Loren Culp Hired As Songer's Chief Jail Deputy
A photo of Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer shaking hands with his new jail administrator, Loren Culp taken from Culp’s twitter.
By Cole Goodwin
Former gubernatorial and congressional candidate Loren Culp has been hired as the new jail administrator for Klickitat County in Washington. Culp, a prominent Republican, will oversee the county’s 49-bed jail and 14 corrections deputies, as well as transport detainees to and from the courthouse and other jurisdictions. His salary for the position is $94,162.
The hiring marks the completion of one of the third-term sheriff’s four major goals for the next four years.
Songer released the following statement about his new-hire:
“Effective March 1, 2023, I hired Loren Culp as my new Chief Jail Deputy, in charge of jail operations. Loren will be third in command at the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office.
“Loren is a true professional with 10 years of law enforcement experience and served as police chief for the City of Republic, Washington. We are happy to have him as a member of the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office.”
Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer has expressed confidence in Culp’s abilities, stating that he will be a valuable asset to the department. However, Culp’s hiring has raised some concerns, with critics pointing to his controversial political views.
Culp and Songer are both known for their opposition to what they consider government overreach, and both are active in the constitutional sheriff movement. They made national headlines for their refusal to enforce emergency lockdown orders during the pandemic and their opposition to a statewide gun safety law.
Lynn Mason, a critic of Songer who helped organize a political action committee against him in the last election, raised concerns about the hiring process and Culp’s extremist views. However, Songer defended his decision, saying that it had been difficult to find willing applicants to run the jail and that Culp was an honorable and religious individual who supported the Constitution for citizens.
Mason wasn’t the only one who has raised concerns about Culp’s hiring.
"Maybe you've heard the rumors and you thought, nah, that ain't gonna happen. Well, it did In a move that would sound like a Saturday Night Live skit if it were not so dangerous, on March 1, Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer announced the hiring of his fellow Constitutionalist lawman, Loren Culp, to supervise the county jail,” reads the Klickitat County Democrats website, "Culp is an unwise hire, to put it mildly, and not just because of his authoritarian mindset. Like Songer, Culp's tenure as a lawman has an ugly spot to it."
Culp’s two unsuccessful bids for state and federal offices in the past four years have some wondering if he will seek another job in the future. Songer has said he wouldn’t forbid Culp from running for another office as long as it doesn’t affect his jail administrative duties, but added that he doesn’t get the impression that Culp wants to run for office again.
“There aren’t many people I would come out of retirement for but Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer is one of the best. He understands the Constitution and is a true servant of the people. I’m proud to be his new Chief Deputy,” said Loren Culp on his twitter.
Despite concerns, Sheriff Songer believes that Culp will excel in his new position.
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