Multnomah County Sheriff's Office
Patch of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office
Patch of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office
MottoExemplary service for a safe, livable community
Agency overview
Formed1854 (1854)
Employees800
Jurisdictional structure
Legal jurisdictionMultnomah County
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersMultnomah County, Oregon
Deputies590
Civilian employees210
Agency executive
Facilities
Offices
5
  • Multnomah Building
  • Columbia River Office
  • Willamette River Office
  • Wood Village City Hall
  • Troutdale Police Community Center
Lockups
3
  • Inverness Jail
  • Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC)
  • Multnomah County Courthouse Jail (MCHJ)
Website
Official website

Multnomah County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) serves the close to 700,000 residents[1][2] of Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. Multnomah County Sheriff's Office is a County Law Enforcement agency that handles 9-1-1 calls and assists other city agencies such as Portland Police Bureau. The current Sheriff is Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell.[3] The cities of Maywood Park, Wood Village, Fairview, and Troutdale contract out the law enforcement services of Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.[4]

The sheriff is elected by popular vote, and oversees a budget of $118 million.

History

Multnomah County Sheriff's Office was established in February 1854, with William L. McMillen as the first sheriff; he served until 1862.[1] In 1960, the Sheriff's Office created the River Patrol Unit, which has grown to be the largest river patrol division in the state.[5]

In the past, as recently as the 1980s, the position was essentially the "top cop" in the county, performing law enforcement for the bulk of the county's population. As of 2009, however, as the unincorporated areas of the county have diminished, 85% of sheriff's office employees work in corrections rather than law enforcement.[6]

On July 1, 2015, the Sheriff's Office began policing services for the city of Troutdale. In a 10-year agreement, the officers and civilian personnel of the Troutdale Police department were brought in as sworn deputies and employees of the Sheriff's Office. The agreement was reported to save the City of Troutdale over $900,000 per year over a ten-year period. The deal also included leasing of the Troutdale Police Community Center. The Law Enforcement patrol, property, and records divisions were also moved from the Hansen Building to this location in July, 2015.[7]

The sheriff's office oversees a budget of $118 million.[6]

Overdoses among inmate escalated due to illegally smuggled drugs by inmates. In August 2023, a strip search was put back into place in response.[8]

Notable sheriffs

Controversy

Former Sheriff Bernie Giusto resigned on July 1, 2008[9][10] after a state police standards board recommended that he lose his badge[9] because of multiple issues including using an official vehicle for personal use,[11] lying about a relationship he had with former Governor Neil Goldschmidt's wife while he was assigned to the governor's protective service branch in the mid-1980s,[12] and allegations that he lied about his knowledge of Goldschmidt's illegal sexual relationship with a minor in the 1970s.[12] In addition to ethics violations, Giusto was thought to have managed the county budget poorly, and when confronted about such issues once replied with "They're not my bosses; they're my bankers, I'm not gonna debate how I do spend my budget. That's why I'm independently elected."[13][14] Days after making that comment, he closed the county's restitution center, which was a program that was just created that year.[13]

Deputy patrols the Independence Day parade route in Corbett.
A Multnomah County Sheriff's vehicle, with a command vehicle in the background

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Multnomah County". Archived from the original on 2012-02-07. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  2. ↑ "U.S census bureau". Archived from the original on 2020-02-10. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  3. 1 2 "Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell sworn in as Multnomah County Sheriff; first woman to hold the office in the organization's near 170 year history". Multnomah County. 2023-01-04. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  4. ↑ "City Of Wood Village". Archived from the original on 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
  5. ↑ "River patrol". Archived from the original on 2007-11-27. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  6. 1 2 Griffin, Anna (July 25, 2009). "Sheriff should be appointed, not elected". The Oregonian.
  7. ↑ "Troutdale Police Department taken over by sheriff's office". KGW.
  8. ↑ "Multnomah County's Dysfunctional Jails Have Turned Deadly". Willamette Week. 2023-08-16. Archived from the original on 2023-08-16. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  9. 1 2 Sulzberger, Arthur (May 22, 2008). "Multnomah County sheriff Bernie Giusto will retire July 1". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on May 31, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  10. ↑ King, Tim (May 22, 2008). "Multnomah Sheriff Bernie Giusto Will Retire". Salem-News.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
  11. ↑ Sulzberger, Arthur (June 21, 2008). "Ethics panel rules against Giusto". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 9, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
  12. 1 2 Sulzberger, Arthur (December 15, 2007). "Second Giusto investigation finds fault". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
  13. 1 2 Sulzberger, Arthur (May 28, 2007). "Giusto may lose budget control". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011.
  14. ↑ Budnick, Nick (October 29, 2007). "Giusto refused polygraph". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on June 8, 2011.

45°31′35″N 122°32′16″W / 45.5263°N 122.5378°W / 45.5263; -122.5378

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.