Craig Chamberlin, former voice of Spokane County Sheriff's Office, dies

Quinn Welsch, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Updated ·2 min read

May 1—Longtime Spokane County Sheriff's Office deputy and one-time candidate for Spokane County sheriff Craig Chamberlin died Sunday, according to a statement from his family.

Chamberlin, a father of three daughters, was 52. Chamberlin worked for the sheriff's office for 22 years and became well known to the public through appearances on television and radio.

Chamberlin's cause of death has not been released. His family said the death was unexpected.

"It was unforeseeable and we as a family are still in shock," his daughters wrote. "He was known and loved by so many and this is just as devastating and shocking to you all as it is to us. Thank you for all the love and support, we need it."

Chamberlin announced his run for sheriff's office in February 2022 but was promptly fired by former Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich the following week. Knezovich said Chamberlin lied during an internal investigation, which Chamberlin denied.

Chamberlin ultimately pulled out of the race in April 2022. His decision to withdraw prompted former sheriff's office employees Wade Nelson and Michael Zollars to run for the office last year.

The former deputy earned a number of nicknames, including "Chambo," "Deputy Craig" and even "Hollywood," for his larger-than-life personality and swagger, said KXLY reporter Jeff Humphrey, who worked with Chamberlin for about about a decade on the crime beat.

"I would just see relief in peoples' faces when he would show up," Humphrey said of Chamberlin. "I would walk around with him and people would just know him. He was a media darling."

Humphrey described him as a "pioneer of outreach" and a "problem solver." In addition to his role as a spokesman for the sheriff's office, Chamberlin also worked as a patrol deputy and a school resource officer.

"This is the guy you wanted your son or daughter to be able to go to," Humphrey said. "Craig really cared about the community. When he saw he could use news to protect people from crime, he jumped on it. He was just really good at it."

According to a bio from the Spokane Chamber of Commerce, Chamberlin grew up in Spokane Valley and graduated from University High in 1988 before earning a football scholarship to play at the University of Puget Sound, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics. He took his first job in law enforcement as a deputy with the Okanogan County Sheriff's Office, where he worked for three years, before moving back to Spokane.

Chamberlin spent his time after the sheriff's office working for SERVPRO of Spokane Valley, which provides cleanup and restoration for fire, water and mold damage, as a marketer and spokesperson.

Chamberlin's family has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for his funeral costs.