Pierce County appointed-sheriff measure could raise salary $46K

An appointed Pierce County sheriff would likely earn about $46,000 more per year than Sheriff Keith Swank does now, according to fiscal impact statements from the Pierce County Charter Review Commission.

The salary gap is one of several new cost estimates tied to three charter amendments on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Two companion measures creating oversight offices for the Sheriff's Office and juvenile detention would add a combined $1 million to $1.3 million in annual county spending, the statements show.

Ballots were mailed Oct. 13. The seven proposed charter amendments are among the choices facing Pierce County voters.

What Amendment 53 would change

Amendment 53 would eliminate the elected sheriff's office and replace it with an appointed position.

Under the proposal, the Pierce County executive would pick the sheriff, and the Pierce County Council would confirm the choice.

Swank earns $200,770 in 2026. An appointed sheriff's pay would be set by the county's general compensation plan instead of the 10-member salary commission that recommends pay for elected officials, The News Tribune reported.

The fiscal impact statement benchmarked the salary against five comparable counties used in past arbitration with the Pierce County Deputy Sheriff's Independent Guild: Clark, Snohomish and Spokane counties in Washington, plus Multnomah and Washington counties in Oregon.

On average, those sheriffs earn $46,394 more than Swank.

If approved, Amendment 53 would end Swank's current term on Jan. 1, 2027, according to SeattleRed. Swank won the seat in November 2024, and his term would otherwise run through January 2029. The Charter Review Commission approved the early-termination language on a 12-9 vote, SeattleRed reported.

Supporters say the change would let the county conduct a national search for qualified candidates. When Tacoma hired Police Chief Avery Moore in 2020, the city paid executive recruitment agency Bob Murray & Associates about $23,900, the News Tribune reported, citing city spokesperson Maria Lee.

Oversight offices carry bigger price tags

Amendment 54 would create a Public Safety Ombuds office with subpoena power to investigate complaints against the Sheriff's Office. The fiscal impact statement estimates its annual budget at $630,000 to $830,000, based on comparable jurisdictions.

The office would need at least four full-time employees. Pierce County's version is expected to resemble Spokane's Office of Police Ombuds, which has four staffers and an $860,000 budget.

A separate measure, Amendment 58, would establish a Juvenile Detention Advocate Office within Superior Court to monitor conditions and handle complaints from detained children and their families. Annual personnel costs are estimated at $319,560 to $400,470, with operating expenses of $54,400 to $80,630, according to the fiscal impact statement. The office would require an independent audit of juvenile detention every five years at a cost of $10,000 to $20,000 per review.

The case for and against

Supporters argue the oversight offices would pay for themselves by reducing litigation costs. Between 2021 and 2025, the Sheriff's Office and Juvenile Court accounted for 72% of claims and litigation expenses paid by the county, according to the News Tribune.

That liability has grown sharply. About 232 people have filed claims alleging they were sexually abused at Remann Hall, the county's juvenile detention center. As of Oct. 6, those claims totaled $920.35 million, according to Adam Faber, spokesperson for the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, as reported by The News Tribune.

Critics are skeptical the new offices would reduce costs. They point to existing accountability tools, including the Sheriff's Office Internal Investigations unit, the News Tribune reported.

The debate over an elected versus appointed sheriff is not new. Pierce County voters backed keeping an elected sheriff with 66% of the vote in 2006, according to SeattleRed. King County remains the only county in Washington with an appointed sheriff.

Former Sheriff Paul Pastor, who served under both systems, opposes Amendment 53, according to Gig Harbor Now as cited by MyNorthwest. KIRO Newsradio co-host Jake Skorheim summed up the opposition view: "Why take the power away from the people?"