It’s time for Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer to resign

The yard signs that are now commonplace in Tacoma are exactly right.

It’s time for Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer to resign.

Just 12 months into the four-year term he secured last November, Troyer — thanks to his ill-fated confrontation with newspaper delivery person Sedrick Altheimer — has effectively shattered the trust necessary to lead. He’s done this through his own words, actions and apparent lack of contrition. As it stands, there’s no way for Troyer to salvage the mess he’s made, and the same voters who bestowed their faith in him now deserve someone more capable to take the reins.

For a well-known law enforcement officer who’s spent three decades representing the Pierce County Sheriff’s office — the vast majority of them as the agency’s public face — the fall from grace has been quick and pronounced, but not necessarily shocking. Troyer arrived in office despite legitimate concerns over his vocal role in the mishandling of the investigation into Manuel Ellis’ death, the severity of which contributed to this editorial board taking the unusual step of withholding an endorsement in his 2020 race. Now, Troyer’s dangerous, unprofessional and possibly illegal Jan. 27 run-in with Altheimer — and the trail of disingenuous excuses he’s offered as explanation — have only confirmed what we suspected:

Pierce County deserves better.

This is not a call The News Tribune Editorial Board takes lightly. Like area residents, we’ve watched as the gears of accountability have slowly churned. We also realize that, only a year ago, 67% of voters put Troyer into office. As a defendant facing misdemeanor charges, he continues to deserve the presumption of innocence that everyone is afforded. But as an elected official tasked with overseeing the second largest sheriff’s agency in the state, Troyer is rightfully held to a higher standard — whether he likes it or not.

Any lingering reservations we had about calling for Troyer’s resignation were erased late last week when he was added to the Pierce County Prosecutor’s so-called “Brady list,” the inglorious roster of potential witnesses who Mary Robnett’s office has deemed to have serious credibility issues. Taken together with the charges filed by Attorney General Bob Ferguson and the recent conclusions of former U.S. Attorney Brian Moran — who found during an independent investigation that Troyer violated Pierce County Sheriff’s Department policies on bias-free policing and off-duty conduct — his benefit of the doubt has expired, regardless of what happens in court.

To date, Troyer has met every chance to take responsibility for his actions by doubling down and insisting he did nothing wrong, which is almost as troubling as what he stands accused of. When an off-duty Troyer, who is white, decided to trail Altheimer, who is Black, he set off a 2 a.m. chain reaction that put the newspaper carrier in harm’s way. The fact is, by summoning an emergency response from Tacoma police and claiming that his life had been threatened — an accusation that police reports later contradicted — Troyer risked the newspaper carrier’s life. We should all be grateful that the outcome wasn’t worse, because it certainly could have been.

Of course, as an elected sheriff, Troyer isn’t beholden to anyone or anything beyond the whims of voters, which is a glaring problem that should lead to the County charter being amended in short order. The unfortunate situation only reaffirms our longstanding belief that Pierce County’s sheriff should be appointed by the Pierce County Executive and confirmed by the County Council. As it stands, an onerous and likely divisive voter-led recall effort — like the one that ousted Benton County Sheriff Jerry Hatcher earlier this year — is likely the county’s best chance at replacing Troyer. In this case, at least, it shouldn’t be so hard.

Given all of this, for Troyer, the calculation should be clear cut, not that he’s shown any ability thus far to put the department he leads above his personal career aspirations and ego. To move forward and heal the many wounds he’s inflicted, new leadership is required.

The clearest way for that to happen remains the one thing Pierce County’s embattled sheriff has so far refused to do:

Admit fault and step down.

This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 1:41 PM.