Susan Pamerleau

Personal life

Pamerleau is the daughter of Disciples of Christ minister Truce V. Lewellyn and the late Mary Nelle Montgomery Lewellyn. Dr. Lewellyn is originally from Walnut Cove, North Carolina and Mrs. Lewellyn was from Knoxville, Tennessee. Pamerleau received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Wyoming at Laramie in 1968 (GPA 2.65) and an M.P.A. from Golden Gate University in 1977.

In 1978, after first seeking marriage counseling help, Pamerleau left her abusive husband Ben after a marriage of seven years. Following the separation, Ben took his own life. During her 2012 campaign, Pamerleau cited her experience as a survivor of family violence as part of what prepared her to serve as Sheriff. In addition, her focus on mental illness in the criminal justice system was personal, as she has a brother who suffers or suffered from mental illness.

Career

Pamerleau served in the United Stated Air Force for 32 years, being promoted to brigadier general in 1994 and to major general in 1997. Her first assignment as a general officer in the United States Air Force was as commandant of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. Her next assignment was as the Commander of the Air Force Personnel Center, followed by her last assignment at Headquarters Air Force in the Pentagon as the Director, Personnel Force Programs.

After retiring from the Air Force in September 2000, Pamerleau worked at USAA, first as vice president of membership development; and later as senior vice president of specialized operations & international.

In 2012 Pamerleau was elected the first woman sheriff in the history of Bexar County, Texas. In the November 8, 2016 election, Pamerleau lost her bid for a second term to Democrat Javier Salazar.

Bexar County Sheriff's Office

Citing technology and policy issues that were "30 years behind", Pamerleau conducted a top-to-bottom review of the sheriff's office and began implementing policies to modernize the office. Improvements included digital record keeping, stab-vests for detention officers, and improved communications within the jail.

Mental health advocate and journalist, Pete Earley, has said of Bexar County's jail diversion programs "I’ve been to 48 states, five foreign countries, and I’ve testified five times before Congress, and Bexar County is known as the gold standard. [Bexar County is the] leading county in America when it comes to jail diversion and stopping the inappropriate incarceration of people who have serious illness like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder."

Difficulties

In the spring of 2016, the Bexar County Deputy Sheriff's Association Union called for a vote of no confidence in Pamerleau. Of the 1,600 deputies in the department, 219 voted no confidence.

In 2016, Pamerleau faced inquiries about four suicides in the Bexar County Jail from June 28 to July 22.

2016 election

In the November 8, 2016, general election, Pamerleau narrowly lost to Democrat Javier Salazar, a San Antonio police officer who had never previously sought elected office. Salazar received 278,102 votes (50.4 percent) to Pamerleau's 273,914 (49.6 percent). In defeat, Pamerleau polled more votes in 2016 than she had in victory in 2012.

Shortly before Pamerleau left office, her successor Javier Salazar obtained a temporary restraining order from Judge John D. Gabriel which forbade Pamerleau from making personnel changes in the final days of her administration. Thereafter, Judge Gloria Saldana dissolved the court order in the final hours of Pamerleau's tenure of office. Salazar claimed that Pamerleau had punished one of his supporters in the sheriff's office with a thirty-day suspension and had sought to protect from dismissal by Salazar two of her appointed deputy chiefs. The temporary restraining order was dissolved, because Mr. Salazar had no standing to bring this matter restricting sovereign rights of an elected official while in office. In addition, Salazar's allegations were based on incomplete and inaccurate information; no one was punished, rather the well-established process through the civil service rules and a collective bargaining agreement was followed, and would be completed after the new Sheriff takes office. Likewise, all personnel actions were taken in accordance with state law and county policy.

Medals and decorations

Major General Pamerleau has been awarded the following awards and decorations: