Miller is new Sheriff

DAYTON - Rocky Miller, a Washington State Trooper who has lived in Dayton for 26 years, was appointed Columbia County Sheriff last week. He replaces Walt Hessler, who has resigned, effective June 30.

The Columbia County Board of Commissioners made the appointment by unanimous vote, after interviewing Miller and Columbia County Sher- iff's Deputy Jeffery Jen- kins during a special eve- ning meeting on April 11. Miller and Jenkins were the only applicants for the position.

Hessler submitted his resignation in January. He was originally elected as a write-in candidate in 2006, taking office in January, 2007. He was re-elected to a second four-year term in 2010. Miller will complete that term and will be up for re-election in next year.

Miller, 52, joined the state patrol just over 27 years ago and will retire as of June 16. During the interview with the com- missioners, he answered a question about why he wanted to be sheriff:

"I've gone as far as I can go without leaving Dayton," he said. "I can't be a sergeant, I can't be an instructor. This gives me a chance to use the experi- ence I've gained to help other officers."

Miller also said he hopes to create a "citizens' advisory board" to help set priorities for the Sheriff's office. In an interview with The Times, he said he's unsure of the specifics of such a board at this point, but that he wants to create a process for improving communication with the public.

"I want to hear people's ideas about how we can do our jobs better," he said. "We need to make sure we're accountable to the people."

During their inter- views, both Miller and Jenkins said they feel that morale within the sheriff's office is low right now. The main reason for that, they said, is that the office has been short-staffed for several months.

Miller said he will address the staffing is- sues right away. "A new deputy has just come on board and I believe there is still one vacancy," he said. Miller said he will put strong emphasis on improving morale within the Sheriff's Office when he takes over.

Miller grew up in Rich- land and attended the University of Montana on a football scholarship. He played four years and received degrees in sec- ondary education and psychology.

"I had planned to be a science teacher and a coach," Miller told the commissioners during their interview, "but the State Patrol responded to my application first."

Columbia County Civil Deputy Carol Sleeman submitted her resignation along with Hesslers, also effective at the end of June. Miller said he plans to be involved in helping find Sleeman's replace- ment, but he's not sure when that process will start.

Miller, who has been a road deputy during his entire State Patrol career, said he intends to continue doing some road work as sheriff.

"I've been doing road work for 27 years, and I've always enjoyed it," he said. "Besides, I may need to get out of the office sometimes for my sanity."