She was a SWAT team leader. Now she wants to be sheriff
The first woman to lead King County's SWAT team wants to be sheriff.
Major Mitzi Johanknecht says after 32 years on the force she's qualified to take the sheriff's office in a new direction. She's challenging incumbent John Urquhart.
Johanknecht grew up in Burien and West Seattle. She says she has held a leadership role in every division of the King County Sheriff's Office, including the SWAT team.
Johanknecht says if elected sheriff, she would get more community input on crime activity and work on social justice issues within the Sheriff’s Department.
She says recent sex abuse allegations against Urquhart influenced her decision to run.
"I want to return the department's focus to addressing crime and traffic issues impacting the quality of life," Johanknecht said. "The distractions have got us away from that."
A former deputy accused Urquhart of rape in 2002, which he denies. The statute of limitations for the deputy to file a lawsuit has passed.
In 2014, according to The Seattle Times, a sergeant in the department brought a claim saying: “Female officers are expected to sit back and take it when it comes to: derogatory and sexist remarks made about being a woman in law enforcement, sexual harassment in the workplace, offensive and crude remarks about women, and basic good old boy attitudes toward women in general.”
In the race for sheriff, Johanknecht said she brings a new perspective as a lesbian married to her longtime partner.
"People of color and women in our community being underrepresented in the sheriff's office are very near and dear pieces to my heart," she said, "and I want to effect change."
She'll face a tough election battle against her boss. Johanknecht has raised a few thousand dollars. Urquhart had nearly $60,000 in his campaign fund as of May 11.
In a statement, Urquhart’s campaign said no one is better suited than him to stand up to the Trump administration. The statement said he is one of the most progressive sheriffs in the country on LBGT rights and drug reform.
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Paige Browning
Newscaster
Paige hosts midday newscasts and monitors news of significance to the Puget Sound region. She hopped over Washington’s mountains to join KUOW, after hosting news and reporting at Spokane Public Radio since 2011. She began her start in radio while a journalism student at University of Montana, by sharing stories with KUFM. Paige was raised in the mountains and rivers around Spokane. In her spare time she cheers on the Mariners in the summer, and hopes for snow in the winter.
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