King County confirms Patti Cole-Tindall as new Sheriff
May 24, 2022, 3:45 PM | Updated: 4:16 pm

Patti Cole-Tindall speaks after her appointment to serve as King County's interim sheriff. (Hanna Scott, KIRO Newsradio)
(Hanna Scott, KIRO Newsradio)
The King County Council voted unanimously to confirm Patti Cole-Tindall as the new King County Sheriff on Tuesday, becoming the first person of color to serve the position.
Cole-Tindall was appointed interim King County Sheriff in January 2022 by King County Executive Dow Constantine, her former direct superior when she was the County’s Director of Labor Relations.
Prior to the interim appointment, Cole-Tindall had served as Undersheriff since 2020, and previously was the Chief of the Technical Services Division for almost five years. The new Sheriff will need to undergo 19 weeks of state police academy training for recertification before officially taking the role of King County Sheriff. Her last Basic Law Enforcement Academy training was 30 years ago.
“As we face big challenges in providing both basic public safety and the changes demanded by our community, Patti Cole-Tindall brings a unique combination of experience and leadership as she takes on the role of Sheriff,” said King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci.
Her appointment didn’t come without concerns, as some councilmembers are wary that the department will lean toward a more leftist agenda.
“I hope that she has the strength and the independence of mind to push back on Executive Constantine and the council when they start talking about these far-left policies and pushing social workers dealing with violent offenders,” explained Councilmember Reagan Dunn to The Jason Rantz Show on AM 770 KTTH.
Cole-Tindall said she will hold the department accountable in a recent appearance on The Gee and Ursula Show on KIRO Newsradio.
“We have accountability here at the sheriff’s office, and we will hold people accountable if we learned that they are actively working against the mission and goal of this agency,” explained Cole-Tindall.