WASHINGTON — Four eastern Washington sheriffs have filed a complaint to block the enforcement of SB 5974, a recent bill that was signed into law by Gov. Bob Ferguson that would allow for a state board to remove an elected sheriff.
The sheriffs with Spokane, Pend Oreille, Stevens and Ferry Counties are all named as plaintiffs on the complaint.
"These Sheriffs argue that concealed beneath the misleading title that claims to modernize regulations concerning law enforcement leaders, lies a clearly Unconstitutional mechanism that centralizes power by stripping it from the people. An egregious consequence of this statute is that it undermines our democratic process by allowing an unelected board, appointed by the Governor, to decertify and remove an elected Sheriff, thereby overriding the will of the voters. Limiting the voice of the people in elections is contrary to state and federal law," the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office posted.
SB 5974 increases the minimum age to hold office from 18 to 25, requires a background check for candidates of an office, increases the minimum time a sheriff candidate has been in law enforcement from two years to five years, and reduces the timeframe a non-certified sheriff has to get law enforcement certification from 12 months to 9 months after an election is certified.
It also paves the way to allow the state’s Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) to remove an elected sheriff from office if their peace certification is revoked.
“No other law enforcement leader is more directly accountable to the people they serve, nor are their qualifications more scrutinized than those of a Sheriff. At every election, the people have the right to determine if a Sheriff is qualified to represent them,” the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office wrote on its website.
According to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, the legal action comes with the consent and support of Prosecuting Attorneys from each of the four named counties.
KIRO 7 reached out to Ferguson’s office for comment on the complaint, and his office directed us to remarks Ferguson made at the signing, but did not specify which remarks.
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