Berks County Sheriff Eric J. Weaknecht has announced his re-election bid. “I am proud to serve the citizens of Berks County as their elected sheriff,” said Sheriff Weaknecht.
Sheriff Eric J. Weaknecht started his career in the Berks County Sheriff’s Office in May of 1984 as a deputy sheriff. On November 7, 2007, Eric was elected Sheriff of Berks County and was sworn into office on December 31, 2007, to a four-year term effective January 7, 2008. Eric was re-elected by the citizens of Berks County again in 2011, 2015, and 2019.
“As your sheriff for the last 15 years I have led by example serving the citizens of Berks County by professionalizing the Sheriff’s Office staffing and modernizing law enforcement services. By partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies we’ve been successful at combating violent crime and being true to my vow to Keep Berks Safe,” said Sheriff Weaknecht.
“As an elected official, I am committed to making county services more accessible for the citizens of Berks County. In 2011 I spearheaded the initiative to open a Substation at the Reading Regional Airport to do just that,” Weaknecht added.
Some of Eric’s accomplishments are:
Increased Access to County Services— Streamlined Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms Process, Increased Access to County Services—Opened the Berks County Sheriff’s Office Substation at The Reading Airport.
Citizen-centered Service—Created Remote Locations to Obtain a Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms: 3rd Monday: Birdsboro Borough, 3rd Tuesday: Hamburg Borough, 3rd Wednesday: Wernersville Borough 3rd Thursday: Kutztown Borough, 3rd Friday: Colebrookdale Township.
Professional Policing—New Hiring Standards:
Sheriff Weaknecht updated the hiring standards of the office to create opportunities for a greater number of applicants and to ensure that the most qualified candidates are hired. These new standards include Physical Agility Test, Written Test, Background Investigation, Oral Interview, Voice Stress Test, Psychological Test, and Drug Testing.
Community Engagement—Project Lifesaver:
This program helps to serve Berks County citizens with cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Autism who may have wandered away from home. Nationwide Project Lifesaver has safely recovered over 2,200 clients with an average recovery time of 30 minutes.
Professional Policing—Berks County Sheriff’s Office K9 Division:
Sheriff Weaknecht established the office’s K-9 Division under a state grant. The Berks County Sheriff’s Office has three Narcotics-detection K9’s, and two Explosives-detection K9’s.
Community Engagement—Explorer Post #027:
Sheriff Weaknecht established an Explorer Poster for young adults interested in a law enforcement career. Named after fallen Berks County Deputy Sheriff Kyle Pagerly, members meet once a month with deputies of the office who provide information and hands-on training in many areas of law enforcement.
Combating Violent Crime—Keeping Berks Safe Through Increased Arrest and Warrant Apprehensions:
Through Sheriff Weaknecht’s strong leadership and his dedicated deputies, the Berks County Sheriff’s Office Warrants Division is armed with additional resources to capture wanted persons through postings on the Sheriff’s Office App, on Facebook, Twitter, Reading Eagle, TV 69 News, The Merchandiser, billboards, and The Berks County Sheriff’s Office Most Wanted publication insert in the Sunday Reading Eagle Newspaper.
In June 2012, Eric was appointed by Governor Tom Corbett to the Sheriff’s’ and Deputy Sheriffs’ Education and Training Board. The Board advises the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency in the development, implementation, and operation of legislatively mandated basic training and continuing education that serve as the basis for certification of deputy sheriffs within the Commonwealth’s 67 counties. He has been reappointed by Governor Wolf for an additional two terms. For the last two years Sheriff Weaknecht was elected by the board member as chairman of the board.
“Law enforcement training is a key element to a successful law enforcement career. As chairman of the Sheriff’s and Deputy Sheriffs’ Education and Training Board I can ensure that the training deputy sheriffs in Pennsylvania receive a second to none,” Weaknecht said.
In July 2012, Eric was elected by Pennsylvania Sheriffs as Treasurer of the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association. The Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association works to create and establish objectives to ensure on-going training for deputies and draft language to support legislation that clarifies the authority of the office of Sheriff. Eric has been re-elected annually by the Sheriffs of Pennsylvania.
Sheriff Eric Weaknecht Is a member of: Pennsylvania Deputy Sheriffs’ Education and Training Board, Berks County Chiefs of Police Association, Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association, Treasurer, National Sheriffs’ Association, Appointed to Emerging Technologies Committee, Berks County Emergency Response Team (BCERT) Board of Chiefs, Berks County Criminal Justice Policy Group, Berks County Prison Board.
