Our BUF BLM guest speaker was Blaine Chief of Police Donnell “Tank” Tanksley. He is currently a candidate for Whatcom County Sheriff.
Tank worked with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department from 1993 to 2014, the last seven of which he served as commander. He moved to Bellingham to become assistant chief of police at Western Washington University from 2014 to 2017 and then chief of police at Portland State University before joining Blaine in 2019. He’s a 22-year veteran in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force.
Tank discussed his background, what got him into policing, and into military service. He explain why he wanted to be Sheriff. He gave examples of the tough issues he's handled in law enforcement; the PSU shooting was one. He discussed the county jail and would like to see it built on the current parking lot.
He described how he will keep the department staffed and trained, and how policing the unincorporated areas of the County may or may not differ from policing an incorporated area or campus. He talked about
citizen oversight of law enforcement, including measures passed by the state that change how officers conduct themselves. He discussed his personal view on firearms. He described his sense of being a "peace" officer, and steps the County could take to take the burden off law enforcement, and divert people out of the criminal justice system where it makes sense.
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