KENNEWICK, Wash. – Michael Clark has been appointed as the new Benton County sheriff, taking over after the sudden retirement of Sheriff Tom Croskrey. Clark officially assumed the role on November 20, marking the third mid-term sheriff appointment in a decade by the county commission.
Clark, who has been with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office for more than 22 years, shared his vision for the department. “The big thing is for the department to have some stability, and start that progression moving forward,” Clark said.
Reflecting on past challenges, Clark acknowledged the morale issues that surfaced during a previous administration. “Hatcher was a time where we had a mass exodus. We saw a lot of people leave. The articles are no stranger to anybody as far as the morale looked in our office. Tom came in. We were able to rebuild the department. We’ve filled a ton of our vacancies,” he said.
Clark is focused on bringing the office into a more structured and advanced future. “Being able to utilize different things such as drones and some of these other things—maximizing their ability with all of this different technology to really work towards apprehending criminals, closing out cases, bring justice to victims,” he said. He plans to adapt the department’s budget to accommodate these advancements.
Clark will serve as sheriff through the November 2026 election. However, he has not yet commented on whether he plans to run for re-election.
