Thurston sheriff race heats up with scathing endorsement letter from captains
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders defended himself this week against employee allegations that he does not lead with professionalism.
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office Captain’s Association levied the allegations at Sanders in a letter endorsing his opponent for sheriff in the upcoming election, TCSO Detective Kevin Burton-Crow.
“We believe that the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office needs to return to an agency of standards, professionalism and integrity,” Captain’s Association President Todd Thoma wrote. “We believe the Office needs a leader and not a social media influencer, a manager and not a reality TV actor.”
Sanders controls and manipulates the public’s perception of the office, Thoma alleges. The letter also accuses Sanders of creating a top-down culture of “bullying and mob rule” where differing opinions are unwelcome and promotions are based on nepotism, cronyism and “quid pro quo agreements.” Sanders’s campaign downplayed the association as a group of three employees and called the allegations “puzzling personal attacks” in a Tuesday Facebook post.
“Despite the fact Sheriff Sanders routinely works alongside deputies, the letter refers to him as a ‘TV actor…’” the post says. “The Sanders for Sheriff team refuses to engage in baseless character attacks, and instead will continue to focus on how we can keep building upon the historic progress we have made over the last three years as we press forward into the future.”
The November election is still many months away, but the sheriff race has already started to heat up on social media, where the endorsement letter and subsequent public discourse have circulated. Sanders frequently posts updates about the Sheriff’s Office, political opinions, narratives of specific crimes and even high-speed pursuit videos on his Facebook page. The practice has earned him a large following.
In a statement released to news media, Sanders said he felt “sorry” the Captain’s Association felt “that way” about him that and he hopes they know he doesn’t feel “that way about them.”
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have worked tirelessly to get them 15-22% pay increases and industry-leading retirement cash-out benefits in recognition of their dedicated service to Thurston County residents,” Sanders said. “Nonetheless, they reserve their right to endorse the candidate of their choosing, as they endorsed my opponent in 2022 as well.”
Sanders beat his boss, former Sheriff John Snaza, in the 2022 contest and is currently finishing out his first term. In his statement, Sanders said voters elected him to rebuild the Sheriff’s Office from the ground up.
“Change is hard, especially in an institution like policing that historically clings to the past,” Sanders said. “I knew when I took over that meaningful changes to our culture would result in resistance, and I will not bow to pressure and revert back to archaic policing and communication methods.”
Sanders responded to a request for comment from The Olympian on Thursday. He said he inquired “numerous times” about specific examples of retaliation, but he has so far not been provided one.
“To my knowledge, no formal complaints have ever been made about any of the allegations outlined,” Sanders said in an emailed statement. “This is the first I am hearing about nepotism. I am not related to anyone at TCSO or any other government entity in this state.”
In his first term, Sanders said he suspended one employee without pay for making discriminatory comments toward a female officer. That case, he said, was “upheld by an arbitrator in court.” The disciplined employee stated he did not feel retaliated against nor did they ever file a complaint alleging so, Sanders said.
Burton-Crow welcomed the Captain’s Association endorsement in a Wednesday Facebook post.
“I was pleasantly surprised and honored to hear the Captains I work with have given me their endorsement,” Burton-Crow said. “They understand the importance of the Sheriff’s Office maintaining strong relationships in the community and inside the department. That’s how we make progress and make public safety a community effort.”
Burton-Crow’s campaign has named professionalism one of his key priorities, according to his website. The Olympian has asked Burton-Crow to comment on the specific allegations against his opponent in the letter.
Burton-Crow, a Democrat, has raised about $29,000 for his campaign as of Thursday, according to the Public Disclosure Commission. Sanders, an independent, has raised about $27,000.
Sanders has a list of endorsements that includes multiple Democratic elected officials, including Thurston County Commissioners Carolina Mejia, Tye Menser and Wayne Fournier. The Captain’s Association appears to be Burton-Crow’s sole endorsement so far.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with comments from Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders.
This story was originally published March 12, 2026 at 11:29 AM.
