Yakima Sheriff Udell Looks Back On Year One

Yakima County Sheriff Bob Udell is wrapping up year one on the job after serving 30 years as a county deputy.   He cites improvement in technology and in internal operations for greater efficiency as important projects for a county with a large land mass and a small number of deputies.

Udell encourages county residents not to hesitate to call with any problems, questions or concerns.  He says people often tell him they don't want to "be a bother" but Udell says their job is to be bothered!

Property crimes continue to be the number one ongoing criminal problem facing county residents and the Sheriff urges all county dwellers to do as much as possible with locks, alarms and surveillance to help keep their possessions safe.

Inter-agency cooperation is seen as critical to maximizing manpower and Udell says his deputies played a big part in the Yakima Police Department's highly successful Operation Invictus anti-violent crime program this summer.

We hope to have Sheriff Udell on KIT once a month for an update and to take your questions.

Here's what the Sheriff had to say today.