Sheriff: "I do appreciate our federal partners" as deputies are thanked for their support

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison at a press conference in 2025.

Two Chelan County Sheriff’s deputies have been applauded by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for law enforcement coverage on federal lands in Chelan County.

Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Supervisor Tara Umphries pointed to the services of deputies Aaron Seabright and Mike McLeod for their assistance with search and rescue, wildfires, the safety of forest visitors and natural resource protection.

"Thank you for your continued partnership and support of our shared Forest Service Deputy program," Umphries wrote Jan. 8 to Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison. "This collaboration plays an essential role in helping us provide consistent and professional law enforcement coverage. Your team's steady communication, reliability, and willingness to coordinate have strengthened our ability to serve the public effectively."

"We work collaboratively with the federal government and their different offices when its appropriate and in compliance with Washington State law," Morrison said when discussing his agencies’ cooperation in the forest service deputy program and with federal law enforcement.

"We recognize that Washington State has the "Keep Washington Working Act" that prevents us from working with ICE, specifically on immigration issues," Morrison added. "When it comes to working with them, clearly we saw the success of that over the summer with the Decker case when we had multiple federal agencies coming along side of us, so I do appreciate our federal partners. Homeland Security investigations have assisted us greatly, specifically (with) online, targeting juveniles and children within our county for sex crimes. We appreciate that partnership."

"I do not stand for anyone in uniform, especially federal officers, being attacked. You don't want to see anyone losing their life," Morrison added when reflecting on the recent confrontation between an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer and a motorist in Minneapolis. "I have faith in the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to do an investigation into that incident. What happened, why it happened and if it was defendable by law."

In a letter of appreciation to the forest service deputies, Sheriff Morrison wrote, "I wanted to thank both of you for your service in the USFS deputy assignments in 2025...you excelled...to a level that helped re-stabilize and strengthen our working relationship with our partners at the USFS, while also ensuring the needs of the citizens we serve were met. That balance is not easy to achieve, and both of you handled it exceptionally well. Thank you both for your dedication, professionalism, and service. The compliments received from USFS are credited to you and your willingness to always go above and beyond."

The Forest Service provides financial assistance to the county for the deputy program. Sheriff Morrison says an additional $25,000 has been requested by Umphries to support their partnership this year.