full-service will allow the precincts to offer a more robust level of services. Currently, residents of unincorporated Snohomish County are required to travel to the Snohomish County Courthouse in Everett to file public records requests, obtain fingerprinting services and to apply for concealed pistol licenses or firearms dealer licenses.-á

"This initiative is part of the mission that we set for this agency a year-and-a-half ago: to become more community-minded in our services,GÇ¥ Snohomish County Sheriff Ty Trenary said in a press release.

A 25-year law enforcement veteran, Trenary is an advocate of community policing. He is also a proponent of neighborhood block watch programs and has encouraged the organization of structured block watch programs in Sky Valley communities like Sultan.-á

This event is hosted by the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, with support from the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office volunteer staff.-á

For more information, call 425-388-3377.-á