Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders is calling on Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson to veto a bill that, among other changes, would allow for the removal of elected sheriffs who are decertified by a state commission.
Sanders, in two weekend Facebook posts, one from Friday morning and another from Sunday evening, renewed his opposition to Washington state Senate Bill 5974, which makes a long list of changes to the standards for sheriffs and police chiefs across Washington state.
In his initial Friday post, Sanders referred to the legislation as the “sheriff removal without your permission” bill. The bill makes many changes to eligibility requirements for those running for sheriff, including creating a minimum age of 25, a requirement for five years minimum law enforcement experience and a stipulation that the law enforcement leaders have no misdemeanors or felonies.
But the stipulation that has made it unpopular among many law enforcement officials is one that would allow for an elected sheriff’s removal if they are decertified by the Washington state Criminal Justice Training Commission.
Many officials, including Sanders, have previously warned that the change would make sheriffs the only elected officials in the state that could be removed without voter approval. Recall elections are currently the most common route for removing an elected official from office.
The Washington state House of Representatives passed the bill last Thursday in a nearly party-line vote with four Democrats breaking ranks to vote against it, joining all Republicans. That sent the bill to Ferguson’s desk for signature. The Senate approved the bill in a true party-line vote nearly a month earlier on Thursday, Feb. 12.
In Sanders’ initial post from Friday morning, the sheriff argued the new policy undermines local elections and violates the trust of voters. He described the policy as “one of the most unpopular, hypocrisy-ridden bills ever passed.”
“It comes in the same session where a lawmaker apologized for being drunk on the job while debating laws that will impact the rest of us for years to come,” Sanders wrote. “Drinking on duty is conduct that would result in decertification and removal for an elected sheriff.”
He went on to cite instances of misconduct by other elected officials in Washington state that under the proposed bill would result in their removal were they a county sheriff. Sanders didn’t include names in the descriptions, but he did include dates and left identification of the officials up to the reader. Multiple refer to Washington state lawmakers and one matches the circumstances of a former Lewis County elected official.
The list includes allegations of sexual harassment, a recent admission by a state lawmaker of being drunk on the job, another lawmaker that crashed a car while drunk in 2018 and a PUD commissioner who was charged with bribery.
“Instead of making it easier to recall ANY elected official for misconduct (which I have openly supported), Washington is sending a clear message that only Sheriffs are capable of committing serious misconduct,” Sanders wrote. “Unless you’re a lawmaker that sexually harasses subordinates (2018). Or a lawmaker that shows up to work drunk (9 days ago). Or a lawmaker that leaves work drunk and crashes (2018). Or a PUD Commissioner engaged in bribery (2025). Or a Coroner that uses fentanyl found on dead bodies (2025). Or an Assessor that stalks his ex girlfriend in violation of a court order (2025). Or a predator Council member sexually assaulting a minor (2024). Or a county commissioner assaulting another person during a road rage incident (2025).
“None of those elected officials are subject to ‘decertification’ of any kind, nor can they be removed by an appointed state panel for their conduct,” Sanders’ wrote. “Only sheriffs.”
In a second post from the sheriff from Sunday evening, he went on to call out another part of the new policy that would require candidates for sheriff to have a minimum of five years of law enforcement experience to run for the post. It’s a stipulation that in the past Sanders was vocal about supporting.
According to Sanders, it's not actually the increased experience requirement itself that he opposes, but the timing of the rule. In a previous discussion over the bill with The Chronicle, Sanders referred to the experience requirement as an element of the bill he could support.
An added line in the bill the policy would go into effect almost immediately — April 30 — possibly disqualifying many who have already declared their candidacy for county sheriff from running for the position. That timeline is contrary to the standard implementation timeline of 90 days for most new state policies.
“I don't support it taking effect immediately,” Sanders said. “That's not fair to the people that have already declared their candidacy.”
In the post, Sanders claimed the policy could disqualify his opponent, Kevin Burton-Crow, in the upcoming 2026 election for Thurston County sheriff and called on Ferguson to veto the bill and allow his opponent to run against him.
“I am asking Governor Bob Ferguson to please side with voters, uphold our long established democratic process, and allow my opponent to appear on the ballot,” reads the Facebook post. “All of this can be achieved with a veto of this bill when it reaches his desk.”
The governor still has the option to veto the bill. In theory, he could also use a partial veto to void certain aspects of the policy.
Specific language in the bill sets the effective date for sections referring to volunteers and youth cadets for the first of next year, Jan. 1, which is a standard timeline for implementation. In the second to last line of Senate Bill 5974, it states that the rest of the policies should be implemented by April 30.
