Walla Walla County sheriff, undersheriff to retire after 8 years on job

Walla Walla County Sheriff Mark Crider had considered retiring at the end of 2026 for some time. It's something he had discussed with his friend, the undersheriff, more than once.

Now, he made it official. Retiring wasn't a decision he made quickly, or for a single reason.

"I'm 65 years old," Crider said. "In 2023, I had open heart surgery. (Undersheriff) Joe (Klundt) and I have these talks on occasion. He has things he likes to do. I have things I like to do. How much longer do I have to go do those things?"

In a letter Crider posted on social media, he said the recent death of his father was another reason for his decision.

Also, Crider thinks the office is ready for new leadership.

"I won't say that I've stagnated, but maybe I don't have the same passion and the same energy that I had eight years ago when I started," he said. "I look at a younger guy coming in and taking my place and hopefully he can elevate that passion, that drive, that energy that is starting to wane with me just because I'm getting old."

Joe Klundt, his undersheriff, also will retire at the same time.

The two men will take decades of law enforcement experience with them into retirement.

Crider was an FBI agent for 21 years and Klundt spent three decades with the Washington State Patrol.

Neither Crider nor Klundt had set plans to work with the Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office.

Federal law requires FBI agents to retire at age 57. When Crider hit that mark, he thought his career in law enforcement was over.

"My plan was to go do some contract work," he said.

But then he was contacted by then-Walla Walla County Sheriff John Turner, who convinced Crider to come to Walla Walla and be his undersheriff.

He said he did not expect what came next.

Crider became undersheriff in March 2018. In May, Turner announced he was not running for reelection.

"I had no idea he was going to do that," Crider said. "And I ended up filing and running."

Crider then reached out to Klundt, whom he had known for a long time.

"I said, 'Hey, Joe, if I win, would you come on board as the undersheriff?'" Crider said.

By that time, Klundt, a Walla Walla County native, had worked 33 years at the Washington State Patrol. He was planning to retire within the next couple of years. When Crider won, Klundt decided to retire right away from the WSP and joined Crider at the sheriff's office on Jan. 1, 2019.

Crider had been to Walla Walla before to conduct training for several agencies and the Walla Walla Regional SWAT team. He worked out of the FBI's Spokane office for three years. Before that, he worked out of Milwaukee for 17 years.

Klundt started his law enforcement career in Walla Walla County. His cousin, Kenneth "Buz" Klundt, was a former sheriff.

Joe Klundt began his career at the Walla Walla County Jail.

"The jail was relatively new," he said. "I did a year at the jail. Then I tested to become a deputy under my cousin … And I did six months of that and I thought, 'This is not for me.' So, I tested with the State Patrol and went (there) and had 33 years and nine months with them."

Under the watch of Crider and Klundt, the Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office earned accreditation through the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.

With that honor, Walla Walla County because the first county in the state to have all of its law enforcement agencies accredited; the Walla Walla and College Place police departments are also accredited.

The leadership of Crider and Klundt during their eight years was able to add a few deputy positions, something they said is important for any agency in Washington.

"One of the things with Washington state is that we are last in the nation in number of police officers per capita," Crider said. "Staffing has always been an issue in the Walla Walla Sheriff's Office."

Both Crider and Klundt said they plan to keep living in Walla Walla.

"I'm born and raised here," Klundt said. "My family is still here. My friends and my golf matches are here, and my things-to-do list is here."

Crider added, "I have no plans to leave. I built a house here in 2023. I have no plans on going anywhere anytime soon."

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