New deputy looking to head off trouble before it gets out of hand

By Meg Olson

Ryan Monogue wanted to be a sheriff’s deputy because he relished the challenge of handling all aspects of law enforcement, often solo.
“You have to approach people differently. You need more tact,” said the newest deputy stationed on the Point. “You kind of need to be a jack-of-all-trades.”

The 32-year-old Monogue has been with the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office for one-and-a-half years, after spending six years with the Ocean Shores police department. Prior to that he was with the Latah County sheriff’s office near Moscow, Idaho for three years after earning a bachelor’s degree in social science from Washington State University.

Originally from Portland, Oregon, Monogue has a wife and two children aged five and three. The family will make their home in Point Roberts during the two years the deputy is stationed here, but it won’t be in the traditional fenced compound on South Beach Road: the sheriff’s department is renting accommodation while the older of the two manufactured homes is replaced and changes are made to the layout of the property. “One of the things they’re looking at is an office to breach that perimeter,” Monogue said.

Sheriff Bill Elfo has said the bleak housing offered to deputies is a deterrent for volunteers. “I was informed I was a volunteer,” Monogue said wryly. While stationed in Point Roberts, Monogue will continue to be a member of the county’s new special response team, for which he is a firearms instructor.

Point Roberts has a lot in common with Ocean Shores, Monogue said: seasonal visitors, vacation properties, an emphasis on recreation. For law enforcement, the problems are similar. “In Ocean Shores the big problems ended up being all alcohol related – DUI, disturbances,” he said. “If those things get out of hand they create more problems. I’m not trying to ruin everyone’s fun but let’s keep things from getting out of control.”

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