“There are a couple of corrupt cops in Walla Walla,” said Nick* as he began to describe two police officers. “And they pretty much do what they want and don’t get in trouble.”

Nick speculated that one of these “corrupt cops” favors family members even when he knows that his relatives are getting into trouble.

“One of them actually has a nephew in one of the Walla Walla gangs and he doesn’t give his nephew any trouble. His nephew hit someone in the head with a bat and never got in trouble.”

Nick claimed that the other mentioned officer is prejudiced against certain groups or families.

“If he doesn’t like a certain family or person, he will put them in jail for nothing. I was arrested once for the weekend for something my brother had done. The officer didn’t like my brother so he arrested me instead.”

With regards to the other officers on the Walla Walla force, Nick said that “quite a few are really nice and really like to help. Others just want to get their quota and don’t really care who gets in trouble.”

Although some cops might be corrupt or only care for their quota, Nick said that the crime rate has definitely improved in recent years.

“The cops are starting to get better at the crackdown on crime in Walla Walla. A year or two ago, things began to change and get better.”

For the most part, Walla Walla officers are known for cracking down on speeding in particular. Nick points out that some officers are prejudiced against certain drivers with particular vehicles.

“If one person is a mile per hour over the limit, they’ll pull them over. They go after sport bikes more than cruisers and Harleys.”

Andrew*, a Walla Walla community member and Narcotics Anonymous attendee, said that cops are not the only crime policing entities that are corrupt.
“I think the courts are more corrupt than the cops. Walla Walla is a small town. It’s got a small town community. I was about to break into this house, but all I did was take the screen off. It was the house of this rich girl that went to my high school. When I got to court, I got locked up for a lot longer cause her parents had a lot of power in town.”

*Names have been changed to protect identities of those in the article