Okanogan County
Okanogan County
A proven deputy, community leader, and public servant committed to restoring trust, strengthening leadership, and serving every family across Okanogan County.
Morals and Ethics Matter
Gisberth Gonzalez was born and raised in Guatemala, where he grew up with his parents, two brothers, and one sister. Before coming to the United States, he served honorably as a reserve soldier in the Guatemalan Army.
He immigrated to the United States at age 19, became a U.S. citizen, and settled with his wife, Belsi Gonzalez, in Washington. In 2007, he began his public safety career at the Okanogan County Jail before becoming a field deputy with the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office, where he continues to serve today.
Over the years, he has worked in every geographical area of Okanogan County and served in multiple leadership and specialty roles, including Special Response Team member and Field Training Officer. He has also stepped in to support jail operations during staffing shortages while balancing family life and public service.
Gisberth and Belsi have been married for 25 years and raised their three children in Okanogan. He has coached youth soccer for many years, built strong relationships across the county, and worked to bridge gaps between the Hispanic community and local law enforcement.
Support proactive policing, strong emergency response, and safe communities across the county.
Build a sheriff’s office the public can trust through openness, accountability, and honest communication.
Strengthen relationships with every community and continue bridging cultural and language gaps.
Lead with morals, ethics, and the professional standards the people of Okanogan County deserve.
Campaign committee leadership.
Gisberth Gonzalez
Ryan Valdez
Natasha Strope
Roberto Lopez
Campaign merchandise can help spread the message across Okanogan County while supporting Gisberth Gonzalez for Sheriff.
Add shirt sizes, colors, and ordering details here.
Add hat styles, pricing, and ordering details here.
Add sticker, sign, and promotional item details here.
One of the main concerns I keep hearing from Okanogan County residents is the surge in crime. Part of this surge has been created by legislation passed in Olympia in the past few years. These new laws have changed how law enforcement officers are authorized to perform their daily duties. Some of these legislative changes have been good while others have had negative effects on law enforcement in general. Some would argue the goals behind these changes in law are to simply try and tie law enforcement’s hands. Regardless of how one may feel these legislative changes have led to rules requiring a more hands-off approach or other alternatives to incarceration towards criminals and crime in general. This is not a secret to the average citizen and not a secret to the criminals themselves. This has been one of a few reasons for the surge in criminal activity and crime in general.
Couple that with the current severe jail restrictions in the Okanogan County Jail and it’s not hard to figure out why we have an uptick in crime within the county. The jail restrictions have drastically limited the number of criminals allowed to be incarcerated in our jail at any given time. The reason behind it is safety for both the staff and inmates. The driving factor has to do with keeping the proper ratio to inmate population at any given time. The less Corrections Officers to work equals less inmates allowed to be housed.
The jail issue has become the number one issue facing the sheriff’s office this election cycle. The jail can house around 188 inmates at any given time if properly and fully staffed. Back when I was first hired 20 years ago it was not uncommon to house that number plus more. The jail was fully staffed with around 22 to 24 Corrections Officers, and all shifts were fully staffed for the most part. Now you have a staffing level at around 8 to 10 Corrections Officers some of which still need to pass their field training program before being considered an actual Corrections Officer.
Another major concern impacting the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office and county citizens that isn’t helping matters is the current shortage of field deputies, more specifically lateral deputies and the lack of any semblance of a retention program and philosophy.
There are minimum staffing levels in the field that must be met for the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office to function properly. When you don't have adequate numbers of deputies or they lack experience then the field starts to have hiccups in response time and overall service.
This can lead to further call response delays, no response times and safety issues for not only the deputies but also the public we serve. The list of concerns this creates goes on and on.
Another issue is the contract inmate program. Okanogan County used to open its jail to contract inmates from other jurisdictions. This program generated significant revenue for the county and helped support the operations of the jail.
Eventually the program was discontinued. With the loss of that program the county lost approximately $2.5 to $3 million dollars in revenue and has never fully recovered from that loss.
An issue facing Okanogan County and probably the most destructive of all the issues this election is leadership or the lack thereof.
As sheriff I would implement a philosophy of servant leadership. This means working for the deputies, staff, and the citizens of Okanogan County. Leadership must serve the people and the employees of the agency rather than expecting them to serve leadership.
Questions for Candidates for County Sheriff
A sheriff swears an oath to office when they take over as sheriff. The sheriff needs to follow that oath of office. If a law, ordinance or rule is passed that violates this oath of office the sheriff should disregard it because of its unconstitutionality. The sheriff also has the judicial system and the legislative system to rely on regarding these laws, ordinances and rules constitutionality. The courts have an obligation to hear these cases and render a verdict as to whether they are, in fact, constitutional. The legislative branch has an obligation to pass only those laws both at the state level and at the federal level that are constitutional. It should be the overall responsibility of the courts to decide the matter. In the end if a sheriff believes that the law, ordinance or rule is unconstitutional then they have no other option but to disregard it.
My understanding of this law is that it creates new laws that pertain to sheriffs specifically. The law requires a sheriff to go through a background check. It also requires a sheriff to have at least 5 years of police experience, and it gives the State of Washington the authority to remove a sheriff for issues they consider misconduct.
Crime is increasing in Okanogan County. There needs to be deterrents for criminals so they will think twice before committing crime. That deterrent can, at times, be incarceration. Incarceration should be used as a deterrent even though there are other alternatives.
When I get elected as your sheriff, I will take an oath on the Bible to uphold the Federal and State Constitutions. This is not something to be taken for granted or taken lightly.
The United States Constitution allows for peaceful protests and assembly. Handling protests require a balanced approach that protects the fundamental First Amendment right to assemble and speech while ensuring public safety in maintaining order.
Official donation links will be available here soon.
Washington State campaign finance rules allow individuals and businesses to donate up to $1,200 to this campaign.
Connect with the campaign for questions, community events, volunteer opportunities, and campaign updates.