Judge blocks parts of Washington sheriff standards law in Olympia | Spokane News | khq.com

Olympia, Wash. — A Thurston County Superior Court judge permanently blocked parts of a Washington law that would have changed the standards for county sheriffs. The ruling came on Friday morning after a hearing in Olympia that Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels attended. Judge Christine Schaller ruled that several requirements in Senate Bill 5974 were unconstitutional. "The legislation attempt go beyond in its scope to... cannot be upheld," said Judge Christine Schaller. Supporters said the law would have strengthened and standardized qualifications for sheriffs. They also said it would have held sheriffs to the same eligibility standards as other law enforcement officers and allowed an appointed state committee to remove a sheriff who did not meet the new standards. "Why not hold law enforcement leaders, appointed or elected, to the same standards of accountability and professionalism that their subordinates are held to?" said Senate bill sponsor John Lovick of District 44 in Snohomish County, Wash. A dozen sheriffs and the Washington Association of Sheriffs challenged the measure in court. They argued some parts of the law gave too much power to the state and overrode voters' dec...