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Josh Harris, who has emerged as one of the most fierce defenders of law enforcement during a series of scandals, has entered the Pierce County Council race.
Harris, 47, is running as a pro-law enforcement candidate and says the groups calling for reforms are fixated on “racial problems that don’t exist.”
Harris, who owns Tacoma-based Integrity Construction, inserted himself into two of Pierce County’s most controversial ongoing law enforcement sagas. He posted a $300,000 bond to get three Tacoma police officers charged with killing Manuel Ellis out of jail while they await trial. And he intervened in a criminal investigation on behalf of Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer, who has been charged with making a false report.
Despite his campaign’s emphasis on law and order, Harris brings his own criminal background to the race.
From November 2001 through April 2002, Harris altered 17 checks paid to him by a Tacoma nightclub for maintenance work “to substantially increase the amount of the check” by more than $24,000, according to court records.
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When Tacoma police questioned Harris, he initially denied it but ultimately admitted to the crime and pleaded guilty to two counts of theft, one a felony and one a misdemeanor,...
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