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MCSO eNewsletter
Your 24/7 Human Services and Public Safety Agency
April 2009 |
American Legion Deputies of the Year Award
Corrections Deputy Laverne Lewis and Enforcement Deputy Matt Ferguson were honored by the American Legion District 7 commander, Judy Johnson, as deputies of the year for 2008 - 2009 at a ceremony on March 28, 2009. Deputy Lewis was honored for her work in developing and implementing national and state standards for the safe and humane operations of custody environments both locally and state wide as a nationally-certified jail inspector. Deputy Ferguson was given the award for his work with the Special Investigations Unit and the capture of an FBI-wanted bank robber. These two individuals, although receiving personalized awards, are but representative of the motivated and dedicated members of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, sworn and non-sworn alike. |
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MCSO Honors Fallen Oakland Officer
Law enforcement officers from across the United States, Canada and Europe came together in an amazing display of support for the four Oakland Police Officers killed in the line of duty on March 21st 2009. The crowd that gathered was estimated to be 22,000 in number; enough to fill the Oracle Arena and require the Oakland A's Stadium be used for overflow. Of those in attendance, 12,000-15,000 were uniformed law enforcement officers from a myriad of different agencies. Amidst the seemingly endless sea of officers in formal dress were the distinct green and gold uniforms of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Honor Guard. Deputies Rachael Wheeler and Chad Gaidos attended the memorial service as representatives of Sheriff Skipper and the men and women of the Sheriff's Office. Members of the Gresham Police Honor Guard and the Portland Police Honor Guard provided representation for the remaining agencies within Multnomah County.
The three and a half hour service honored the heroism that embodied each of the officers, both on and off duty. Each officer's commitment to their agency and the community they worked in was repeated by friends, family and fellow officers. Touching eulogies spoke of men who loved family and appreciated time spent with those closest to them. Comments made highlighted the difficult profession chosen by each of them and the courage with which they accepted the challenge. Speakers asked that all of us let the memory of the four officers continue to live through our daily commitment to the communities we protect, no matter our position, no matter our location.
Honor Guard personnel from Gresham Police stand to the left of Deputies Gaidos and Wheeler while members of the Portland Police Honor Guard stand on the right.
Throughout the trip to Oakland, Deputies Wheeler and Gaidos encountered officers and community members who repeatedly expressed their gratitude for the Sheriff's Office lending its support to them in their time of grief. Equal portions of humility and pride were present in each deputy while serving as this agency's representatives in the City of Oakland's time of need.
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With Respect, We Remember Vern Weaver
Retired corrections officer Vernon D. Weaver, 78, of Alamogordo, died Tuesday, March 17, 2009, at his home.
Vern was born in Wenatchee, Wash., on July 1, 1930, to Wayne and Lois (Stauffer) Weaver. He joined the Army in 1947 and served in Korea and Japan. Later he became a disc jockey and met his wife, Bernita "Bert" Griffeth. They married Jan. 29, 1964, in Coeur-D'alene, Idaho. In 1971 he and his family moved to Portland, Oregon, where he spent the next 23 years as a corrections officer for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. In 1994 he moved to Alamogordo where he lived for 15 years with his wife, Bert, daughter Stacy and granddaughter Kobi. He was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as a devoted caricaturist. His sketches and drawings are displayed throughout Alamogordo.
Vern was an amazing man, respected by everyone he met. He was loving and touched the lives of everyone around him. He could light up a room with his presence and knew how to put people at ease. You could always count on him to tell a joke or story and have the whole room laughing. The most amazing thing about him, though, was how he saw the good in everyone. No matter what kind of life a person has lived before, Vern didn't care. He showed everyone respect, and extended a hand of service anyway he could. He changed many lives by simply being a friend and mentor to all. He will be dearly missed.
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Youth Commissioners Wanted!
The Board of County Commissioners, Portland City Council & the Commission on Children, Families & Community is happy to announce recruitment for the 2009-10 Multnomah Youth Commission.
Please encourage any young person you know who will be between the ages of 13-21 (on August 1, 2009) to apply by May 4th. APPLY ONLINE
Youth Commissioners serve a 1 year term and commit up to 15 hours per month to help advise the County & City on issues that impact the lives of their peers. Youth Commissioners are also in charge of implementing "Our Bill of Rights: Children + Youth" the nation's first Bill of Rights written by and for young people. The Youth Commission gets things done! One young person said it this way:
" I can honestly say I have never seen a group so action-driven. I've seen talk-driven, but never action-driven...The group makes me want to do more. Really! It makes me want to get out into the world, get my hands dirty, and make a difference!" -Ameneh Yasrebi
Youth interested in policy, activism, community organizing, or making the community better can apply to be Youth Commissioners. Youth interested in media advocacy, digital production & distribution, and social marketing can apply to be Youth Media Producers with the Youth Commission's Voice Box Media. Both applications are due May 4th and youth can apply online at www.ourcommission.org/apply. Last year alone, the Youth Commission worked to create YouthPass which now provides free bus passes for every student at Franklin, Jefferson & Roosevelt High Schools (and MYC will work to expand to more schools next year); YouthVote! getting youth engaged in local elections; School-Based Health Center advocacy; and a new committee working to reduce the drop-out rate. |
Stats and Facts
Costly Crime is Not Art Graffiti is a sign of decay and makes people feel that their neighborhood is being lost to gangs and crime. If allowed to remain, it sends the message that the community is unconcerned about its appearance. In spite of its colorful qualities, graffiti is not art. Graffiti is a crime that costs communities more than $8 billion a year to clean up.
Graffiti hurts communities. It drains tax dollars and private funds and sends a message that nobody cares about the area in which it appears. This becomes an open invitation for loitering, littering, more graffiti, and crime. It hurts property values and frightens away businesses. The best way to prevent graffiti is to remove it as fast as possible, preferably within the first 24 hours.
Aggressively prosecuting graffiti vandals is important, as is educating youth and adults about the impact of graffiti vandalism on neighborhoods. As graffiti vandals often steal the tools they use in their crimes, a program to reduce retail theft is advisable.
Graffiti Facts and Figures
- Graffiti is the most common type of vandalism according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
- In 2008, 5910 offenses were reported to Portland Police, the Multnomah County Sheriff's, and Fairview Police where vandalism was the primary offense. There were 876 arrests for Criminal Mischief/Vandalism.
- Graffiti in Portland comes in four basic types: tagger, gang, message-political, hate-bias.
- About 80% to 85% of graffiti in Portland is tagger graffiti.
- Most studies show the majority of taggers are males between 12 and 21 years old. Approximately 15 percent of graffiti vandals are young females.
What can be done?
- Immediate removal, within 24 to 48 hours, is the key to successful graffiti prevention.
- Report to the Portland Graffiti Hotline - 503-823-4TAG(4824)
- Take photos and send to the Graffiti Abatement program:
Email to: mdennis@ci.portland.or.us Or mail to: 1221 SW 4th Ave, Rm 110, Portland, OR 97204
- Remove it! From your own property, paint it out, use a removal kit or contact the appropriate neighborhood liaison.
Source: National Crime Prevention Council, City of Portland "Tips on How to Read Graffiti and What You Can Do About It!", Graffiti HurtsŪ website, www.graffitihurts.org.
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Red Robin and Special Olympics Tip-A-Cop Event
Come help support Special Olympics April 18th, 2009, Noon-8:00pm
Red Robin
Mall 205 9880 SE Washington Street Portland, OR 97216
MCSO Deputies will be serving along side wait-staff and all tips will be donated to the Special Olympics.
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MCSOSAR Winter Training Goes Snowbound
Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue (MCSOSAR) conducts training that exposes its members to all types of weather conditions that could be encountered during a mission. Snow and cold temperatures are perhaps two of the most challenging. To prepare, MCSOSAR holds yearly training to practice alpine rescue skills.
Winter skills were put to the test February 21-22, 2009 near Timberline Lodge at Mount Hood, capping off weeks of classroom lectures and in-house training on snow safety, winter gear, and survival and shelter techniques. The two-day outing began early at the Sheriff's Office where members accounted for their personal equipment, in preparation for two days in the elements. The team-owned gear, such as ice axes, snow shoes, and avalanche transceivers was distributed and loaded. Everyone was prepared for a weekend in snow!
Training began immediately upon arriving at the mountain, when members donned snow shoes for a short hike. After an initial break-in period, everyone started to feel comfortable with walking in the snowshoes and the fun began. Training continued with litter carry practice (a litter is a rescue "basket" used to carry injured subjects out of the field), a task made more difficult with the snowshoes. Carrying a litter in the snow requires rescuers to walk in sync, to avoid stepping on snowshoes in front of them, dropping the litter, and compromising the rescue.
The next task involved avalanche transceivers. Avalanche transceivers are small radio transceivers worn underneath clothing to help locate people in case of burial as a result of a snow avalanche. MCSOSAR members are not only trained in how to use the transceivers to help find buried subjects, but also how to survive if they are caught in an avalanche. Teams took turns locating and uncovering buried avalanche transceivers, simulating an actual rescue scene.
The most demanding and time-consuming part of the weekend was snow survival. Recruits were divided into pairs and assigned locations on the mountain where they constructed a snow cave, or other alternative snow shelter, in which they would spend the night. With shovels and ice axes flying, the new snow "homes" began to take shape. Building requires a lot of team effort, but despite the cold temperatures, everyone worked up a sweat. Branches, tarps, space blankets, sleeping bags, and packs were all loaded into the caves to keep members dry, warm and out of the wind. Experienced certified members and advisors collaborated to ensure the safety of all members, frequently checking on the building process, offering advice and keeping morale high. Cave-bound members are also checked at regular intervals throughout the night to ensure sure no problems had arisen.
While the snow training weekend can often be a difficult and demanding outing, involving exposure to extreme weather and added responsibility, it often is one of the most rewarding.
written by Lauren Jones |
Strong Receives Retirement Badge Surrounded by Family
Luther Strong was hired as a Multnomah County Sheriff's Corrections Deputy on November 1, 1980 and retired, May 13, 1991. Even though Luther has been retired for a number of years he participates in numerous agency functions, from all agency picnics held at Oaks Park to the 25th year anniversary of MCDC this past year. Having retirees like Luther appear at functions always makes events just a little more special for everyone. Many of his co-workers have fond memories of Strong's time here. As with most things in life, Luther Strong's retirement passed by quietly but was not forgotten. After 18 years of blissful retirement, Sheriff Skipper finally presented Luther Strong with his retirement badge on March 31st, 2009 surrounded by friends and family. |
Posted by Dogwood Pet Hospital
Pet of the Month: April 2009
Our Hero Varro!
We are extremely proud of our April Pet of the Month: Varro, a Multnomah County Sheriff Dog who regularly visits us since 2005.Our featured hero mostly visits us for his annual health exam. Recently,Varro had 2 molars pulled due to an infection and a cyst removed from the top of his head, which meant time off work to heal and relax.
During his career with the Sheriff's Office, Varro has captured 54 criminals in 3 years and counting! All of us at Dogwood love visiting with Varro and hearing about his many adventures. We hope he catches many more bad guys and has a long and happy life! |
Warrant Uncovers Grow Operation
On 3/18/09 at 8:00 pm, acting on an anonymous tip, and following an investigation and surveillance operation, the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Special Investigations Unit (SIU) served a search warrant on an illegal marijuana grow operation in the area of SE 100th and Holgate in Portland, Oregon.
In the basement of the home deputies found a huge marijuana grow operation with over 170 juvenile and mature, budding marijuana plants, some over five feet tall, a pound of marijuana harvested and ready for sale, $3000 in cash and four handguns and seven rifles, including a Belgian FN 308 assault rifle. Street value of the marijuana (at about $3500 per pound) was estimated at $280,000. Deputies also seized several thousand dollars worth of growing equipment and a small library of books on how to grow pot and avoid police attention. The homeowner, a white male in his 40's was arrested and cited, but not lodged in jail due to his agreeing to cooperate with deputies in furthering their investigation. |
A goose has laid her eggs on the back of our Willamette River boathouse. The deputies risk their lives each day they pass her and warn everyone to be careful when you go to the office. It almost took the head off Deputy Ron Osbourn the other day.
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Speak Up! Multnomah County is hosting a series of Budget Hearings to allow Commissioners to hear directly from people in Multnomah County. Here are the key Board votes and hearing dates: Thursday, April 23 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Chair Ted Wheeler's Executive Budget Message Public Hearing and Consideration of Resolution Approving the Chair's Proposed Fiscal Year 2009 Budget for Submittal to the Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission as Required by ORS 294.421 Tuesday, May 5 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Public Hearing on the Multnomah County Budget North Portland Library, Second Floor Meeting Room 512 North Killingsworth Street, Portland Wednesday, May 13 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Public Hearing on the 2009-2010 Multnomah County Budget, Multnomah County East Building Sharron Kelley Conference Rooms A & B 600 NE 8th Street, Gresham Monday, May 18 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Public Hearing on the 2008-2009 Multnomah County Budget, Hosted by Coalition of Communities of Color at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) Gymnasium, 10301 NE Glisan, Portland Tuesday, May 26 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Public Hearing on the County Budget Multnomah Building, Commissioners Boardroom Thursday, June 4 9:30 a.m. Public Hearing and Resolution Adopting the 2009-2010 Budget for Multnomah County Pursuant to ORS 294 More information can be obtained HERE |
Bad Boys
Got Any Spare Change?
A Washington man tried to pay a more than $200 traffic ticket by sending a plastic bag filled with coins and urine to a county billing office, deputies said.
"That's something I can't wrap my mind around," said Sgt. Phil Anderchuk, of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. "The thought process of acting consciously -- consummating the act of urinating in a box full of coins that someone is going to receive."
The man didn't break any postal laws by mailing the combination of urine and change to the Multnomah County court, reported television station KPTV in Portland. Postal officials said it is legal to mail urine or other bodily fluids as long as they are packaged properly in a way that doesn't leak or smell. County employees said the package was wrapped tightly until it reached the courthouse mailroom and didn't smell until it was opened. Because of a policy of only accepting up to $20 in change, court workers returned his money -- postage due. "It would be better if the gentlemen had done something that defused the situation and maybe mitigated it, rather than adding fuel to the fire," said Jason Posner, who was visiting the courthouse Wednesday. The county doesn't intend to pursue the matter, as long as the man pays the $271 in charges that now include late fees.
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Budget Update
County/City Survey Seeks Public Input to Guide Budget Decisions Multnomah County has joined with the City of Portland to survey the public about priorities in local government services. Multnomah County is facing a budget shortfall of over $45 million for the next two fiscal years, forcing the Board of County Commissioners to make difficult decisions about reductions to county programs and services. Community input is critically important to help guide those decisions. The County is gathering your input through a number of ways. Please spend a few moments to take this online survey. Let us know what you think about which services are most important to you. You can link to the survey from Chair Wheeler's website. Or go directly HERE . The survey will be up until the end of April. It does ask and will only allow people with a residential zip code within Multnomah County to answer. Please share this survey opportunity with other Multnomah County Residents. You can get a schedule of Multnomah County's FY2010 Budget process HERE. |
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; recent news articles or updates you may have missed.
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Feedback and Thanks!
I just want to say thanks for the newletter... It makes life here is afghanistan a little easier... V/r FSO Lopezpalacios, Antonio
March 26, 2009 Dear Sheriff Skipper, On behalf of the Friends of the Multnomah County Library, we are writing in support of the Multnomah County Sheriff work crews. Starting in the early 1990s, the work crews and their deputies have provided invaluable help moving the large quantities of books for our yearly Used Book Sales. The sales directly benefit the entire Multnomah County Library. The crews have always worked hard, been courteous and gotten the job done. If we were not able to use the hard-working crews of inmates, we would not have adequate moving help. Their work has been essential to our successful book sales. Thank you for your consideration and we hope to have many more years of work crew help. Sincerely, Sara Lindgren Administrative Coordinator and Angelita Surmon Book Room Manager
GREETINGS GREEN HORNET!
I just have to say "WAY TO GO" for such a great newsletter! The articles are so interesting and well put together.. My family and I feel so grateful to have Deputy Joe "Rocky" Graziano out here in the Corbett area. He has been a huge HUGE resource and shares information and his time with everyone in our community. We are, in general, all so much more safe as a result of all the hard work that is happening out there by all of you .... and even that of your four legged empolyees.
Just wanted to say thanks and keep up the great work and thanks!
Mindy Mindy Schmidt Imaging Services |
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