Ozzie Knezovich
A candidate for Sheriff, Spokane County in the 2014 Nov. 4 Washington General Election
Party: Republican
Age: 62
City: Western Spokane County, Wash.
Occupation: Spokane County sheriff
OZZIE KNEZOVICH
Education: Graduated from Rock Springs High School in Wyoming. Graduated from Weber State College with an integrated studies bachelor’s degree in 1985.
Work experience: Became town marshal in Superior, Wyoming in 1990. Joined Rock Springs, Wyoming police force in 1991. Joined Olympia Police Department in 1995. Joined Spokane County Sheriff’s Office as deputy in 1996. Became sergeant in 2004. Appointed Spokane County sheriff by county commissioners in 2006 and won election to the post in November of that year. Re-elected while unopposed in 2010.
Political experience: Former president of the Spokane County Deputy Sheriff’s Association. Former president of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. Named to the FBI’s Law Enforcement Executive Development Association in 2008. Served as president of that group in 2012.
Military: U.S. Army airborne medical specialist and combat medic, served in Korea, 1987-90.
Family: Married, three grown children.
Race Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Ozzie Knezovich (R) | 103,412 | 70.92% |
| Doug Orr (R) | 42,394 | 29.08% |
Related Coverage
Hospital gunman in murder-suicide was a former cop
The man who shot his wife to death before killing himself on the Deaconess Hospital campus had worked as a police officer in Missouri and told sheriff’s deputies just hours before this week’s fatal attack that he was thinking about returning to law enforcement if he couldn’t save his marriage, documents show.
Sheriff’s Detective under investigation for hunting violation
A Spokane County Sheriff’s Office detective is facing criminal charges in Stevens County for a hunting violation in 2013. Property crimes detective Dave Herrin has been placed on paid administrative leave and an internal investigation will begin this week, said Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich.
Sheriff issues memo addressing arbitrator sex-on-duty ruling
Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich reiterates that having sex while on duty and lying during investigations are fire-able offenses in an office memo released to media outlets Wednesday.
Shawn Vestal: Sheriff giving high standards another last chance
So, if you’re ever pulled over or interrogated for any reason by Spokane County Deputy Scott Kenoyer, you know what you should say? Whatever you want.
Deputies endorse Douglas Orr in sheriff race against Ozzie Knezovich
The Spokane County Deputy Sheriffs Association on Thursday announced its endorsement of Douglas Orr over Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich in this year’s race for the county’s top law enforcement official. Orr, a Spokane police detective, is expected to file to run for sheriff against Knezovich, and the two Republicans already have met in one debate.
Spokane County Jail is overcrowded and falling apart
Spokane County’s 28-year-old jail is showing its age. Water collects on the floor in the basement kitchen because drains don’t work. Doors to the walk-in coolers are jammed. The subfloor is failing. Elevators are touch-and-go.
Sheriff, Spokane Police Department hard-pressed to keep up staffing levels
When police detectives and public information officers are told to put on a uniform and hit the streets in a patrol car, it’s evident that staffing levels are a concern. Both the Spokane Police Department and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office are hiring as quickly as they can, but they’re held back by the 18 months it takes to get a new recruit on the streets and a single police academy in the state that hasn’t expanded its class sizes in years.
Deputy called in names, plates without cause as way to seem busy, sheriff says
A deputy under investigation for parking for hours at a woman’s home while on duty made it look like he was busy with work by calling in names and license plate numbers for dispatchers to run, said Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich. Deputy Todd Saunders, 39, would collect names and plate numbers ahead of time, Knezovich said. “It appeared that he was busy, but he was doing it all from the confines of her home,” he said.
Shawn Vestal: Key witness left out of sheriff’s inquiry
An internal affairs investigation into the work of a Spokane County sheriff’s detective – who helped convict three men who were imprisoned for years before their convictions were thrown out – has found he failed to file reports properly, but clears him of the most serious misconduct accusations. Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said the investigation was a thorough attempt to examine the claims made about Sgt. Doug Marske, who now heads up the department’s Major Crimes Unit. But it did not satisfy critics, who questioned the independence of the investigation, conducted by a longtime colleague of Marske, and who criticized the report for failing to interview a key witness who was allegedly coerced by Marske into not testifying on behalf of one of the defendants.
Spokane County deputies among first to become master firearms instructors
Two of four people to recently earn the new master firearms instructor certification from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission work in the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said having master instructors helps save money and ensures that every police agency in the state follows the same standardized training.