PORT ANGELES — Clallam County Sheriff Joe Hawe and challenger Soeren Poulsen squared off Monday over the department’s ability to patrol some rural areas at night.

According to Poulsen, some county areas do not have a patrol deputy on duty for two or three hours a night.

During presentations before the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce’s weekly luncheon meeting, Hawe agreed that there are holes in nightly patrol schedules.

Poulsen vowed to do something about the patrol holes within 90 days of taking office, if he is elected sheriff in November.

That promise kicked off a heated debate between Hawe and Poulsen.

Hawe said the 90-day plan Poulsen presented during the debate is a good idea, but added it would prove difficult to realize.

“Twenty-four hour service in 90 days throughout the county is not possible with the current staffing level,” Hawe said.

From Port Angeles east to the Jefferson County line, Sequim police officers are often called on to respond to county 9-1-1 calls in place of deputies, Poulsen said.

Hawe and Poulsen agreed the situation is less than ideal.

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The rest of this story appears in the Tuesday Peninsula Daily News. Click on SUBSCRIBE to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.