Governmental Organizations

Pacific County North District Court is located at 300 Memorial Drive, P O Box 134, South Bend, WA  98586.

The Washington State Patrol works with the media on a local and statewide level through the agency Public Information Officers (PIO). The agency PIOs respond to incidences within their areas and provide local media with the information they need. This page contains an index of the media releases sent out by the Washington State Patrol and Washington State Fire Marshal's Office during the past 24 months. If you need a release that is not available in this archive, please contact the Public Information Officer in your area.

General Assembly resolution 64/2551 of March 2010 proclaimed 2011–2020 the Decade of Action for road safety, with a global goal of stabilizing and then reducing the forecasted level of global road fatalities by increasing activities conducted at national, regional and global levels. The guiding principles underlying the Plan for the Decade of Action are those included in the "safe system" approach. This approach aims to develop a road transport system that is better able to accommodate human error and take into consideration the vulnerability of the human body. It starts from the acceptance of human error and thus the realization that traffic crashes cannot be completely avoided. The goal of a safe system is to ensure that accidents do not result in serious human injury. The approach considers that human limitations - what the human body can stand in terms of kinetic energy - is an important basis upon which to design the road transport system, and that other aspects of the road system, such as the development of the road environment and the vehicle, must be harmonized on the basis of these limitations. Road users, vehicles and the road network/environment are addressed in an integrated manner, through a wide range of interventions, with greater attention to speed management and vehicle and road design than in traditional approaches to road safety.

Washington has 39 Superior Courts, one in each of Washington's 39 counties. Superior Courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in Washington. A Superior Court may consider all civil and criminal matters occurring within a county's boundary. The Superior Court also has exclusive jurisdiction over civil matters in which the amount in controversy is more than $75,000, felony cases, estate and probate matters, family law cases(including divorces and child custody hearings), and juvenile proceedings. They act as a court of appeal for cases from the District and Municipal Courts.

The Mason County District Court is a Court of Limited Jurisdiction created by the Washington State Legislature in 1961. Mason County District Court consists of 1 (one) judge, elected for four years, one Administrator and 7 full time support staff. The Mason County District Court has jurisdiction over criminal, infraction, small claims, civil and miscellaneous cases.

The goal of the Mason County Jail is to provide safe custody, decent living conditions, fair treatment, and the protection of constitutional rights for all persons confined therein.

Defendants convicted in Lincoln County are ordered to pay a fee that helps fund a crime victim program with the prosecuting attorney’s office. This program assists the attorneys with victims and witnesses for hearings and trials and preparing documentation for court.  Program support provides assistance in applying for victim's compensation, determining restitution in adult and juvenile felony cases, providing case status information to victims and educating victims and witnesses about the criminal justice system, as well as acting as a referral resource for other agencies.

Washington has 39 Superior Courts, one in each of Washington's 39 counties. Superior Courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in Washington. A Superior Court may consider all civil and criminal matters occurring within a county's boundary. The Superior Court also has exclusive jurisdiction over civil matters in which the amount in controversy is more than $75,000, felony cases, estate and probate matters,family law cases (including divorces and child custody hearings), and juvenile proceedings. They act as a court of appeal for cases from the District and Municipal Courts.

As the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the county, the Sheriff is responsible for enforcement of county, state and federal laws. The Sheriff’s Office investigates crimes, accidents and apprehends criminals. The Sheriff’s Office also operates the county jail and dispatches emergency services such as police, fire and ambulances. As an officer of the Court, the Sheriff serves civil process and enforces Court orders and warrants.