The Multnomah County Green Team is sponsoring a project to collect old athletic shoes to recycle into quality sports surfacing projects--basketball and tennis courts, running tracks, fitness flooring, and playground safety surfacing.  Only 1% of athletic shoes are recycled, with the rest ending up in landfills decomposing for thousands of years. Since 1990, more than 21 million pairs of athletic shoes have been recycled through the Nike Grind program, contributing to more than 265 sport surfaces.

In May 2010, a hostile inmate barricaded himself on the second floor of an Inverness Jail dorm by placing obstacles and liquid soap on the stair well and floors.  He also started throwing objects at staff.  This individual was upset about his disciplinary status and refused to return to his cell.

Deeming the situation a safety risk, the lieutenant in charge activated the MCSO Corrections Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT).

CNT was able to make contact with the individual through a speaker in his cell.  Over the course of two hours, a member of CNT, using information on the subject's behavior and history, was able to get the subject in a stable, decision-making mode.  The inmate eventually agreed to return to his cell.

After the inmate entered his cell, CERT addressed the inmate, but he would not comply with their orders and refused to be handcuffed. The CNT member re-engaged with the subject and helped him understand the benefits of compliance.  He later agreed to be handcuffed and come out peacefully.

No injuries were sustained by either the subject or staff.

The MCSO CNT is a small group of highly trained negotiators who use their knowledge of jail operations and their extensive, professional training to manage combative or resistant inmates where otherwise the only option would be force. The CNT uses proven verbal crisis management techniques to respond to potentially dangerous hostage, suicide, barricade, or other crisis situations. Their objective is to utilize specific training-based, non-violent methods of intervention to successfully resolve a crisis situation.

Being part of the CNT is voluntary and the team is always on call.  They work closely with the Corrections Emergency Response Team.  The CNT trains for a minimum of ten days out of the year, which consists of scenario based training and skills training for communications and negotiations. The CNT train to maintain proficiency with equipment and, when possible, they attend training conferences and seminars to learn new and innovative techniques.

Becoming a member of CNT requires an initial 96 hours of training.  This includes sixteen training hours conducted by the team and forty hours in the FBI Negotiator Course. In addition, the MCSO CNT requires each member to attend the forty hour Hostage Negotiations and Crisis Intervention Phase 1 and 2 training offered through the International Association of Hostage Negotiators (IAHN).  The IAHN sessions cover topics including the role of the negotiator, the basics of negotiating, mental disorders in crisis situations, suicide intervention, and situation resolution. The IAHN sessions also review case studies and utilize role plays.

The MCSO CNT holds one of the highest certifications in the state.  Three of the five members have completed Phase 3 of IAHN training to achieve Hostage Negotiations and Crisis Intervention Certification.  Phase 3 is thirty-six hours of training and builds on Phases 1 and 2.  This enhanced training includes supervising a hostage negotiation team, policy/procedures/legal issues, and communications and negotiation skills specific to jail and correctional facilities.  These same three members just recently recertified by completing Phase 4 (eight hours). Next year, the remaining two members will obtain IAHN certification.

Citizen Patrol wraps up its first season

The newly formed Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Citizen Patrol completed its first summer season, logging more than 325 patrol hours between July and August.  The first patrols hit the streets on July 5^th and they will remain active throughout the year. The volunteers patrol in pairs and they utilize their own vehicles at their own expense.  The primary mission is to be a visible deterrent to crime in the gorge area parking lots and trailheads. These areas are routinely hit with car break-ins and thefts, especially during the summer months. 

The Citizen Patrol currently consists of 26 volunteers with several more applicants in the background check process.  Patrol members must complete training that includes observation techniques, the reporting process, handling confrontation and insuring their own personal safety.  Many of the volunteers said they also acted as ambassadors to the numerous tourists seeking directions and other advice.

We concluded our first busy summer season with a nice recognition event hosted by the Springdale Job Corps.  They provided food and beverages to honor our volunteers for assisting the community.  We discussed our first summer season in regard to making things even better and more efficient for future patrols.

The Big Bear Market owners, Mr. and Mrs. Bhullar, were also presented with a framed thank you letter for their generous donation of $1000.  This money will go towards the purchase of a surveillance camera system to assist in apprehending gorge area thieves.  The owner of Crown Point Refuse, Randy Burbach, had also previously donated $1000 as well as the Wood Village Wal-Mart; $500, and the Friends of Multnomah Falls; $500.  We would like to thank everyone for their support in getting our all-volunteer Citizen Patrol up and running!

If you would like to volunteer for the Sheriff's Office Citizen Patrol, please contact Deputy Joe Graziano at 503-251-2502 or via email at joseph.graziano@mcso.us.

Sheriff's Office accepted unwanted prescription medicines

On Saturday September 25, 2010 between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office along with the DEA accepted unwanted prescription medications from the public at the MCSO Hansen Building. Citizens dumped their pills into collection bags retaining the bottle. Liquid medications stayed in the original bottle and thrown into the collection containers. The program is completely anonymous and personal information was not collected
"The National Prescription Drug Take-Back campaign will provide a safe way for Americans to dispose of their unwanted prescription drugs," said Michele M. Leonhart, Acting Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. "This effort symbolizes DEA's commitment to halting the disturbing rise in addiction caused by their misuse and abuse. Working together with our state and local partners, the medical community, anti-drug coalitions, and a concerned public, we will eliminate a major source of abused prescription drugs, and reduce the hazard they pose to our families and communities in a safe, legal, and environmentally sound way."

Multnomah County citizens disposed of 271lbs of unwanted medications that day!

For more information and a complete list of collection sites nationally, visit www.dea.gov

Dear Sheriff Staton,

This is a note of 'Thanks'.

As I listened to your words on the 'Breaking News Alert' awhile back, I felt moved by the mountainous burden that must be yours in your efforts to locate this sweet little missing boy, Kyron Horman.

Thank you, and all who have been involved, for your diligent and heartfelt work in your continuing efforts to find Kyron.

Thank you for being a person of integrity who knows his job and is dedicated to doing all within your power to pull together the missing pieces of the puzzle.

Thank you for putting up with the anxious crowds and never-ending media and for organizing a task force dedicated to finding even more answers in this seemingly jumbled chaos of unthinkable situations.

Thank you for sacrificing all the things that we, as distant participators, never know about in your rigorous line of duty.

As you know, to a loving person, Kyron is 'everyone's son'.

He is a symbol of innocence in a world lacking of this trait.

He is a symbol of apple pie and stadium ball games and everything America stands for and fights to protect.

He is a symbol.... of a parent's worst night mares.

Everyone's 'heartstrings' have been pulled at the glimpse of Kyron's widespread pictures or at the mention of his name.

Everyone wants to see a successful end to this horrific situation.

Everyone wants the day to dawn with the discovery of this little boy.

But no one truly knows of the struggles behind the scenes except for those who are living them.

Thank you for living them, alongside of his family.

 I, as 'one', want you to know that I am grateful.

You too, will be in the prayers that we invoke for Kyron.

Thank you Sheriff Staton. And thank you to all of your staff and helpers.

Sincerely,

Jill (and Tim) Dyches