A Clark County review and related county audits say Pierce County moved so fast to staff its jail that it signed off on a series of hires that later turned into serious problems. The outside review and internal records point to weak background checks, rewritten psychological findings and second-chance polygraph exams that helped some applicants get cleared. All of this unfolded while the jail was mired in a staffing crisis that officials say forced booking restrictions and heavy overtime for the deputies who stayed.
Shortages Drove Fast Hiring
Pierce County has been dealing with a long-running shortage of corrections staff, a gap county leaders tried to close with higher pay, sign-on bonuses and quicker hiring timelines. Those incentives, and the pressure to restore jail capacity, landed on top of limits on bookings and months of mandatory overtime that officials and labor leaders have already talked about in public. As Corrections1 reported, the recruitment push reshaped the department's staffing calculus.
External Review Flags Lax Vetting
An outside review by Clark County, summarized by The News Tribune, found that Pierce County's own hiring investigation showed standards were not consistently maintained and that background investigators were not fully trained. The review and an internal audit concluded that roughly 16 of 85 people hired between 2023 and April 2025 "should not have been hired," and that about 15 other hires were later terminated.
Investigators pointed to specific breakdowns: applicants who were offered second polygraph exams, psychological findings that were changed or removed, and files that contained domestic-violence admissions or drug use that should have disqualified candidates. In other words, red flags were not just missed, they were documented and then overridden.
A Violent Case Put The Problems In Relief
One hire who brought fresh scrutiny to the whole system was Cameron Boucher, a probationary deputy brought on in August 2024. He was later arrested after an alleged New Year's Day attack in Tacoma. Local reporting says Boucher was charged with vehicular assault after he allegedly backed his pickup over his ex-girlfriend's head, leaving her with serious facial fractures while he was still on probation at the department. FOX 13 Seattle detailed the arrest and the criminal charges filed against him.
Leadership, Discipline And The Audit Trail
Sheriff Keith Swank ordered the internal review after an audit and told investigators he had fired six employees tied to the hiring problems, including Boucher, according to The News Tribune. The Clark County reviewer said Pierce County's internal probe appeared "fair, impartial and unbiased so far" and did not immediately find that leaders overseeing hiring had violated department policies.
County budget documents cited in that coverage also show the Corrections Bureau was budgeted for roughly 248 deputy positions in 2024, even as the jail kept housing and booking limits in place to manage capacity. On paper, the county was planning for a full roster. In practice, it was running a constrained operation with a shaky vetting record.
Legal Implications
The Boucher case highlights a basic rule: felony convictions disqualify applicants from employment with the sheriff's office, and criminal charges against a deputy can lead to termination and prosecution. The review's findings could spur changes to how background checks, polygraph exams and psychological evaluations are handled for jail hires. FOX 13 Seattle reported on both the criminal case and the department's swift response.
The review leaves Pierce County with a tight set of options: rebuild staffing quickly without cutting corners on vetting, or hold the line on strict hiring standards and accept running the jail at reduced capacity while recruiting more carefully. How county leaders navigate that tradeoff will shape whether the sheriff's office can restore trust in its hiring process and keep the jail safely staffed.
