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MCSO eNewsletter
Your 24/7 Human Services and Public Safety Agency
JUNE 2009 |
Sheriff's Office Participates and Carries the Torch for Special Olympics
Members of the Sheriff's Office ran in the Law Enforcement Touch Run for Special Olympics Oregon on Friday June 5, 2009 and continued their support by carrying the Olympic torch into the Mount Hood Community College Stadium on Saturday June 6, 2009.
The Torch Run runs the torch throughout the state of Oregon before the Summer Games begin to raise funds and awareness for Special Olympics. But it is much more than that. It is a year-round program involving volunteers from all sectors of the law enforcement community. Volunteers support and encourage Special Olympics athletes by coming to Summer, Fall, and Winter Games to give out ribbons and medals, and they hold fundraising events throughout the year so athletes can continue to participate free of charge.
Members from throughout the Sheriff's Office participated in several different ways; providing financial donations, running in the relay, escorting the torch, carrying the torch and presenting the participants of the Summer Special Olympics' events their metals.
This year our participants were Kevin McAfee, Kyle Smith, Phil Anderchuk, his daughter Jaime, Jana McCallum, Travis Gullberg, Monte Reiser, Eric Logue, Brian Branch, Jan Kubic, Tamera Levi, her son Peyton, Dave Rader and Jay Pentheny, Dwight Richey, Tim Barker, Joe Sullivan and Blake Lemons.
Our Drivers and escorts were Sean Mallory, Brent Ritchie, Jason Gates, Diana Olsen.
To view more photos from this event, please Click HERE |
Vivian Feldman receives Civilian Employee of the Year Award.
The American Jail Association (AJA) is a national non-profit organization that supports those who work in and operate our nation's jails. Each spring the AJA hosts its annual conference, offering a forum for people across the country to gather and train, network and exchange experience.
AJA acknowledges that uniformed personnel alone cannot accomplish everything that must be done for the proper operation of a jail facility. The Civilian Employee of the Year Award is given to an individual whose exemplary service stands above the normal duties of a civilian employee.
MCSO's own Vivian Feldman was honored as the Civilian Employee of the Year at AJA's 28th Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky this April. Vivian began working at MCSO in 1987. She is currently the Volunteer Services Coordinator, coordinating approximately 200 volunteers in all aspects of the Sheriff's Office. We could not be more proud of Vivian's award and recognize her outstanding service here at MCSO. Congratulations!
If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities here at MCSO, please visit our website or email Vivian Feldman directly. |
Lets Play Cards
In October of 2008, the "Cold Case" squad was formed. This team of volunteers was brought together by Sheriff Skipper to take a new look at unsolved homicide cases dating back to 1973. The volunteers are working diligently to generate new leads on these unsolved homicides.
"Cold Case Playing Cards" are a new edition to this effort. These cards have been successful in other jurisdictions, have been reviewed, and are approved for sale on our jail Commissary.
Each playing card contains information regarding a past unsolved homicide in Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, or Clark County. Each of the playing cards includes a picture of the victim and a short description of the circumstances surrounding the homicide.
At the bottom of each card is a toll free or local number which has been tested and works through the inmate phone system at all of the facilities. It is important to note the Toll Free 1-800 number on the front of each card DOES NOT work through the inmate system as it is a national toll free number. Inmates wishing to call must use the direct dial numbers to the respective metro area jurisdictions.
It is hoped this program will help the MCSO "Cold Case" squad, along with adjoining jurisdictions having similar teams, with efforts to generate new leads and further their attempts to bring successful closure to past unsolved homicides in the Portland metro area.
At this time the Cold Case Cards are not available for the public to purchase but if there is enough interest, they may be available soon.
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House Bill 2727, which would have made personal information on concealed handgun holders information not subject to public records requests, failed in the State Legislature. The Sheriff's Office will continue to keep records of license holders private, based on the responses from concealed handgun holders. If this matter is taken up within the legal system again, we will update you through the Green Hornet and our website. |
From Drugs to Mugs©
The latest drug education effort from MCSO made its official debut at Gresham's Sam Barlow High School on June 4th. Over two days, Deputy Bret King gave eight presentations to Barlow's sophomore health students in response to last December's tragic overdose and death of 18 year old Rachel Daggett, a Barlow student.
From Drugs to Mugs© is similar in many ways to Faces of Meth©, but directs it's attention away from one specific drug and addresses a wide range of substances prone to abuse by young people. The 48 minute long documentary includes interviews from incarcerated substance abusers and the professionals who have frequent contact with them.
The creators of the program, Deputies Bret King and Curtis Sanders, enlisted the help of nearly 500 high school students in East Multnomah County in order to formulate the interview questions. The documentary also includes statistics gathered from a volunteer survey and a criminal history investigation of 300 inmates at Multnomah County's Inverness Jail.
Like Faces of Meth©, From Drugs to Mugs© also includes mug shot comparisons of documented substance abusers who have come into custody in recent years. If you are interested in having From Drugs to Mugs© presented in a school near you or if you have comments, please go to www.facesofmeth.us where a preview of From Drugs to Mugs© is soon to come. |
Walmart Supports MCSO
Walmart recently donated a $1000 grant to help support the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office K-9 unit. Deputy Cortada gratiously excepted this gift on behalf of the agency from Store Manager David Fuller and Sporting Goods Manager Candise Touch.
Thank you so much!
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A Thief, in the Library With a Camera
The Portland Police Museum Director did not think they would see their forensic camera again after it was stolen on May 19, 2009 from the Multnomah County Central Library Collins Gallery. The camera was part of a display on loan from the PPB Museum.
The thief stole the camera and did not think about being on camera himself. This not so smart thief returned to the library two days later where he was immediately recognized by Facility Security Officers' Eslinger and Owens. The camera was returned to the museum and our FSO's are commended for their sharp eyes.
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Boating under the influence of alcohol is not only dangerous, it's a crime. Oregon's Boating Under the Influence of Intoxicants (BUII) laws apply to motorized and non-motorized watercraft alike. According to the Oregon State Marine Board, alcohol is involved in approximately 30 percent of boating fatalities in Oregon each year. The legal limit BAC (blood alcohol concentration) is under 0.08. A drug or alcohol impaired boat operator who is arrested for BUII faces:
- fines of up to $6,250 and up to a year in jail
- a mandatory boating safety class
- loss of his or her boat operation privileges for a period of time
- suspension of boat registrations for up to three years
For the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, almost 75% of BUII offenses occur during the summer months of June, July and August. While BUII laws pertain to boat operators, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that an intoxicated passenger is as likely to die as an intoxicated operator. Most fatalities occur from falls overboard and not collisions. Alcohol affects balance, vision, coordination and judgment. Environmental factors that come with boating - such as wind, sun, noise and motion - can magnify the effects of alcohol. Under the Marine Board's direction, state and county agencies work together to enforce boating regulations in order to create a safe environment for all boaters. Operation Dry Water, scheduled for the weekend of June 26-28, is a coordinated, national weekend of BUII detection and enforcement aimed at reducing the number of alcohol-related accidents and fatalities and fostering a stronger and more visible deterrent to alcohol use on the water. For more information, contact the Oregon State Marine Board at 503-378-8587 or visit their website.
For more information about waterways in Multnomah County visit our website. |
Free gun locks available from Sheriff's Office
The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office is distributing free cable-style gun locks and safety information to residents at its office at 12240 N.E. Glisan St.
A thousand locks are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Locks may be picked up from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Mondays and Fridays and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays until they're gone.
The locks are provided through a partnership with Project ChildSafe, a national firearm safety education program.
More information: www.projectchildsafe.org.
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Budget Update Citizens put forth an outstanding effort at budget hearings and communications with Commissioners. Due to your efforts Commissioners were much more able to understand the importance of some of our services. Three programs were restored - the Special Investigations Unit (drug investigations in East County), two positions in the Warrants Strike Team, and the Turn Self In Weekender program at the Courthouse (an alternative to jail). While the Sheriff's Office still took considerable cuts, we are very thankful that we can continue providing the above services for the benefit of the public and its safety. These programs were funded with a combination of savings obtained from the Retirement Incentive Program, wage freeze and leaves of absence as well as County General Fund dollars. I am very proud that all of the bargaining units in the Sheriff's Office showed interest in a wage freeze. The Sheriff's Office is aggressively pursuing grants which may further restore services - those in child abuse and gangs. As we move into FY 10, we will have lost services that are much needed to the community such as 172 jail beds and Gresham Temporary Hold. While I am thankful to have this difficult budget process behind us, I know that we get to take a quick breath before starting up a budget process again. As the Oregon Legislature winds its session to a close, we will learn more of the impact of the State budget on County services. This and any other impact on local revenues may require the County to go into a midyear budget reduction discussion. The information shared by the public with the Board and our efforts to articulate core services had an impact on the Board. The communication helped them to prioritize stretched general fund dollars. Thank you for your efforts and continued support.
Sheriff Skipper |
Blast From the Past
Dear Bob I am delighted to have the opportunity of writing to you having noted your Email address in the current edition of "The Green Hornet". Hopefully, you will remember me and my family when we "exchanged" with The Chaney's in 1981. At that time I was a Detective Inspector in the Devon & Cornwall Constabulary. I retired some twelve years ago as a Divisional Commander. My time with MCSO was unforgettable and my family have so much to thank the Sheriff's Office for together with all the kindness and generosity poured upon us by everyone at 12240 N E Glisan at that time. I have such happy memories of working and socialising with so many - too many to mention by name now. I am in regular contact with Brian "BC" Reynolds who visited us in Cornwall just 12 months ago, Dick Piland and Dennis Chaney. I last saw John Burnell about five years ago but he is a frequent visitor to my lounge via the television screen!!! Receiving "The Green Hornet" on a regular basis certainly helps me to keep in touch with MCSO and everything that is happening. It is good to see you "back in the saddle". I cannot understand DPSST's decision in respect of their perceived need for you to undergo a further 16 weeks of police training and hope that ultimately good sense will prevail. Although I am still in touch with the D & C Constabulary and have many contacts still serving my main hobby now is the provision of aid overseas through Rotary International. In the last 6 years I have put together some 32 projects involving The Balkans and Belarus where aid is badly needed. In the Minsk area we support a children's hospice (sadly the results of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster some 20 years ago are very evident) and small community projects and with The Balkans we provide fire engines, ambulances and medical aid. In 10 days time Bridie and I will be in Kosova again (my 9th visit) and also visiting Albania where we, Rotary International, plan to provide fire and rescue equipment (with appropriate training) that is desperately needed. I will admit that this activity takes a great deal of my time but it is very satisfying and the projects, often involving 4000 mile journeys, provide the adventure and challenge that I still crave. I wish you well with your "new" role and would be grateful if you would give our very best wishes to all serving and past members of MCSO, particularly those that remember Bridie and I and our two children back in 1981. We would love to hear from anyone who remembers us. Very best wishes barryK Retired Deputy 309 !!! Barry Kressinger
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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; recent news articles or updates you may have missed.
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Your opinions, questions and concerns are important to us. If you would like to comment on any of MCSO service(s), or any article you have read in this newsletter please click HERE. Or Email us HERE |
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