End of Watch: 01/29/2011
Agency: Washington State Department of Corrections
County: Snohomish County
Officer Jayme Lee Biendl was born in February of 1976. The oldest of six siblings, she shared a middle name with her grandmother and showed a fierce work ethic from a very young age. Growing up in Granite Falls, WA, Jayme showed tremendous care for her younger siblings and helped support her family by working with the older siblings in the local berry fields. In the summers, Jayme and her family enjoyed camping and fishing.
In high school, Jayme found a talent for playing softball as a switch hitter and went onto graduate from Granite Falls High School. She tried a variety of careers before entering law enforcement and being hired as a civilian by the Monroe Correctional Facility in 2003. In the meantime, Jayme had developed a new passion after purchasing property and buying her first horse and then subsequently adding another.
Officer Biendl quickly adapted again and completed the necessary training to become a law enforcement officer and by 2005 she was assigned to the Corrections Chapel. In 2008 Officer Biendl was named Corrections Officer of the Year at the Monroe Correctional Facility. Her innate work ethic continued to shine through.
Just before her 35th birthday, on January 29, 2011 Correctional Officer Jayme Biendl was strangled in the Monroe Correctional Facility’s chapel by an inmate. The inmate was discovered missing during a routine headcount shortly after 9:00 pm. After an equipment inventory was completed it was discovered that a set of keys and radio were also missing. Officers were dispatched to Officer Biendl’s assigned duty post and found her unresponsive. CPR was initiated but she was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics a short time later.
Officer Biendl had served with the Washington State Department of Corrections for eight years. She is survived by her father and five siblings. Officer Biendl’s mother passed away in 2020.