MOSES LAKE — Grant County Sheriff Joey Kriete and Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner have both expressed concerns regarding Senate Bill 5974, a companion bill to House Bill 1399, presented to the Washington Legislature this session. The legislation addresses eligibility requirements for leaders, including elected leaders, in law enforcement agencies.  

“At the heart of this bill is a proposal that would allow an unelected state board to remove an elected Sheriff from office. My concern is simple: this takes decision-making power away from you, the citizens of our county,” Kriete said in a statement.  

The bill, sponsored by Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, indicates that it is designed to update the requirements of outdated bills saying who can hold positions as sheriffs, police chiefs, town marshals and similar positions. It would require candidates to be U.S. citizens, possess a high school diploma or equivalent, have a record clear of felonies or gross misdemeanor convictions, two years of full-time law enforcement experience, peace officer certification obtained within 12 months of obtaining office and pass a background check. Additionally, veterans would need to have a general discharge under honorable conditions or better to serve in the office they are running for or appointed to.  

“The bills also propose broader changes to the Office of Sheriff, including redefining duties and increasing state-level oversight of a locally elected position. While statewide consistency can be important, it is equally important to preserve the connection between local communities and the officials they elect to serve them,” Wagner said in a separate statement.  

Kriete said oversight and how an elected sheriff might be removed from office is the crux of the issue. Under the new legislation’s requirement for the law enforcement official in question to be certified, the loss of certification through a process established by the Washington Criminal Justice Training Commission. Kriete says he feels that takes power from voters and puts it in the hands of an appointed board.  

Both Kriete and Wagner pointed out that there are already measures in place at the local and county levels to remove elected or appointed law enforcement officials who behave poorly. Those can happen through a recall process or through the local prosecutor’s office. 

Kriete said he does feel that laws that establish guidelines for sheriffs and other elected law enforcement officials do need to be updated, but the current versions of these bills take the wrong approach due to the WCJTC panels being involved as they are. Especially given that panels like that often have to address anonymous reports that could be politically motivated or based on getting back at officials involved in criminal cases.  

“The way that the sheriff needs to be removed from office shouldn't be an automatic disqualification for the office if there's a decertification, because that decision has not been made by the people that put him in office,” Kriete said.  

Instead, Kriete said there is movement on the part of law enforcement officers and organizations like the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs to adjust the legislation or propose alternatives.  

“We’re trying to propose (amendments or other legislation) and move forward, to be proactive in this,” Kriete said. “So, it wouldn’t be that if somebody’s decertified, they eliminate them from office, but a proposal, I believe, is out there that if a sheriff is deemed decertified, then it may trigger the recall process for the voters to remove, so we’re trying to work on some language with legislation.”