The race for Thurston County sheriff has officially started after the first known challenger to the incumbent, Sheriff Derek Sanders, marked the official start of his 2026 campaign this week.
Kevin Burton-Crow gathered supporters at The Abigail Stuart House Thursday afternoon for a campaign kickoff event.
The challenger welcomed friends and family as well as fellow law enforcement officers. He invited two mentors and former colleagues to speak on his behalf before taking the podium to speak about his reasons for running.
The evening focused heavily on Burton-Crow's desire to serve and his years of experience serving the country and community, starting with roughly two decades in the military, which included deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.
Burton-Crow, who is running as a Democrat, took a positive approach to his roughly 10-minute speech on his background, experience and hope for change, declaring that the county law enforcement agency has a “strong foundation” and is ready for further improvements.
“This campaign's mission is to take that foundation and build upon it,” Burton-Crow said, “until this agency is recognized as a leader, not just in this county, but across this state.”
Outlining his platform, he drilled down on the importance of the administrative side of the sheriff’s duties, emphasizing the need for updated policies and a well-scrutinized budget to solve the agency's problems.
Burton-Crow touched on a desire to improve the office’s field training program for both new recruits and lateral moves within the agency. The candidate and current Thurston County Sheriff’s Office special victims detective cited concerns that the agency’s current program emphasizes quantity over quality.
Burton-Crow also called for improved regional emergency response training across agencies and disciplines in preparation for larger disasters or tragedies that could hit the area.
“Our first responders work together every single day,” Burton-Crow said. “But a singular incident is not a mass casualty event. A fender bender is not a major earthquake."
Burton-Crow also spoke about the Thurston County Jail, which in the last year has faced complaints of overcrowding and safety. A KIRO7 article published last summer detailed overcrowding in the county jail and featured Sanders, who said the department requires funding to expand the jail with an addition of 40 to 80 cells.
Burton-Crow’s remarks seemingly pushed back on that assessment as he asserted the jail’s problems could be solved without a major expansion of the jail. Instead, he said the jail’s problems stem from an outdated configuration that “puts our deputies at risk every single shift.”
“It compounds our staffing challenges and affects every person who moves through that facility,” Burton-Crow said.
Touching on his background and experience in both law enforcement and the military, Burton-Crow started with a story of commuting to Mount Vernon two days a week while still working his full time job as a member of the U.S. Army to complete training necessary to become a Thurston County reserve officer.
“I felt the call to expand my service here at home,” Burton-Crow said. “I found that answer in the Thurston County Sheriff's Office Reserve Program.”
Burton-Crow served as a reserve officer for the sheriff’s office for six years starting shortly after returning from deployment in Afghanistan in 2014. He eventually joined the department full time in 2021 after retiring from the Army the same year.
Burton-Crow currently serves as a special victims detective with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office and marked five years of full-time employment with the office earlier this month.
During the event, retired Command Sergeant Major Steve Wadleigh spoke first to his friend and former colleague’s leadership capabilities. The two served in the Army together at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and also deployed to the Middle East together.
He emphasized in particular Burton-Crow’s desire to lead and hold other leaders accountable, describing him as having “one of the strongest moral compasses I’ve seen.” He added that Burton-Crow, during their time together in the Army, served as the brigade sexual harassment-assault response prevention (SHARP) leader and recalled multiple occasions when Burton-Crow spoke out against leaders making poor decisions.
A former member of the Thurston County Sheriff's Office and current assistant police chief of the City of Fife also spoke of his time working with Burton-Crow. David Claridge took the podium and spoke to his friends' love for his work in the sheriff’s office and desire to serve. Claridge said he remembered at times seeing Burton-Crow on patrol more often as a reserve officer than full-time paid officers.
Claridge remarked that he urged Burton-Crow to beware of work-life balance, a conversation he said his leaders often had with him. He also mentioned conversations the two have had on leading a sheriff’s office emphasizing care for the community and people in that role.
“Leadership must be rooted in caring for people, both within the community and within the organization,” Claridge said. “Strong agencies uphold standards and remain consistent in those standards to ensure true transparency and accountability.”
To learn more about Burton-Crow, visit https://www.burton-crowforsheriff.com.
To learn more about Sanders, who is again running as an independent, visit https://tinyurl.com/4kjaf52u. The Chronicle will provide coverage for a Sanders campaign event in the coming weeks.
The winner of the November general election will serve a four-year term.
