Thurston County Undersheriff Dave Pearsall retires after decades in law enforcement

In serving Thurston County for decades, Undersheriff Dave Pearsall became the backbone of the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO). 

On Tuesday, June 17, the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners honored Pearsall, who is retiring from law enforcement. He concluded a decades-long tenure in the county that started at 17 and reached almost every uniform position within the office. 

“Dave has exemplified what it means to be a dedicated public servant,” said County Manager Leonard Hernandez during the board meeting at which Pearsall was honored.

Hernandez noted Pearsall entered the sheriff’s office as an explorer and pursued a career in uniform for approximately four decades, “almost all in Thurston County.” 

Based on Pearsall’s full career records, he served as deputy sheriff, forestry deputy, off-road vehicle enforcement deputy, marine services deputy, emphasis ProAct team deputy, narcotics detective, patrol corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, detective lieutenant, patrol captain, support services chief, operations chief and undersheriff. He also graduated from FBI National Academy Session 255. 

Hernandez also said Pearsall served under different community-aligned initiatives while in uniform. Pearsall’s assignments traversed enforcement, investigations, specialized operations, internal command and interagency coordination. 

Pearsall retired from the TCSO prior to Derek Sanders being elected sheriff in 2023. Once seated, Sanders requested Pearsall return to serve as undersheriff during the TCSO’s executive turnover and reorganization. 

Sanders recalled that undersheriff was the only vacant post in an otherwise fully mapped executive order. 

“When I got elected, I had every position picked out except for the undersheriff,” Sanders said. “I knew who all my chiefs were going to be. I knew who my executive aide was going to be. And as I’m kind of looking around, the one thing I did know is I needed someone who wasn’t like me.” 

Sanders mentioned their working dynamic was effective because they were opposites. The sheriff spent most of his time out in the community, while Pearsall stayed behind the scenes to run administrative oversight. 

“You don’t see Undersheriff Pearsall out at a whole lot of community events, and you don’t see me behind the desk a whole lot, which is why we made such a good team,” Sanders said. “He was always willing to handle the administrative stuff, so I could be out in the community talking with people.” 

Sanders credited Pearsall with reinforcing stability at TCSO during the early phase of his term. He reiterated Pearsall had had “held every rank in the office,” “done just about every specialty assignment,” and, in cases where he hadn’t, “supervised that specialty assignment.” 

To acknowledge the moment, Pearsall accepted the recognition from the board and referred to his time in public service, as both a privilege and a point of personal fulfillment. He said he had loved the job and noted his lasting appreciation for the role. 

Regarding the status of the undersheriff position, there was no announcement from the sheriff’s office on the next steps.