LIFT Speaking Theme:

"Sheriff Ozzie's Three Leadership Principles"

Sheriff Knezovich will discuss the three principles that he looks for in leaders. Leadership is about people. Leaders take care of people as they pursue the mission and accomplish the vision of their organizations. A leader must be able to do three things: solve problems, uphold standards and develop or pursue a vision. Without these three principles, they will fail to take care of their people, fail to fulfill their mission and fail to achieve their vision.

Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich was appointed as Sheriff of Spokane County on April 11, 2006. He was elected to the Office of Sheriff in the fall of 2006 and is currently serving his third term as our Sheriff.  This year marks his 28th year in law enforcement.

As the Sheriff of Spokane County, he oversees law enforcement activities in the unincorporated areas of Spokane County and several contract cities and towns. He is also responsible for managing the County's Department of Emergency Management.

Prior to being appointed to the office of Sheriff, he held the following positions with the Sheriff's Office: patrol deputy, field training officer, property crimes detective, sex crimes detective, SWAT team operator, SWAT team supervisor, patrol supervisor and training supervisor. 

He also served as a patrol officer for the City of Olympia, Washington and the City of Rock Springs, Wyoming.  He was assigned to develop the school resource officer program and served as a school resource officer while serving with the Rock Springs Police Dept. He started his law enforcement career with the Town of Superior, Wyoming serving as the Chief of Police.