Clark County sheriff’s Deputy David Shook has announced his bid to lead the agency as sheriff beginning in 2022.
He joins Vancouver Police Department Cpl. Rey Reynolds, 62, and Clark County Sheriff’s Office Chief Criminal Deputy John Horch, 53, as candidates for sheriff. Two-term Sheriff Chuck Atkins has said he plans to retire and won’t seek reelection.
Shook cites more than 25 years in law enforcement, mostly with the Washington County, Ore., Sheriff’s Office, where he began as a deputy and later retired as an operations lieutenant in 2018.
After he retired, he worked for the technology company Utility Associates, selling body-worn cameras to police agencies across the country. He said he learned more about police technology at a variety of agencies. The next sheriff is likely to oversee the rollout of body cameras in Clark County.
“The use of technology like body cameras can no longer be dismissed as unaffordable or intrusive to document interactions with the public,” Shook said in a press release. “The days of simply graduating from the police academy and taking to the streets to serve and protect are in our rearview mirror.”
About 18 months ago, Shook, 53, joined the Clark County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy. He had been living in Vancouver for 10 years and said “I realized I was not done giving to my community and helping law enforcement morph during these trying times.”
He feels his hiatus from law enforcement has “re-energized” him and refreshed his perspective on the challenges facing police agencies.
He hopes his background as the training coordinator for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office would help him lead the Clark County agency through the future of police reform legislation and increased accountability laws.
While in Washington County, Shook obtained patrol and corrections certifications to better the jail’s operations while he was the training coordinator, he said. He also oversaw the body-camera program there as the patrol operations lieutenant.
Shook feels he can answer the calls for change at the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
“Any agency, no matter how good, can develop blind spots founded in the ‘This is how we have always done things’ mentality,” he said. “Leading our Sheriff’s Office into a new era of public safety while still honoring the rich history of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office is one of my highest priorities as sheriff. As we turn the page on the laudable efforts of past administrations, we cannot rest and allow the challenges to go unanswered.”
Prior to joining the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Shook served in the U.S. Army.
