Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said sorry on Friday after getting into a public online argument with Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank.
What Happened Online
On January 8, Sanders posted on his Facebook page about disturbing video footage showing a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent killing Renee Nicole Good, 37, in Minnesota on January 7. In his post, Sanders criticised the tactics used in the video.
He also mentioned a post made by Sheriff Swank the day before, saying he found it “disturbing that we have an elected sheriff in our state mocking Renee’s death on social media.”
Swank replied to Sanders in the comments under that post. Their replies quickly turned into personal insults instead of a serious discussion.
Sanders Issues an Apology
On January 9, Sanders posted an apology explaining that his online exchange with Swank was wrong. He wrote:
“I would like to apologise to citizens of both Thurston County and Pierce County and the employees of their respective Sheriff’s Offices. I recently engaged in an online encounter with the Sheriff of Pierce County that didn’t warrant a response, and I failed to meet the expectations I’ve set for myself.”
Sanders said he is very passionate about law enforcement and wants to do good work with the support of people in his county and his own sheriff’s office employees. But in this case, he said he reacted out of emotion instead of thinking about what was best for everyone.
He added that his comments were selfish and promised to do better in future.
What He Was and Was Not Apologising For
Sanders made it clear in his apology that he was not saying sorry for his original Facebook post about the video. He said he was only sorry for engaging in unnecessary arguments in the comments with Swank.
Swank Has Not Apologised
As of now, Sheriff Swank has not publicly said sorry for his part in the comment exchange. He has continued posting on his X account (formerly Twitter) about ICE and the killing of Renee Nicole Good since January 7.
Swank’s Online Reputation
Sheriff Swank is known for being a divisive figure on social media. Reports from news outlets say that by September 2025, he faced three ongoing certification complaints with the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission. At least one of those complaints was connected to his activity on social media.
