The Thurston County sheriff has been on the defensive in recent weeks as his challenger Derek Sanders has critiqued his handling of crime, staffing and accountability issues.
Meanwhile, John Snaza has pushed back against any perceived failings and touted his years of experience on the job.
These talking points have been echoed across public forums and social media in the months leading up to the November general election. Most recently, Sanders has accused Snaza of having him investigated for political gain — a claim Snaza denied.
If the results of the August primary are any indication, Sanders’ rhetoric might be working. About 52 percent of 75,273 voters in the primary picked Sanders while around 47 percent selected Snaza.
Sanders has served as a Thurston County deputy for the past six years. Before then, he was a community service officer at the Lacey Police Department. During a forum published by the League of Women Voters on Oct. 6, Sanders talked up his on-the-ground experience.
"What I lack in the managerial side of things, I make up for 10-fold when it comes to understanding the problems on the ground level and how to address those problems when we get to the next level," Sanders said.
Snaza, an independent, has been sheriff since 2011. He won reelection in 2014 and 2018 without facing any challengers. After serving in the United States Navy, he has worked in law enforcement for 30 years.
"Being in law enforcement, I've surrounded myself with true leaders, taking every opportunity that I can to serve in every capacity of the Sheriff's Office," Snaza said during a Sept. 21 forum hosted by the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce.
Crime Response
A narrative of rising crime trends has often been invoked during the sheriff's race. At an Oct. 10 forum hosted by the Yelm Chamber of Commerce, Snaza said law enforcement needs to be "more aggressive" while out on patrol.
"The hardest part is right now we've seen significant changes in both our laws ... and in retention," Snaza said. "We have seen a big change in that, but I am focusing on how we send our deputies out there to combat crime and go to where the crime is occurring more frequently."
To do this, Snaza said he plans to work with other agencies within Thurston County to meet the challenge. However, he admitted staffing was a concern.
For his part, Sanders has repeatedly advocated for hiring a crime analyst to survey data trends and map out patterns. During the Yelm forum, he said this would help deputies target certain areas, especially as they are stretched thin.
"What we have to do is find creative ways to actually address the crime," Sanders said. "The best way to do that and actually put us in a position to succeed is to address the areas where crime is actually occurring, instead of randomly driving around in between calls, hoping that we come across something."
Crime increased in urban Thurston County between 2020 and 2021, according to an annual report by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. However, the report shows crime rates per 1,000 varied between jurisdictions, with some showing rises and others showing decreases.
With respect to narcotics enforcement, Sanders called the "war on drugs" a failed approach and said he supported diversion programs for non-violent offenders.
"You cannot arrest your way out of these problems," Sanders said. "My goal will still be to use the full weight of Thurston County Narcotics Task Force to go after dealers because that is an entirely separate issue."
Similarly, Snaza touted his efforts with the same task force and his support for diversion programs. However, his thoughts on historical drug enforcement diverged with Sanders.
"I do not not believe that we ever had a war on drugs, because if we did, we are not losing," Snaza said. "We are winning. And I do believe that if we were fighting the war on drugs, we would have won."
Recruiting and Retention
Sanders has often claimed the Sheriff's Office has been short staffed and experiencing an "exodus" of deputies. He repeated that claim during an Oct. 10 candidate forum hosted by the Yelm Chamber of Commerce.
"The first thing I would say is that the Thurston County's Sheriff's Office is in fact experiencing a staffing crisis," Sanders said. "So, where we're at currently is that most of the issues that we have, you can kind of pull that back to staffing and recruiting issues."
About 36 out of 59 patrol deputies were actively working, Sanders said. As sheriff, he has said he would focus on improving financial packages to keep deputies on the job.
"My focus is more on the retention side of things ... We cannot lose any more employees," Sanders said. "That's going to look like retention bonuses and things like that."
During an Oct. 10 budget meeting, Snaza told the Board of County Commissioners he had just five law enforcement vacancies. He added he had recently sent out three conditional job offers.
However, he also said he had 12 people who were not yet out on the field, including four people in field training, four still in the academy and four more going into the academy. At the Yelm forum, he said he expected those numbers to decrease soon.
With respect to recruiting, Snaza said he has a long list of individuals who want to work at the Sheriff's Office, but many don't necessarily meet requirements.
He added his office has brought on a full-time recruiter, additional background investigators and assigned the detectives division to do more background checks.
Transparency and Accountability
Sanders has also criticized Snaza for allegedly allowing some deputies, who have been accused of crimes or misconduct, to quietly leave without facing charges. He directly asked Snaza about this matter at the League of Women Voters forum.
"There's been no follow-up with the prosecutor's office to hold these individuals accountable on their way out," Sanders said. "They've been allowed to resign in lieu of termination with no charges."
One example Sanders has brought up repeatedly has been the case of a former deputy and K-9 handler who left after an internal investigation into his social media finances. The former deputy briefly tried to run for sheriff earlier this year, but ultimately withdrew.
In response, Snaza explained how investigations work. He said he established an Office of Professional Standards to conduct internal investigations early in his career as Sheriff. He added he has to abide by bargaining contracts that can limit his actions.
If there is evidence of a crime, he said the matter gets referred to the Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
At the Yelm forum, Sanders said he wants to notify the public of internal investigations involving alleged crimes sooner than has been done in the past.
Additionally, Sanders said he wants to create a community advisory board for the Sheriff's Office with citizens from each of its patrol districts.
For his part, Snaza said his office will soon secure body cameras for its patrol deputies after a years-long effort. He added his office remains open to collaborating with law and justice partners on public concerns for transparency.
Endorsements
Snaza, an independent, has earned endorsements from many active and retired law enforcement officials.
Notably, they include former Interim Olympia Police Chief Aaron Jelcick and County Commissioner Gary Edwards, who previously served as Sheriff.
He also has the backing of Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney Jon Tunheim and Coroner Gary Warnock, according to his website.
Additionally, he has been endorsed by several Republican state legislators, including Peter Abbarno, Andrew Barkis, John Braun, Dan Griffey and JT Wilcox.
Sanders, also an independent, has endorsements from many left-leaning officials and some organizations.
A majority of council members from Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater and Tenino as well as Olympia Indivisible have endorsed him, per his website.
