Keith Swank (Pierce County Sheriff, Washington, candidate 2024)

Keith Swank

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Pierce County Sheriff

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 6, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Washington, 1994

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1986 - 1994

Personal

Birthplace

Silver Spring, Md.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Law enforcement

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Keith Swank ran for election to the Pierce County Sheriff in Washington. He was on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.^[source]

Swank completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Keith Swank provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on June 8, 2024:

• Birth date: February 3, 1968
• Birth place: Silver Spring, Maryland
• High school: Everett Area High School (Everett, Pa)
• Bachelor's: University of Washington, 1994
• Military service: United States Army, 1986-1994
• Gender: Male
• Religion: Christian
• Profession: Law Enforcement
• Prior offices held:
  • Legislative District Officer (2017-2018)
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign slogan: Make Pierce County Safe Again
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook

Elections

General election

General election for Pierce County Sheriff

Patti Jackson and Keith Swank ran in the general election for Pierce County Sheriff on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Patti Jackson (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Keith Swank (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Pierce County Sheriff

The following candidates ran in the primary for Pierce County Sheriff on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Mike Csapo (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Cyndie Fajardo (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Craig Gocha (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Darin G. Harris (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Patti Jackson (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Keith Swank (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Swank in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Keith Swank completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Swank's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am an US Army Airborne Infantry veteran. Last year, after 33 years, I retired from the Seattle Police Department as a captain.

I spent the first 15 years of my career as a patrol officer. I was promoted to Sergeant and assigned to the 911 center where I was the operations commander of over 120 employees.

After that four year assignment, I returned to the street, and was a night time patrol supervisor. After several years as a Sergeant, I was promoted to lieutenant. I served as a watch commander (leading 75 men and women) and then I was assigned to our training unit. There I helped develop our de-escalation and crisis intervention training. This training served as a model for departments all across America, and I had the honor of teaching de-escalation and crisis intervention for the US Department of Justice. We will never know how many lives were saved by this necessary training, but I feel confident countless lives were saved.

After my many years as a lieutenant, I was promoted to captain. I was assigned as the night duty commander. This meant I was the highest ranking officer in the city at night. I was in charge of all operations, leading hundreds of officers, dozens of sergeants, and many lieutenants. Later I led the SWAT team when we cleared out the unlawful CHAZ/CHOP zone during the "summer of love".

I have the experience necessary to lead the Pierce County Sheriff department. It's time for a new look and perspective.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Crime is at an all-time high, and moral in law enforcement is at an all-time low. I plan to reverse that in the Pierce County Sheriff Office.
• Judges and prosecutors are releasing violent offenders back onto our streets. I will hold them accountable when they do this. I will publicly shame them if necessary.
• Over 100,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses last year. Almost everyone knows someone or a family member affected by this. We will take a firm position to arrest and put drug dealers in jail.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about crime and quality of life issues. Our communities are plagued with crime, litter, and graffiti. These issues are driving people out and to other states. We will address these issues and make our communities safe again.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The sheriff is the highest ranking law enforcement officer of the county. The sheriff needs to be someone who understands the gravity of the position and has the experience to handle the position.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, integrity, and treating people with dignity and respect.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The sheriff must make sure that ALL deputies are conducting constitutional policing. As sheriff I will make sure our deputies are trained to the highest industry standards. I will review all polices and procedures and ensure that we are performing law enforcement to the highest standards.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave our county a safer place than what it is now.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was four years old when President Nixon resigned from office.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked at a gas station when I was in high school. I had it for two years, and then I joined the Army.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Hoobastank-The Reason

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

It is beneficial for the sheriff to have command experience of a large budget and number of officers/deputies. There is no time for on-the-job training.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Leadership, management, and being an expert in de-escalation and crisis intervention.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Many republicans, democrats, and independents have endorsed my campaign.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I believe in transparency and government accountability.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

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