Sergeant Terminated after Internal Investigation
Effective today, June 13, 2019, after an internal investigation by the Sheriff's Office of Professional Standards (OPS), Sergeant Jeff Thurman’s employment with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office has been terminated.
The investigation stemmed from an internal complaint which led to Thurman being placed on administrative leave on May 8, 2019, pending a thorough OPS investigation.
The complaint alleged Thurman, while off-duty, placed a phone call to an on-duty Deputy in December of 2016. The Deputy answered the phone call over a Bluetooth speaker while parked next to another Deputy in a separate patrol vehicle. Thurman started the conversation with the question, “You ready to kill some (racial slur) tonight or what?”
Additionally, statements of sexual harassment and conduct unbecoming a Deputy/Supervisor were discovered during the internal investigation.
At the conclusion of the internal investigation, Thurman was found to have committed several violations of the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Policy and Washington State Civil Service employment law to include:
Policy 340.2 Standards of Conduct - Discipline Policy
Policy 340.3 Standards of Conduct - Conduct Which May Result in Discipline
Policy 328.3.1 Discriminatory Harassment - Discrimination
Policy 340.3.2 Standards of Conduct – Conduct
RCW 41.14.110 Tenure – Grounds for Deprivation
This morning, Thurman provided a written response to the allegations and declined to meet with Sheriff Knezovich in person. This afternoon, after the scheduled meeting time passed, Sheriff Knezovich terminated Thurman’s employment with the Sheriff’s Office due to his unprofessional, unacceptable and reprehensible conduct noted in the internal investigation.
Jeff Thurman was hired by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office as a lateral Deputy from Idaho in July of 2001.