On Sunday, July 5, 2020, the King County Sheriff’s Office – which contracts police services to many cities, including SeaTac and Burien – was made aware of some concerning posts made by one of its deputies on Facebook.

The offensive post(s) in question appear to make light of the recent fatal killing of a protester on I-5 in Seattle.

“We took immediate action and forwarded the matter to our Internal Investigations Unit,” the agency said on Monday, July 6.

On Monday morning, Sheriff Mitzi G. Johanknecht ordered that the internal investigation be expedited. The employee was immediately placed on administrative leave and all his police powers have been suspended.

Other Sheriff’s Office employees who may have participated via reactions or comments on the posts will also be investigated, the department said..

Sheriff Mitzi G. Johanknecht said:

“We value all members of our community and are committed to serving everyone equally, with dignity and respect. I will take swift action to thoroughly investigate when the conduct of Sheriff’s Office members fails to reflect our core values and violates Sheriff’s Office policy.”

The Facebook post in question was referenced in numerous posts: