3 Tri-City police unions support recalling Benton County sheriff

Three Tri-Cities police unions have thrown their support behind the effort to recall Sheriff Jerry Hatcher.

Kennewick, Pasco and West Richland officer associations issued statements Wednesday supporting the Benton County Deputy Sheriff’s Guild fight to remove Hatcher from office.

Signatures are currently being collected to put the recall measure on the ballot for voters to decide.

All three associations said officers need to be held to the highest standards to maintain trust with the community.

“Officers that shirk responsibility for their actions or intentionally violate the very laws they are charged to uphold have no place in law enforcement,” wrote Drew Hendrickson, the West Richland Police Officer Association president.

The sentiments were echoed by James Canada, Kennewick Police Officer Benefit Association president, and James Thompson, the Pasco Police Officers Association president.

They each pointed to the Washington State Supreme Court’s unanimous decision that the recall efforts could start.

The judges later issued a blistering 47-page opinion criticizing Hatcher for his alleged behavior, including retaliation, intimidation, abuse of discretion and destruction of evidence.

Hatcher has repeatedly denied the allegations made by former command staff, other employees and the Benton County deputy union.

Thompson pointing out that the state Supreme Court raised concerns that Hatcher’s actions rose to “the level of a knowing and intentional violation of criminal law.”

“Although we are divided by the Columbia River, that does not separate the PPOA’s belief that all law enforcement officers should be held to the highest standard of conduct and take accountability of their actions,” he wrote. “As we have seen in the past year, the actions of just one law enforcement officer can have a far reaching negative effect on the profession as a whole.”

All three praised the Benton County guild for its courage.

“It has taken great courage for the men and women of the BCDSG to take on additional stress and fight to have Sheriff Hatcher to be held accountable for his actions,” Thompson wrote.

The Committee to Recall Sheriff Jerry Hatcher shared the letters on its Facebook page, and noted that the unions are not connected with the Benton County guild.

“They are not all part of the same larger organization, so this is not some conspiracy against the sheriff,” the committee said in a Facebook post.

This story was originally published March 3, 2021 at 12:58 PM.