on the cover / By Ryan Burns

Howdy, Sheriff

Two men named Mike duke it out to become the county’s top lawman

(March 11, 2010)  There’s a gold star badge pinned to his chest, a pistol tucked into the leather holster at his hip, and on his belt you’ll find a shiny pair of handcuffs. Hardware aside, though, the job of a modern-day sheriff bears little resemblance to that of the iconic lawman of the Old West — the dusty, taciturn peace officer who, with the help of a trusty deputy or two, rid the town of lawless scoundrels.

Nowadays, being sheriff is more like running a complex, multi-agency corporation. (Sheriff Gary Philp says his most valuable tool is his BlackBerry.) The 21st Century Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has six divisions including 11 separate units, 235 full-time employees, 45 part-timers and more than 100 volunteer staff. With an annual budget in excess of $26 million, the office is responsible not only for law enforcement in the county’s sprawling unincorporated areas but also for running the county jail, operating an animal shelter, handling airport security, issuing gun permits, conducting search and rescue operations, responding to emergencies and more. They have a crisis negotiations team, a special weapons and tactics team and even — get this — a bomb-defusing robot.

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Sheriff Philp, who announced in November that after eight years in the position he will retire at the end of 2010, says there’s no such thing as a typical day at the office. “It’s a series of ever-changing events from one day to the next,” he said, though truthfully, that makes the job sound more exciting than it probably is. Most of those “ever-changing events” are meetings, Philp said — meetings with community groups, department heads and staff, meetings about citizen complaints and personnel issues, and lots of meetings about the budget — especially in recent years. With the destitute state government raiding county coffers, last year’s Sheriff’s Office budget was cut by more than $3.3 million — a 12-and-a-half percent reduction. No one was laid off, Philp said, but through hiring freezes and attrition the office lost 10 deputy sheriffs, 12 correctional officers and six civilian staffers. They’ve also been forced to defer maintenance and wish-list projects and reduce overtime.

Still, Philp said he loves his job. And he’s confident that if he chose to run again, he’d win. But after 37 years in law enforcement, and at the ripe old age of 58, he’s ready to turn in his badge and hang up his spurs.

Which, theoretically at least, leaves this year’s race for sheriff wide open. Two men, both named Mike, are vying to replace Philp. Mike Downey, 54, of Fortuna, is considered by many to be the heir apparent. He’s worked under Philp in one capacity or another for all of the 24 years he’s spent with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, gradually working his way up to the rank of undersheriff, Philp’s right-hand-man and second in command. Confident in Philp’s popularity, Downey has vowed that as sheriff he would continue in the same direction.

Mike Hislop, 48, of McKinleyville, is the outsider and, by any measure, a decided underdog despite a long, distinguished career. With 30 years in law enforcement, including nearly 25 with the Eureka Police Department and the past three as chief investigator at the District Attorney’s Office, Hislop believes the Sheriff’s Office needs a new direction and a new style of leadership. He says Philp’s department is out of touch with the community and has shown a lack of fiscal responsibility. Hislop’s campaign hinges on presenting himself as a desirable alternative to the “status quo.”

In two sit-down interviews and a series of follow-up phone calls, the two candidates for sheriff offered previews of how they would run the county’s largest department. Law enforcement being more straightforward than, say, policy making, their differences are more about style and demeanor than philosophy. But there are indeed differences, and as these interviews reveal, both men are willing to fight for the job.

Mike Downey grew up in southern California, attending high school in San Diego County, just outside Camp Pendleton Marine Base in the town of Fallbrook, known then as the avocado capital of the world. After graduating, Downey, the third of four children, drove trucks, among other jobs, before deciding at 26 to go into law enforcement. He worked for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office for three years before moving to Humboldt County in April 1986. His wife’s family lived here, and they told him there was an opening at the sheriff’s office. He tested and was hired that same year.

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