Inside the anonymous complaint and internal investigation that led to the firing of Tracy Murphy
May 1-Tracy Murphy, one of five candidates for Lewis County sheriff and a now former police sergeant, was fired from the Centralia Police Department Wednesday after 30 years with the agency.
He had been on paid administrative leave since March 24.
Chief Andy Caldwell, before firing Murphy, identified several discrepancies across two administrative interviews of Murphy regarding an allegation that Murphy had implicated Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza and prominent county Republicans in a cocaine operation.
The original allegations were not sustained. The internal investigation, however, concluded Murphy had made false statements while omitting material information during the interviews.
(Editor's note: To see all the public documents obtained by The Chronicle in relation to Tracy Murphy's termination, visit: https://tinyurl.com/ynxbbned )
Murphy told The Chronicle Thursday that he received his termination in a meeting with Caldwell, Commander David Clary and Angie Stritmatter, the city's human resources director and risk manager. Murphy was accompanied by his representative from Teamsters Local No. 252.
Murphy said Caldwell gave him the opportunity to either resign or retire in lieu of termination, but he declined, telling The Chronicle, "I've done nothing wrong."
"I'm not going to just lay down and let this injustice continue, so I'm going to stand up and go through the process and fight this and hopefully we can get an independent authority to review it, and make a just determination," Murphy said.
An anonymous complaint
The allegation, filed in January as an anonymous complaint through the Washington state Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC), said Murphy made "repeated statements" claiming Snaza "acquires and protects cocaine dealers," who then distribute cocaine to Lewis County Commissioner Sean Swope, state Rep. Peter Abbarno and Chronicle Publisher Chad Taylor.
The CJTC is a state agency that provides basic law enforcement training, certifies officers and investigates potential misconduct leading to possible decertification.
At the time, Murphy led the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET), composed of detectives and agents from the Centralia Police Department, the Chehalis Police Department - which does not currently have a detective on the team - the Washington state Department of Corrections and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The Lewis County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) was also once part of the agreement, until Snaza removed his department in 2020, citing a staff shortage.
The complainant, citing a "reasonable fear of retaliation" as the basis for anonymity, noted two primary reasons for the complaint: Either Murphy is "knowingly spreading false information for political purposes," or else the allegations "have some basis in fact," and Murphy "is not reporting them through appropriate legal or professional channels and may instead be using this information to influence or gain leverage in an upcoming election."
Per its policy, the CTJC sent the complaint to the Centralia Police Department.
Caldwell initially decided not to formally investigate the allegation, and wrote a letter to the CJTC on Feb. 9 expressing concerns with the "vague and anonymous nature of the allegations." He added that such an investigation "would unfairly burden all parties involved."
The police chief said he would instead review the complaint and departmental policies with Murphy in what he called an informal supervisory contact.
Over the next week, Caldwell began to reevaluate.
In a redacted summary of events obtained by The Chronicle, Caldwell said he received multiple calls from individuals who either said "the complaint should be investigated," or felt there was at least "an unanswered question regarding the allegation" that Murphy had claimed Snaza "acquires and protects cocaine dealers."
The CJTC, meanwhile, agreed Caldwell's memo "addressed the complaint," Caldwell said.
Caldwell changed his mind a week later, following a Feb. 16 press release from the "Tracy Murphy for Sheriff" campaign that called the anonymous complaint "politically motivated," and a subsequent article from The Chronicle, which included blanket denials from Snaza, Swope, Abbarno and Taylor regarding their involvement in the alleged cocaine distribution scheme.
(Editor's note: To see all the public documents obtained by The Chronicle in relation to Tracy Murphy's termination, visit: https://tinyurl.com/ynxbbned )
Snaza called the complaint "unwarranted, frivolous and absurd," and said he's known Murphy "almost his whole law enforcement career."
"This investigation is going to go nowhere because there is nothing," the sheriff said in February. "But I just say that, you know, when you're running for office or you're in office as sheriff, people are going to say a lot of things about you that aren't true."
According to his event summary, Caldwell, after a Feb. 18 Lewis County 911 Executive Board meeting, spoke with an individual who "explained that he expects such allegations in his position, but that statements claiming he protects drug dealers have hurt his family."
The name of the individual was redacted in the documentation, but the broader context of the investigation makes clear the individual was Snaza.
In a 26-page disciplinary decision addressed from Caldwell to Murphy, Caldwell references Murphy's quote in The Chronicle article, "What I was provided, there was no validity to it."
"This generated public reaction by some people, who came forward and said they had heard such comments from individuals associated with the Tracy Murphy for Sheriff Campaign," Caldwell said in the disciplinary notice. "The anonymous complaint to the CJTC coupled with the potentially corroborating statements from others led to the conclusion that this was a complaint that needed to be investigated."
Internal investigation begins
On Feb. 19, Murphy received a personnel complaint for potential violations of department policy, which said Murphy may have made an "unauthorized and inappropriate intentional release" of protected information gained through his position with the department, disclosed information from an active investigation to an "unauthorized person," or else used his position to "attempt to gain influence or authority for non-department business or activity."
Murphy said Caldwell had told him early on "that he wasn't able to get an outside law enforcement agency willing to conduct the internal investigation."
Instead, Caldwell retained an outside private investigative agency, Public Safety Testing. Mitch Lackey, former police chief of the Camas Police Department, conducted the investigation.
In the redacted 41-page investigation report obtained by The Chronicle, Lackey found the allegations regarding the potential departmental violations were "not sustained."
(Editor's note: To see all the public documents obtained by The Chronicle in relation to Tracy Murphy's termination, visit: https://tinyurl.com/ynxbbned )
During the investigation, however, Lackey took issue with Murphy's "categorical denial" that he made statements suggesting Snaza - whose name is redacted in the report but who is referenced as the sheriff in witness interviews - "acquires or protects drug dealers."
"Murphy also denied sharing any such information with JNET members, department personnel, or community members, responding 'no' to each inquiry," Lackey said. "He further indicated that no relevant statements or discussions had occurred within the past several years, including in 2023 or 2024."
Lackey said Murphy's initial statements contradicted multiple witnesses within the department, who described seeing sticky notes containing a drug "org chart" on Murphy's cubicle wall.
The notes, according to redacted interview transcriptions, contained alleged references to a drug user, transporter and money laundering, while conversations mentioned a sheriff and an individual allegedly linked to a local trucking company.
One witness said they'd had a conversation with Murphy as late as 2025 about an individual involved in possible "protection" of a cocaine operation, along with a retired politician rumored to be associated somehow.
A second witness mentioned an individual rumored to "host parties where there's suspected open cocaine use." Another individual was discussed as being "aware of cocaine being distributed" and involved in alleged "non-enforcement."
The witness described the investigation - which by all accounts was never formalized - as landing "between a hunch and reasonable suspicion."
Across multiple documents, Caldwell, along with Murphy and interviewed witnesses, referenced a seemingly related 2023 investigation that was ultimately referred to the FBI.
Murphy hit with second internal complaint
Caldwell issued a second personnel complaint to Murphy on March 19, indicating the possibility that Murphy gave false or misleading statements, or misrepresented or omitted material information "to a supervisor or other person in a position of authority."
In a follow-up interview on March 23, Murphy was more forthcoming, acknowledging discussions about a redacted person's "possible association with various individuals suspected of involvement in narcotics activity," according to Lackey's report.
(Editor's note: To see all the public documents obtained by The Chronicle in relation to Tracy Murphy's termination, visit: https://tinyurl.com/ynxbbned )
Murphy maintained the discussions remained within JNET.
According to Lackey, Murphy said "his initial responses were based on a misunderstanding of the scope of questioning and concerns about disclosing sensitive information."
Speaking to The Chronicle, Murphy said the discrepancies came "from information that I have that pertain to federal investigations that are not JNET investigations."
"It's not Centralia Police Department material," Murphy said. "And my understanding of the original CJTC complaint, this other information was outside the scope of that."
Murphy added that he'd signed a non-disclosure agreement with the DEA prohibiting him from disclosing information without authorization.
In his disciplinary notice, Caldwell maintained that "officers assigned to the DEA task force remain fully accountable to CPD policies, procedures, and chain of command," describing the police department as the "parent agency."
"While they operate 'under the direct supervision and control of DEA supervisory personnel' for task force duties and must 'adhere to DEA policies and procedures,' the Task Force Agreement contains no exemption from CPD rules," Caldwell said.
The chief also took issue with Murphy's narrow definition of the word "suspect" in his first interview, saying the department's policy manual often uses the term in investigative contexts.
Caldwell cited additional problems beyond the "false and misleading" first interview, including Caldwell's directive to Murphy that "neither JNET nor the Centralia Police Department was the appropriate venue to investigate the political candidate you lost to in the Sheriff election."
Murphy lost to Snaza in a contentious 2022 race.
In his February letter to the CJTC, Caldwell referred to "historical context" from Murphy's run against Snaza, when Murphy reportedly "expressed suspicions based on a trail of information from community sources about certain associates of Sheriff Rob Snaza who were possibly engaging in low-level illegal drug activity."
"At the time, the suspicions were not directly connected to Sheriff Snaza, as this (CJTC) complaint alleges," Caldwell said in the letter.
In his decision, Caldwell referenced a witness statement he said was similar to a briefing he'd received as JNET commander, which alleged cocaine parties, or "poker parties," had occurred in Napavine involving "prominent members of the Adna and Napavine communities."
Murphy makes defense
In an April 27 Loudermill hearing prior to Caldwell's final decision, Murphy disputed the investigation's conclusions, saying in a statement: "At no time did I provide false or misleading information, nor did I omit material facts. My responses were truthful and provided in good faith, consistent with my legal obligations and understanding at the time."
(Editor's note: To see all the public documents obtained by The Chronicle in relation to Tracy Murphy's termination, visit: https://tinyurl.com/ynxbbned )
Murphy's defense included the department's own policy on unlawful or conflicting orders, his NDA with the DEA, DEA policy regarding disclosure and the Task Force Agreement.
Caldwell, in his disciplinary decision, said "there were no conflicts of obligations."
"Termination is the only proportionate and defensible response under department policy, Washington law, and the public interest in maintaining trustworthy law enforcement," Caldwell said.
Murphy disagrees.
"When you look at the investigation as a whole, once I got clarification after the first interview, there is no issue," Murphy said.
In a Thursday campaign statement, Murphy addressed the issues that arose concerning his roles as police sergeant, DEA task force officer and group supervisor.
"The initial interview lacked clarity regarding terminology and scope," Murphy said. "In a subsequent interview, I requested clarification to ensure a shared understanding, which addressed those issues."
Speaking to The Chronicle, Murphy elaborated on his campaign's February news release that called the anonymous complaint "politically motivated."
"I'm not going to gossip and slander and say things about people if I don't have factual information to support it," Murphy said, before adding later that he was currently "trying to connect dots and gather the information to find out who" was behind the complaint.
"The only reason why somebody wouldn't want me to be elected is because they're afraid," Murphy said. "They're engaged in activity that is illegal, and I have made it very clear that the law applies to everyone equally, it doesn't matter who you are."
As for the CJTC complaint, Murphy said he hopes the agency will conduct its own independent investigation and not just "take the findings of Chief Caldwell."
A spokesperson for the CJTC said Thursday that the complaint's status was still in the "intake review" stage, meaning a review team had yet to recommend whether to pursue a certification investigation or close the case according to state law.
Before a CJTC investigation can begin, the intake review team must first conduct a "preliminary review" of the available records, according to the agency's certification investigation process.
Those records should now - or soon- include Centralia's investigation.
Any potential CJTC investigation is followed by an administrative review, a statement of charges, if necessary, and, finally, an administrative hearing where the officer can argue against the commission's decision to revoke or suspend their certification.
For Murphy, the issue of certification is a moot point and won't affect his campaign. He said Thursday that he planned to meet with his union and attorneys later that day to determine the next step in the appeal process following his first-ever sustained complaint and termination.
"I'm not afraid of the process," Murphy said. "I want justice."
Back on the campaign trail
Born in Lewis County, Murphy graduated from Centralia High School in 1992. He spent a year at Ecola Bible College in Cannon Beach, Oregon, before attending Centralia College.
Prior to his police employment, Murphy served as a cadet with the Centralia Police Department at 16, before working with the city as a community service officer.
He was hired by the Centralia Police Department in 1995.
Murphy was the first sheriff candidate to file with the Washington state Public Disclosure Commission in May 2025.
The former sergeant's fellow candidates include Lewis County Deputies Daniel "Danny" Riordan and Justin Kangas, Chehalis Deputy Police Chief Matt McKnight, and Kenneth Cheeseman, a retired member of the LCSO.
If elected, Murphy said he would bring the JNET back to the sheriff's office.
"Lewis County needs a sheriff who will stand up when something isn't right and fight for the people," Murphy said Thursday. "And I'm ready to do that. I'm going to fight for what's right."
The Lewis County primary election is Aug. 4.
(Editor's note: To see all the public documents obtained by The Chronicle in relation to Tracy Murphy's termination, visit: https://tinyurl.com/ynxbbned )
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