Take it from retired cop: Troyer must go and electing Pierce County sheriffs must end

Ed Troyer’s career as Pierce County Sheriff is over, just as sure as the sinking of the Titanic after hitting the iceberg. The only question now is how much suffering he will subject the public, his department and the greater law enforcement community to on the way down.

Honor, and any dedication to the profession and badge he served, demands that he step down immediately. However, this is also a serious indictment of a deeply flawed process that put him into this position in the first place.

I spent over 25 years in police work as a detective and commander of a 15-city homicide/violent crimes task force, along with 14 years as a member of the Washington State House and chairman of the Public Safety Committee.

Virtually everyone I knew in the law enforcement community cringed when Sgt. Ed Troyer announced he was running for Pierce County sheriff last year. Although likable and an adequate public information officer, he is entirely unqualified for the position of sheriff.

The concept of electing our sheriff is a terrible idea, as The News Tribune Editorial Board has pointed out. King County reversed this process last fall at the ballot box by passing Charter Amendment 5 with 56% of the vote.

This came after living through years of conflict and controversy after having elected an unqualified street sergeant and public information officer to be sheriff, as well.

We can do better. The Pierce County executive should be doing a nationwide search to seek qualified candidates for this position. There should be minimum standards in place. These must include at least 10 years of top-level law enforcement administrative experience with a minimum of 20 years as a commissioned officer.

They must be without any record of sustained discipline in their past. This position should also require, at bare minimum, a four-year degree and probably even a master’s degree.

After the executive finds and nominates a qualified candidate, this position should be subject to confirmation by the Pierce County Council after a public hearing.

Finally, the executive must be given the latitude to propose a salary commensurate with the qualifications of the candidate to make sure we are getting the very best person for the job. We do this for college sports team coaches. How can our top law enforcement officer be of less value?

This non-political, professional process would assure that we have a properly qualified Pierce County sheriff. It would eliminate the type of problem we now face.

There is no real accountability for Ed Troyer should he fail to immediately resign. It is virtually certain he will not serve out this term, one way or the other, but he can cause a lot of damage along the way. This could come at great expense to the budget and confidence of taxpayers. If he were appointed, he would already be suspended, pending his termination.

Some will argue that an elected sheriff is more accountable to voters. This is entirely incorrect and in fact the opposite is true. If Troyer does not resign, voters will have to wait four long, grueling years or go through an exhausting recall process to remove him from office. The cost, measured in many ways, will be high.

If we actually need an elected sheriff, then why not elect every single public employee? We trust our elected officials to make these decisions for us and if they make a mistake, they can correct it immediately, not suffer with a bad decision for four years.

There has never been a good reason for an elected prosecutor either. The same process of proper qualifications and hiring/confirmation could also apply.

A voter’s pamphlet statement is no way to properly inform voters as to the technical qualifications for either of these positions.

I have every confidence that Executive Bruce Dammeier and the elected members of the Pierce County Council could conduct a proper process to find a candidate, just like they do for every other county job under their jurisdiction.

Christopher Hurst of Enumclaw is a former Democratic representative for the 31st Legislative District and a retired commander in the Black Diamond Police Department.

This story was originally published March 26, 2021 at 1:00 PM.