Thurston County sheriff praises deputy for tact during recorded encounter with community member at elementary school

Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders is praising a deputy for his tact during an interaction with a community member outside Seven Oaks Elementary School on Thursday.

The video shows a community member approach Thurston County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Domeno in his patrol vehicle outside the elementary school, question why he was there, ask him to “acknowledge that (he) could be a really upsetting sight for people right now,” and ask him to move along because he was “scaring families.”
Domeno repeatedly told the citizen that he was “just doing his job” and finishing up a report for a collision that occurred near the school, and that he would leave the area as soon as he was done.

“I am grateful that this individual recorded this encounter and shared it for me to see, as I will be placing a letter of commendation in Deputy Domeno’s file for his tact, professionalism, and unwillingness to take the escalation bait that was set for him during this encounter,” Sanders said in a social media post Friday morning. “Deputy Domeno is a brand new deputy with only a few months on solo patrol, but his composure was that of a 30 year veteran.”

Sanders took the opportunity to “make a few things clear” for the Thurston County community.

“1. Thurston County Sheriff’s Office and our employees are part of, and belong to, this community,” Sanders wrote.
“2. We encourage our patrol deputies to routinely maintain a presence at all of our schools, and there is no easier way to do that than to sit in the school parking lot instead of the office to type a report.
“3. The feedback we receive from family, students, and school faculty is overwhelmingly positive throughout the county, and for those who do have concerns, we are always happy to meet and work through them.”

Sanders further thanked Domero for being a good representative of TCSO.

“You are writing your reports right where I want you to be: ready and able to protect our children from harm,” Sanders wrote.

The video has since gone viral on multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and X.