Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer will not run for re-election

March 19, 2024 / 1:50 pm

caption: In this Feb. 18, 2020, file photo, then-Pierce County Sheriff's Dept. spokesman Det. Ed Troyer answers questions during a news conference in Tacoma, Wash. The Washington state attorney general on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021, filed two misdemeanor criminal charges against Troyer, now the Pierce County sheriff, stemming from his confrontation with a Black newspaper carrier in January. Troyer has denied wrongdoing. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer will not run for re-election in 2024.

KUOW confirmed with Troyer's office Tuesday morning that the sheriff does not plan to seek re-election on November's ballot.

Troyer first started working at the Pierce County Sheriff's Office in 1985, and was elected to the sheriff's job in November 2020. His name was well known before that. As the spokesperson for the Pierce County Sheriff's Office since 1999, he was often the face and voice in front of media cameras.

Shortly after taking office, Troyer became the center of a controversy that led to a high-profile trial.

In 2021, Troyer called for backup on an early morning Black newspaper carrier, alleging he was acting suspiciously. Troyer claimed the newspaper carrier threatened his life and referred to him as a potential porch pirate. Multiple agencies responded to the incident. Troyer was eventually charged with making false or misleading statements to a public servant as well as false reporting.

A jury found Troyer not guilty. The sheriff, however, was added to the Brady List, a list maintained by prosecutors that identifies law enforcement officials with credibility issues.