Politics & Government

King County Sheriff's Race Heats Up at Rotary Luncheon

Results of two negative county performance audits this summer have revved up the race between John Urquhart and Steve Strachan for King County Sheriff.

The campaign for King County Sheriff made a brief stop on Mercer Island Tuesday as Sheriff Steve Strachan and local resident and former sheriff's spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart, route: {:controller=>"articles", :action=>"show", :id=>"urquhart-announces-candidacy-for-king-county-sheriff"} --> laid out their plans and traded a few jabs at a Tuesday meeting.

The race has gained a renewed focus this summer after in the Sheriff's Office concerning citizen complaints, use of force and general conduct. Both Strachan and Urquhart described their vision at the luncheon inside the of how they would lead one of the the state's largest law enforcement agencies with an annual budget of approximately $150 million during their four-year term.

"The KCSO is going down the wrong road," said Urquhart. "We are going down the road where we will lose the support of the communities that we police."

King County Sheriff Steve Strachan was in April after Sue Rahr resigned to begin her new role as director of the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC) on April 1.


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