Pend Oreille County

Founded: March 1, 1911

Pend Oreille County Sheriff's Office 331 South Garden Avenue Newport, WA 99156 Phone: 509.447.3151 Web Site Send Email

Sheriff Gerald L. “Jerry” Weeks

As the Sheriff of Pend Oreille County, Jerry is continuing a career in law enforcement that began August 15, 1970 when he was sworn in as a patrol officer with the Police Department in Athens, Texas. Two years later he moved to Dallas, Texas and began work for the Dallas Police Department, remaining there until 1978 when he took a position with the Anchorage, Alaska Police Department.

During his law enforcement career, Jerry has worked as a patrol officer, field training officer, identification specialist, crime scene technician, in-service training coordinator, police academy instructor, sexual assault investigator and unit supervisor, internal affairs investigator, patrol shift commander, and immediately prior to his retirement from the Anchorage Police Department, he commanded the Drug Enforcement Section where he oversaw the operations of the General Investigations Unit (Vice Control), the Metro Drug Unit (a regional, multi-agency drug enforcement task force) and the Intelligence Unit.

Following his retirement from the Anchorage Police Department in 1996, he and his wife Pat moved to their rural property ten miles north of Newport. After building their retirement home, Jerry was appointed by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services to investigate welfare fraud cases in Pend Oreille County. Upon completion of that project a year later, he began his campaign for Sheriff, was ultimately elected and assumed the office of Sheriff on January 1, 1999. Jerry was re-elected in 2002 and again in 2006.

Born in Grand Saline, Texas on August 20, 1948 Jerry and his family traveled and lived throughout Texas, Alaska, Colorado, New Mexico and Louisiana as he was growing up. After graduating from Terrebonne High School in Houma, Louisiana in 1966, he served three years in the U.S. Army - from July 1967 to July 1970. As an airborne infantry sergeant, he led long range patrol missions in the central highlands of South Viet Nam with Company C, 75th Rangers from August 1968 to August 1969. He is also a graduate of the MACV Recondo School in Nha Trang, RVN, a school considered by some to be the “deadliest school in the world”. For his military service, Jerry received several awards and citations including: two bronze stars, the purple heart, an air medal, parachute badge, and the combat infantry badge. Upon returning from Viet Nam he served the last year of his active duty obligation with the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.

Concurrent with his law enforcement career, Jerry was a member of the Texas Army National Guard from 1977 to 1978. During that time he graduated from the Texas Army National Guard Officer Candidate School as a second lieutenant, armor. At his commissioning ceremony he was recognized for his leadership abilities by being presented with the McNeil Leadership Award. Soon after graduation he transferred his commission to the Alaska Army National Guard where he later served as a Battalion Maintenance Officer, Scout Platoon Leader, and finally as the Operations Officer for the Alaska Military Academy in Anchorage.

Jerry is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, 165th Session, has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Services/Criminal Justice from Wayland Baptist University, and a Master of Science Degree in Business Organizational Management from the University of LaVerne. He also holds an Executive level Peace Officer Certification awarded by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC), and is a member of the WSCJTC Board on Law Enforcement Training Standards and Education.

Pend Oreille County is named after the Pend d'Oreilles tribe, whose name is French for "earring" (literally "hangs in the ear"). As of 2007, the estimated population was 12,600. The county seat is at Newport, which is also the county's largest city.

Pend Oreille County was created out of Stevens County on March 1, 1911.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,425 square miles, of which, 1,400 square miles of it is land and 25 square miles of it (1.76%) is water. The population density is 8 per square mile.

Previous Page