The fallout from the controversial hiring and abrupt resignation of a Thurston County Sheriff’s deputy continues.
Sheriff Derek Sanders is organizing a public meeting this week, where he is encouraging people to voice their concerns regarding the hiring of Christopher Burbank. Burbank, a former Tacoma police officer, was acquitted in the murder trial of Manny Ellis, who died while in police custody.
After his hiring was announced on Facebook, Burbank faced a strong backlash from the community, which ultimately led to his resignation just two days later.
The Sheriff’s Office has recently announced that the forum will take place at The Atrium building in Olympia, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Burbank, along with two other officers, were acquitted of any wrongdoing in the case of Manuel Ellis’ death during a trial in 2023. As part of the resolution, all three officers chose to step down from their positions and received a settlement of $500,000 each.
After the announcement of the hiring of Burbank on Facebook, the comments poured in rapidly, with both supporters and critics expressing their thoughts.
However, once Sheriff Sanders made a post regarding Burbank’s resignation, the overwhelming majority of comments expressed sorrow over the decision.
In a recent blog post on Friday, Sanders expressed his thoughts on the recent events, acknowledging that it has been an overwhelming time for everyone. He reiterated his commitment to the well-being of Thurston County as a whole and admitted that becoming Sheriff was never his intended career path. Reflecting on the previous hiring process, he candidly acknowledged the low number of applicants for the position in a county with a population of 300,000.
Sanders announced that he would be taking the weekend off to spend quality time with his family.
“I often emphasize the importance of mental health and wellness in law enforcement, but I have to admit that I haven’t taken two consecutive days off since July of last year. As a result, I’ve been experiencing the cumulative impact of fatigue on a daily basis. However, I’ve realized that my staff members are also exhausted, and I’ve maintained the belief that if they can’t take time off, then I shouldn’t either.”
In November, the voters of Thurston County approved a Public Safety Tax aimed at primarily funding law enforcement.
Sanders explained that the decision to hire Burbank was heavily influenced by the issue of short-staffing.
According to him, there is a growing pressure to fill vacancies within the department. Many officers are leaving for other agencies that offer better pay.
