Washington State Gov. Chris Gregoire presented Jayme Biendl's family with the state flag at a moving ceremony in Everett Tuesday. The governor said the 34-year-old corrections officer embodied respect and faith, and her memory will never be forgotten. She was tragically murdered by a prisoner while she was alone in the facility's chapel.
Biendl was remembered by fellow corrections officers as a woman who could stand much taller than her 5–foot–3–inch frame.
Her supervisor Sergeant Jimmie Fletcher choked back tears as he recalled Biendl’s strength and professionalism on the job.
Fletcher: "I'm sure you've heard the phrase you can be changed by the people around you. But in Jayme's case I believe she had a tendency to change the people who surrounded her. She always said hello and goodbye with a smile on her face. She was committed to being a good officer, daughter, sister — not just to her siblings, but to her co–workers."
Department of Corrections Secretary Eldon Vail said Biendl was one of the best. He also called for a public discussion of prison safety. A conversation he says is long overdue.
Vail: "We ask so much of our staff yet they ask for so little in return. The men and women who keep us safe only want to return safely to their own homes after they finish their shift. We owe them at least that."
Well said.
