Keith Swank sworn in as Pierce County Sheriff, vows to ‘crack down’ on human trafficking
Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank vowed to crack down on human trafficking, said he would ensure his department is well staffed and promised to be transparent with the public Jan. 15 at a formal swearing-in ceremony.
Swank, 56, began his first term as sheriff Jan. 1, replacing former Sheriff Ed Troyer following a narrow win in the Nov. 5 general election against former Chief of Patrol Patti Jackson. He was formerly a Seattle Police Department captain, where he worked for more than three decades before retiring from the department in 2023.
At least 100 people gathered at the Frontier Park Lodge in Graham to watch Swank, his command staff and others appointed to leadership positions take their oaths of office. Some of those attending included police chiefs from Steilacooom, Fircrest, and Fife, Prosecutor Mary Robnett, County Council member Amy Cruver and Swank’s wife, Nina.
“This is a great privilege and an honor to speak to you as your sheriff of Pierce County,” Swank said during the ceremony. “It’s really hard for me to tell you all how much this means to me.”
The ceremony began with a prayer led by the pastor of the Seventh-Day Adventist church Swank attends in Puyallup and the Pledge of Allegiance. Then Swank went to the center of the room, raised his right hand and was sworn into office by newly-elected Superior Court Judge Rebecca Reeder.
Swank then swore in his second in command, Undersheriff Cynthia Fajardo, followed by the rest of his command staff and majors in the Sheriff’s Department. Seven other appointees were also recognized.
The command staff is comprised of Fajardo, Chief of Operations Rustin Wilder, Chief of Administrative Services Scott Mielcarek and Chief of Corrections Douglas Watkins.
The majors appointed were Frank Brown, Forest Ake, Jake Greger, Erik Clark, Chadwick Dickerson and Matthew Dobson. Other appointees were Donna LaFerriere, in charge of budget and the assistant operations manager; John Jolibois, contract manager and council liaison; Leslie Medved, assistant to the chief; Dr. Miguel Balderrama, medical doctor; Crystal Erickson, wellness coordinator; Ed Hauge, who did camera work during the ceremony and Gary Smith, intel analyst.
Swank briefly explained the selection process. Fajardo, who lost the 2020 sheriff election to Troyer, ran again in the 2024 election but was defeated in the August primary. Afterward, Swank met with Fajardo for coffee, and he told her he wanted her to be undersheriff. Swank said their philosophy of policing and leadership let them “hit the ground running right away,” and they began talking about changes they wanted to see in the department.
The two wanted to identify department leaders from within, according to Swank, so they opened up leadership positions to anyone who wanted to apply. Swank said that was a first for the department.
“Oftentimes people just pick their friends,” Swank said.
Swank said he was proud of the leaders who were selected, and he would empower them to do great things.
“I want you all to know that this is a great agency,” Swank said. “It’s got a great history, but what we were before, we’re only going to be better because we have the best leadership that this agency has ever seen.”
Swank highlights human trafficking, staffing, training and transparency
Swank then turned to some of his first priorities as sheriff, including “cracking down” on human trafficking. He said Robnett reached out to him after he was elected, and they’ve started working on getting a group together to address the issue.
After the ceremony, Swank told The News Tribune that planning was in early stages, but he’d like to put together a task force on human trafficking that included officers from departments across the county.
Five human trafficking offenses were reported in Pierce County in 2023, up from one the previous year, according to statewide crime statistics from the Washington Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs. Former County Executive Bruce Dammeier wrote in a county blog post in January 2022 that the county’s proximity to an international airport, Joint Base Lewis-McChord and the Port of Tacoma were part of why Washington was the second-worst state and Tacoma was the seventh-worst city on a list of where traffickers find and exploit victims.
Swank said the department would put away violent people and save lives.
“Drug dealers, the cartels, the big-time drug dealers, they don’t just deal drugs. They sell people, too. We’re going to stop that,” Swank said.
On staffing, Swank said he had empowered department leadership to make sure staffing was where it should be.
“As we make changes to that, we’re going to reevaluate and make it even better,” Swank said.
Pierce County approved a supplemental 2024-2025 budget in November that increased the Sheriff’s Department’s law enforcement spending by about $1.48 million, bringing the total budget to $227,718,137. It decreased spending for the Corrections Bureau by about $1.86 million, bringing its total budget to $149,090,689. The county’s total budget is about $3.253 billion.
Included in the county’s biennial budget was $2,655,000 to be used by the Sheriff’s Department for employment incentives for commissioned law enforcement officers and corrections officers.
Swank also hit on the importance of continuous, career-long training for law enforcement and corrections officers. He said he would also take part in training.
“There’s always better ways to do things, and we’re going to continue that with great training for this sheriff’s office,” Swank said.
Swank closed by saying he was “all for transparency.” He gave his word that the department would put out information as soon as possible and admit when they get things wrong.
“But when we’re right, I will stand firm and let you know we were right,” Swank said. “Sometimes things are ugly. It doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”
This story was originally published January 16, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
