Clark County Sheriff shares his concerns with Washington’s new sheriff’s law

Clark County Sheriff John Horch is concerned about the new sheriff’s law signed by the governor this week, giving a state commission the authority to remove a sheriff through a decertification process. Photo by Paul Valencia

Clark County Sheriff John Horch says new “sheriffs qualifications” law is an “overreach” by the state, noting that the law would allow for a commission to decertify a sheriff and remove the sheriff from office, bypassing the voting public

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

On the same day the governor signed the new “sheriffs qualifications” bill into law, Clark County Sheriff John Horch shared his concerns.

It is not about the added required qualifications, the sheriff said. It is about the process that the state now has to remove an elected sheriff, with Horch describing it as an “overreach” and noting that the procedure skips the electorate altogether.

The Washington State Sheriff’s Association and the Washington Sheriffs and Police Chiefs Association, he said, have never been against qualifications.

“I believe this job, the sheriff’s job, should have certain qualifications,” Horch said Wednesday in an interview with Clark County Today.

Sheriffs in the state already need to be certified police officers, he said.

Now, one must be in law enforcement for at least five years. Horch said fair-minded people can argue about the exact number of years, but he agrees that experience is important.

The new law, however, grants the Criminal Justice Training Commission, appointed by the governor’s office, the authority to decertify a sheriff. If decertification happens, that sheriff is forced out of an elected position, to be replaced by … someone not elected.

Horch noted that no other elected official in Washington can be removed from office in such a manner.

“The CJTC can decide … whether you get decertified or not,” Horch said, referring to Revised Code of Washington 43.101.105, which lists the dozens of ways a law enforcement officer can lose certification.

“Some of that is very subjective language,” Horch said.

The CJTC can decertify a sheriff for social media posts, for example. There is a list in the RCW of what could be interpreted as a violation, but who determines whether a comment crosses a line? Horch said it is not the voters.

“We’re the only elected officials that have this decertification and this non-electoral process where the people aren’t involved,” Horch said. “It is a state entity deciding, ‘You can no longer be sheriff and you are removed.’ And that’s not the process. There are ways to recall elected officials.

“If there is misconduct, a sheriff should get recalled. Absolutely. This is not about sheriffs getting to do whatever they want when they want. This is about the elective process.”

Horch, and many of his colleagues throughout the state, have been working against this bill for a couple of years. Horch said he spoke to many legislators.

“Why don’t you just apply it to every elected official? Why are you not held to the same standard? You’re the ones making the laws,” Horch recalled. “They would just look at me. They wouldn’t answer.”

Horch said if this law is good enough for sheriffs, it should be good enough for every elected official in the state. That’s not the case, though.

“Why isn’t this the same for anybody, an auditor, a judge, a prosecutor, legislators? Put the standard out there for everybody, that you can get decertified and can’t hold your office if you do not meet these things,” Horch said. “Nope, it’s only for sheriffs.”

Horch said it is a possible first step toward eliminating elected sheriffs. Most counties in Washington elect their sheriffs.

King County, which includes Seattle, appoints its sheriff through a governing body.

“They’re not really a sheriff because they don’t report to the people. They report to the county council,” Horch said.

Horch said he would never want such a system in Clark County. In fact, he said he would not even accept an appointed position as sheriff.

“An elected sheriff is a great position to have. I do actually believe — I know — I work for the people. I really do,” Horch said. “If they don’t like the job I’m doing, then don’t vote me in. If you think I’m doing a good job, then vote me in. That’s our process.”

Giving the state the authority to come in to make a change bothers Horch.

“It shouldn’t be up to the state whether you are an elected official or not anymore,” he said.

He worries about the future under this law.

“I think they will try to go to more appointed sheriffs and then they can control it,” Horch said. “It’s an indication that they’re trying to get control. If a sheriff says something and they don’t like it, they’re trying to get control.”

Officially, the governor signed Senate Bill 5974. Dubbed the sheriffs qualifications bill, it is fully described as “Modernizing and strengthening laws concerning sheriffs, police chiefs, town marshals, law enforcement agency volunteers, youth cadets, specially commissioned officers, and police matrons.”

Horch said he agrees with many of the items in the 27-page bill. But he is certainly against the process that would allow a commission to remove a sheriff.

Last month, Horch wrote an email to all members of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office to give an update on the legislation. The bill had just passed the state house and senate.

“Once the governor signs and enacts this into law, litigation will be initiated immediately,” Horch wrote. “I have signed on as a plaintiff and will wholeheartedly support this litigation.”

In his conclusion, he wrote:

“I think the chances are low that this bill will have any effect on me as the current sheriff, however, that is no longer decided by just the voters of this county but unelected state officials and government agencies.”

Under the Grok Lens

Analysis created with Grok

This independent analysis was created with Grok, an AI model from xAI. It is not written or edited by ClarkCountyToday.com and is provided to help readers evaluate the article’s sourcing and context.

Quick summary

Clark County Sheriff John Horch said Senate Bill 5974, signed April 1, 2026, raises concerns about how elected sheriffs could be removed from office. While he supports setting qualifications for the position, Horch argues the law’s decertification process allows a state commission to remove a sheriff without voter involvement, which he described as an overreach.

What Grok notices

Focuses on Horch’s distinction between supporting professional qualifications for sheriffs and opposing the law’s removal mechanism tied to decertification.
Highlights his concern that the Criminal Justice Training Commission, an appointed body, can override voters by removing an elected sheriff from office.
Places the issue within the broader scope of the 27-page law, which covers multiple law enforcement roles beyond sheriffs.
Notes Horch’s intent to participate in legal action challenging the law, indicating the issue is likely to be resolved in part through the courts.
Frames the concern as one of local control and governance, including his view that the law could influence how sheriff positions are structured in the future.

Questions worth asking

How does the decertification process compare with existing recall procedures for removing elected officials in Washington?
What specific conduct or standards could lead to decertification under the law, and how are those decisions reviewed or appealed?
How might the law affect the balance between statewide oversight of law enforcement standards and local voter control?
What impact could the new requirements have on recruitment and retention of sheriffs, particularly in smaller counties?
How do other states handle accountability and removal of elected sheriffs, and what outcomes have they seen?