| Field | Detail | Source |
|---|
| Full Name | Darrin E. Wallace | T1 |
| Residence | Grays Harbor County, Washington | T1 |
| Party | States No Party Preference | T1 |
| Military Service | 20 years active duty U.S. Coast Guard, retired as Chief Warrant Officer. 5 years at National Motor Lifeboat School in Ilwaco, WA as Senior Surfman Instructor, trained approximately 150 students, logged over 1,000 hours in surf with zero injuries. 3 years as Executive Petty Officer (2nd in command) of USCG Station Golden Gate, Sausalito, CA, supervised 50 personnel. 3 years as Commanding Officer of USCG Station Grays Harbor in Westport, supervised 55 personnel. Awarded 5 Commendation Medals, 7 Achievement Medals, 3 Commandant's Letters of Commendation. | T2 |
| Education | U.S. Coast Guard training and command qualifications | T2 |
| Employment | Commanding Officer, U.S. Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor, Westport, WA (3 years); Deputy Sheriff, Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office (joined after Coast Guard retirement); Sergeant, Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office, supervised patrol operations; Detective Sergeant, Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office, supervised Investigations Division. Supervisor for Region III Critical Incident Investigation Team for 2 years. Assisted, led, or supervised 15 homicide investigations.; Chief Civil Deputy, Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office (promoted December 2019). Second-in-command under Sheriff Rick Scott.; Sheriff, Grays Harbor County (sworn in January 2023, replacing retiring 45-year veteran Sheriff Rick Scott) | T2 |
1 Election History
| Year | Race | Result |
|---|
| 2022 | Grays Harbor County Sheriff (Primary) | Won with over 71% of the vote |
| 2022 | Grays Harbor County Sheriff (General) | Won with 73.41% of the vote (~8,000-vote margin), defeating Michael Catlett (former Brier Police Chief). Replaced retiring 45-year veteran Sheriff Rick Scott. |
2 Political Positions
| Topic | Position | Source |
|---|
| Jail Replacement | Top priority is a new jail facility. Current 45-year-old facility requires constant repairs and is vertical in design, which is cumbersome. Wants to model new facility after Skagit County's linear design. Estimated cost $80 million. Goal is securing approvals during his term. | T2 |
| Transparency / Body Cameras | Invested $900,000 in body cameras for deputies and patrol cars, plus interview room cameras. Prioritizes transparency and positive community communication. | T2 |
| Staffing | Faces staffing shortages including one patrol deputy, four to five corrections deputies, and four support specialists. Acknowledges recruiting challenges. | T2 |
| Crime Priorities | Major crime issues are stolen vehicles, catalytic converter thefts, and drug-related crimes. | T2 |
| Budget | Sheriff's department faces significant budget cuts. In 2024, warned that the department would have to cut 7 deputies if budget cuts proceeded. | T2 |
3 Campaign Finance (PDC T1 Data)
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Filing Entity | PDC committee WALLD--504 (cid 41508); 2026 cycle as of 2026-06-21: $1,290 cash raised, $8,881 in-kind (self), $0 spent, ~$1,290 cash-on-hand across 14 contributions; top cash donor Eric Tetzlaff $500 (Hoquiam). (Largely self-financed in-kind.) Source: WA PDC SODA API (data.wa.gov), as_of 2026-06-21. | T1 |
4 Notable Public Statements
“Not at all. I loved being a deputy. There was a lot of freedom to go do what you needed to do.”
When asked if he ever envisioned becoming sheriff (2023-01)
“Continue on the path that I was taught. Continue the legacy that (previous sheriffs) laid down before.”
Q&A with Daily World on vision for the office (2023-01)
5 Vulnerability Assessment
1 sourced findings. All sourced at T1 (Official Record) or T2 (Multi-Source Media) per clearthemud provenance model. No T3/T4 claims included.
Finding 5.1: Top priority is an estimated $80 million jail replacement MODERATE
- What happened
- Wallace's stated top priority is replacing the 45-year-old county jail at an estimated cost of $80 million. The county has a median household income of $63,539 and a 15 percent poverty rate, and no funding plan for a project of that size has been made public.
- Source tier
- T2
- Political impact
- Moderate
- Defense
- Wallace says the jail needs replacement because of constant repairs and a vertical design that creates safety hazards for corrections staff, and has cited Skagit County's linear design as a model.
- https://www.thedailyworld.com/news/qa-grays-harbor-county-sheriff-talks-new-job/
6 Source Verification
- Data Sources
- WA SOS, WA PDC, local media, public records
- Collection Date
- 2026-06-24
- Highest Tier
- T1 (Official Record)
- Methodology
- OSINT deep-dive using exclusively public-record sources. All findings at T1 or T2. No T3/T4 claims included.