The damage is done. Sheriff Hatcher, it’s time for you to leave | Editorial

Benton County Sheriff Jerry Hatcher needs to go.

He may hold the title of sheriff, but he lacks the respect of his employees — and that’s an absolute must for the job.

At this point, we don’t see how he can ever earn back that trust and become the effective leader his department needs.

More than 90 percent of the Benton County Deputy Sheriff’s Guild membership voted unanimously to push for a recall.

The only way to remove an elected official from office is through the recall process, which is an effort of last resort. For Hatcher’s employees to push for such action shows how desperate they are for new leadership.

Early on, Hatcher said that it was “a small nucleus of people” complaining about him. He can’t make that claim any more.

It is obvious guild members — which include patrol deputies, detectives, corporals, sergeants and lieutenants — no longer want to work under the “negative” and “hostile” working conditions they say the sheriff has created.

Hatcher should save everyone from the pain and stress of a messy recall election and step aside.

It is clear he lost the trust of his department months ago, and it looks to us that he hasn’t managed to repair the damage. If anything, it’s worse.

Last February, guild members announced a vote of no confidence against Hatcher, calling him a “tyrant” and “oppressive dictator” who dehumanizes his employees.

The guild’s latest news release says its executive board tried to work with Hatcher through the proper channels since that initial no-confidence vote, but “he has passed his shortcomings onto his employees while refusing to have a productive conversation.”

“Since that vote’s passing, nothing productive has been forthcoming from Sheriff Hatcher,” the news release continues. “Unfortunately, it became apparent within the last eight months that Sheriff Hatcher will engage in any level of deception, falsehood, and commit what appear to be crimes. Furthermore, he will harass employees if he believes it will secure a victory for a second term.”

Hatcher’s troubles have been mounting since he was accused of assaulting his estranged wife last fall. He strongly denied the accusations, and the case was eventually dropped without prejudice, which means it could be refiled.

Also last year, several female county employees outside the sheriff’s office filed formal complaints against Hatcher.

And last spring, he was under investigation for keeping two county-owned guns and 14,000 rounds of county-owned ammunition at his former Kennewick home.

Now, an independent investigator’s recent findings show Hatcher retaliated and harassed a whistleblower and two witnesses, and that he often erupts in anger at his employees and demeans them.

Sheriff’s deputies have enough stress on the job without worrying that their boss will lash out and threaten them. A commander even left the department because of the hostile working conditions, and filed a formal complaint against the sheriff.

Hatcher, all along, has provided reasons for his actions.

As for the deteriorating relationship with his employees, Hatcher is painting it as a union vs. management issue.

“This is nothing more than an organized labor’s attempt to take over the sheriff’s office management and try to diminish accountability by a sheriff’s office,” Hatcher told the Herald.

“If they’re trying to do a recall, it’s not up to a labor guild to do a recall. That’s up to the voters of Benton County to do ... I think (the voters) will speak loud and clear about this.”

It’s true that from the public’s perspective, the sheriff’s department seems to be working. Perhaps that is because the patrol deputies and detectives are doing their best to do their jobs in spite of their boss.

But they have been telling citizens of Benton County, time and again, that the elected sheriff is mistreating those who work for him. This is unprecedented.

We said last February that Hatcher can’t lead such an important department without the support of his officers. Apparently since then Hatcher has done nothing to earn their trust: in fact the opposite seems to be the case.

In general, we believe recall elections should be rare because voters get the opportunity at elections to decide who they want in office. But Hatcher won’t be up for re-election until 2022. His employees should not have to suffer until then.

If Hatcher is the leader he says he is, he will step down now and avoid putting the community through the turmoil that is sure to continue if he stays in office.

This story was originally published June 24, 2020 at 12:57 PM.