WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Two members of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Detective Unit were fired following allegations of workplace sexual harrassment.
According to documents obtained by My Bellingham Now through a public records request, an incident that took place in the unit’s group chat in 2025 resulted in the terminations.
While on duty, Detective Derek Jones created and distributed an AI-generated video depicting his own father and Detective Samantha Robinson engaged in an open-mouth kiss.
Sergeant Courtney Polinder, Jones’ direct supervisor, was the first person to respond to the video in the group chat and expressed amusement.
Several months later, when Detective Robinson reported her concerns, Sergeant Polinder failed to report the matter to command staff or HR.
When the complaint was brought to overseer Lieutenant Joseph Linderman, he also failed to report the matter.
Linderman and Polinder were terminated following an investigation into the group chat incident.
In a statement, the Whatcom County Deputy Sheriff’s Guild said they strongly disagree with the firings and are exploring options to reinstate both deputies.
This particular incident of misconduct is predated by another instance of Polinder engaging in sexually explicit messaging in January of 2025.
Robinson filed a tort claim with the county council’s office in October of 2025, and followed up with her resignation and a lawsuit against the county in February of 2026.
Detective Jones is still employed by the Sheriff’s Office.
