Q&A with Shawn P. Sant
Franklin County prosecutor
2020 president of Washington Association
of Prosecuting Attorneys
Number
of employees you oversee: 26
Brief
background of what the Prosecuting Attorney’s office does:
The prosecutor’s office handles all legal matters for
Franklin County. This includes criminal prosecution for all felony crimes
occurring within Franklin County, as well as misdemeanor crimes occurring
outside of the city of Pasco.
Pasco has its own municipal court.
The prosecutor’s office also represents Franklin County on
all legal matters and provides legal advice to Franklin County elected
officials and departments.
How
did you land your current role? How long have you been in it?
I have served as the elected prosecutor since 2011,
following the 2010 November elections. The position is a four-year term and I
am currently serving my third term.
What
should Tri-Citians know about county prosecutors?
Prosecutors are independently elected in each county so
Washington has 39 elected county prosecutors.
Each prosecutor’s office may have different policies
relating to eligibility for therapeutic courts (drug court, veterans court,
mental health courts, etc.) and charging standards for certain crimes.
Benton and Franklin counties share an adult and juvenile
drug court and each prosecutor agrees to admissibility standards.
As the Franklin County prosecutor, I make myself available
to meet with citizens who have questions about legal proceedings, office prosecution
standards, as well as any questions about how we handle cases.
County prosecutors are elected so they are directly
responsible to the citizens of their respective counties.
Prosecutors also serve in variety of committee assignments
in the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, or WAPA.
I was elected by my peers to serve as president of the WAPA
board this year. This will provide me the opportunity to work with the other 38
elected prosecutors and their respective counties, as well as with our
executive director.
WAPA coordinates statewide training (continuing legal
education, or CLEs) for all prosecuting attorneys including deputies. All
members of the Washington State Bar must maintain regular CLEs to maintain
their license.
What
is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?
Every leader should be a good listener. I never claim to
have all the answers but I have great people who work with me and together we
have tackled a variety of different issues and challenges.
I make myself available to all my staff, and we continue to
work on improving communication so that we can improve our working environment
and services to the public.
What
is the biggest challenge facing you as a manager today?
One of the biggest challenges we have as public servants is
maximizing public and customer service while working on limited budgets,
keeping in mind every dollar we spend has come from the taxpayers.
Our community continues to grow which has increased the
workflow in our office. We are always looking at ways to maximize efficiency
while protecting the public both on the criminal side as well as the civil
side.
We work with the various county departments to ensure they
have the legal services necessary to perform their job in their respective
offices.
If
you had a magic wand, what would you change about your field?
I would like to see more opportunities on the prevention
side rather than dealing with societal failures of treating mental illness,
drug addiction and challenges in obtaining appropriate housing.
What
advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first
time?
Recognize that every individual in your organization has
something to offer. As a leader, we need to promote a culture where our team
members feel valued and recognize the rewards in meeting the goals of the
organization.
Provide a sense of pride representing the organization and
allowing team members to feel the same way through proper mentoring within the
organization.
Who
are your role models or mentors?
Ronald Reagan.
I remember as a kid watching his State of the Union
addresses and admiring his ability to speak to the people. He was personable
and respectful, even with those who opposed his policies or positions.
This appears to be missing from today’s political
environment.
How
do you keep your employees motivated?
I enjoy the work I do and feeling that I am making a
difference in my community.
I enjoy discussing cases and challenges with our team
members and making them a part of solving problems. I try to instill similar
core values I grew up with and followed in the Air Force: Integrity first,
service before self, and excellence in all we do.
I lead by example and create the expectation of similar
values from all team members.
How
did you decide to pursue the career that you are working in today?
I have always enjoyed personal interactions with people and
attempts to keep the peace. I served as a reserve police officer with the
Richland Police Department while I attended Columbia Basin College in pursuit
of a criminal justice degree.
I went full-time into law enforcement when I accepted a job
with the Prosser Police Department. A few years later I entered active duty in
the Air Force with the idea of eventually becoming a prosecutor.
I started my legal career as a deputy prosecutor in the same
office and decided to run as the elected prosecutor a few years later.
My current position has given me the opportunity to work
with other community groups, elected officials, crime victims, and other
community members on solving challenges in criminal justice.
How
do you measure success in your workplace?
Watching and observing team members interact with each
other, members of the community and feedback from community members who have
had interaction with my office.
I recognize we cannot please everyone in this business, but
we can ensure they have an opportunity to be heard and that they are treated
fairly and with respect.
What
do you consider your leadership style to be?
I like empowering those who work with me so that they have
ownership in the cases they are assigned.
While I am ultimately responsible for how every case is
handled in the office, I want my team members to take on cases in which they
may have an interest, feel challenged, and rewarded as they come up with
solutions and recommendations.
I listen to my team members who have put in time and effort
and who have become vested in the best outcome on a case. We discuss cases
regularly as we determine the best resolutions possible in pursuit of justice.
How
do you balance work and family life?
The job is very challenging and demanding. Having a very
supportive wife and children is required for my success. We try to have dinner
as a family each night.
This is a challenge not only with my schedule but with our
kids’ schedules as well. This evening time together is important. We enjoy our
family time together at home and participating in various events in the
community.
What
do you like to do when you are not at work?
I enjoy cycling and the outdoors when the weather is good. I
have my pilot’s license and enjoy flying. When my schedule allows, I join a
friend of mine in a King Air 350.
I have enjoyed flights up to Canada and Alaska in the right
seat. I also enjoy a good book or movie, especially when based on significant
historic events and/or untold true stories.
What’s
your best time management strategy?
Prioritizing daily and weekly tasks is probably the best way
of characterizing my time management although I’m sure it would fall short of
Franklin Covey standards. I am a people person and want to be flexible meeting
with people even when an appointment is made last minute.
You have to be flexible in this position as urgent tasks may
arise without notice and you do the best to prioritize and reevaluate daily
tasks as necessary.
Best
tip to relieve stress?
Leave work at the office the best I can. This is a challenge
for a job that involves call outs to scenes, phone calls after hours, and
stressful trials but mentally separating from the legal work at the end of the
day is a must.
Keeping active with church and community work is a great way
to stay positive in an often negative environment dealing with some of life’s
most horrific situations. Enjoying time with family matters most so I try to
make the best of it when I can.
What’s
your most-used app? Favorite book?
I really enjoy the Libby app available through Mid-Columbia
Libraries which makes checking out a book in print or audio a breeze. I enjoy the
flexibility and mobility of audiobooks.
One of my favorite books, both in print and audio, was “A
Higher Call” by Adam Makos. A great story about honor among World War II pilots
who were in very difficult situation during the war over Germany.
The amazing part was how these two pilots met decades later
in Seattle to share their stories.
Do
you have a personal mantra, phrase or quote you like to use?
“Justice is not about winning; it’s about getting it right!”
Too often the courtroom is viewed as a winner take all at whatever costs
necessary. As a prosecutor, we have an ethical obligation to ensure the rights
of defendants are protected while at the same time protecting the rights of
victims. Justice is our goal.
What
is the most misunderstood aspect of being a prosecutor?
One of the misunderstood positions is that prosecutors only
want to throw people in prison and don’t care about those struggling with
mental illness or drug addiction.
We certainly have a large number of cases where we know the
only appropriate resolution is sending the defendant to prison, but we also
have cases where mental illness or drug addiction played a significant role in
the criminal behavior.
Fortunately, we have a few options in our courts in the
Benton and Franklin county jurisdictions. Benton and Franklin counties share a
drug court program.
Franklin County also has a felony diversion program that is
run through our District Court.
We prioritize participation in felony diversion primarily
for first-time felony offenders.
This requires repayment of restitution, and/or participating in drug treatment and/or relevant counseling services. It is a great opportunity to ensure crime victims are repaid in a timely manner and also to provide treatment to defendants willing to participate in such programs. This is a win-win situation as we have seen recidivism drop significantly by those completing the program.
