WA Sheriff’s Oppose Bill Giving Election-Recall Control to Committee

The Washington State Sheriff's Association is loudly opposing a proposed bill that would likely violate the Constitution.

  A proposed bill would allow a state committee to recall Sheriffs

Sponsored by several State House Democrats, HB 2027 would, according to the WA State Sheriff's Association likely violate the Constitution.

The bill would require anyone who is running for Sheriff, to submit to a background investigation by the state's Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC), and would also allow that commission to disqualify any candidate from running. It would also allow them to decertify any Sheriff at any time, nullifying their Consitutionally-protected election.

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The Sheriff's Association says besides un-constitutional, it is "politically dangerous." The CJTC would have the authority to decertify the election of a Sheriff if the commission believes that person has engaged in or has a pattern of behavior that "fails to meet the professional and ethical standards of a peace officer." 

However, those criteria are not listed in the bill and are not known. Those criteria, say the Sheriffs', would be up to the Commission.

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The Sheriff's Association says the Constitution already lays out the process by which citizens can recall a Sheriff, this proposed bill would take away the people's control by election over who they want as Sheriff.

The bill would also remove a Sheriff's authority to deputize citizens in times of emergency, hence the various Sheriff's Posses we have around the state.

Currently, the bill has been sent to committee for review, we will continue to monitor its progress.