(The Center Square) – The Pierce County Charter Review Commission will hold a special meeting on Saturday, June 13 to give the public an opportunity to provide comments on proposed charter amendments being considered for the upcoming November ballot.
Among those amendments are two highly controversial proposals that directly impact the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. Both measures have drawn significant public debate and vocal pushback from the current administration, including Sheriff Keith Swank.
“This is complete corruption and corruption at its finest,” Swank told The Center Square.
One amendment would remove the elected sheriff position from the ballot, establishing specific professional qualifications for the role and shifting selection authority to the County Executive branch for appointment.
Currently, King County is the only county in Washington state with an appointed sheriff; the other 38 counties maintain elected sheriffs.
Pierce County voters rejected an appointed sheriff model in 2006, voting 66% in favor of maintaining an elected law enforcement leader.
Another proposal the commission is considering would establish an independent sheriff ombudsman position.
The ombuds would hold authority to independently investigate community complaints regarding the sheriff’s department and its employees.
“I feel like this is an attempt to implement 5974 at a local level, and it’s inappropriate and should not be sent to the voters,” said Commissioner Hollie Rogge in a Friday interview with The Center Square.
She was referring to the legislation approved by majority Democrats and signed into law in April 2026 to allow an appointed state board to decertify sheriffs.
The measure also created a number of obstacles to running for sheriff that a Thurston County Superior Court Judge found constitutional issues, setting the measure on hold pending further legal review.
“This isn’t just about Sheriff Keith Swank. This is really about an elected sheriff who is responsible for enforcing the law. We really want him to be independent and not have a political agenda, which by making that position appointed, it becomes politicized by whoever the executive is at that moment,” said Rogge.
Swank told The Center Square if the measures are placed on the ballot and adopted by voters, he’s “not participating.”
“They can do whatever they want to do,” he said. “I’m not going to give them any records or do anything at all because I want to see what they’re going to do then. What are they going to do? If you’re against me like that, I’m not cooperating with you, right? So, I’d like to see what they do about that.”
Rogge told TCS she believes progressive members do have the votes to push at least one of the anti-sheriff measures onto the ballot.
“I have a sense that at the very least they’re going to push this ombudsman forward to the voters,” said Rogge. “But we have heard, I believe, from the majority of the public that they want to keep their elected sheriff and that having an ombuds over the sheriff, an unelected, appointed commission over the sheriff, is inappropriate.”
Rogge said her constituents on both sides of the aisle have said the office of sheriff should be independent.
“He shouldn’t have a political agenda,” she said. “My making that position appointed, that position becomes politicized by whoever the executive is at that moment.”
Swank called the proposals a “recipe for criminality on behalf of the executive.”
“They pick the sheriff that they want, and then they threaten him with the ombuds. If you do anything to go against me, we’ll go after this because the ombuds would be picked by them also.”
The Charter Review Commission meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 13, beginning at 9 a.m., for the sole purpose of receiving public comment on proposals being considered for placement on the November ballot.
The commission will not be debating or voting on any of the proposals at the meeting, which will be held at the Pierce County Annex, 2401 S. 35th Street, Tacoma, Conference Room A.
Remote attendance is available through Zoom at https://piercecountywa.zoom.us/j/92844977008
