Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank is raising concerns about a new Washington state bill that would allow for the decertification of sheriffs, arguing the proposal could shift power away from voters and give state officials authority to remove elected law enforcement leaders from office.
Swank addressed the issue while discussing how the legislation could affect the position of county sheriffs across Washington. He said the measure could create a pathway for political authorities to remove sheriffs who were elected by local voters.
“My big concern is it takes away the right of the people to elect their sheriff,” Swank said.
Swank said he believes the bill could be used as a political tool by state officials to influence who serves as sheriff in counties across Washington.
“This is a weapon used by the Democrats to be able to control the sheriff’s Democrats control, as you know, the State House, the State Senate, every statewide elected official is a Democrat,” Swank said. “They control every single thing here in the state, except for sheriffs.”
According to Swank, the legislation would allow state authorities to decertify a sheriff and remove that person from office, after which a replacement could be appointed.
“And now the passage of this bill, they believe they’ll be able to control sheriffs. They’ll be able to decertify them, remove them from office, appoint the people they want to have in those positions, and then they have complete control over everybody,” Swank said.
Hellbound and Down 