Sheriff's Letter

Greetings,

I hope you are doing well and enjoying the last days of warm weather.  Summer seemed a little short this year and it's hard to believe that school is already back in session.  This time of year is always busy around our house and I'm sure the same is true for you.   

Things have been busy for our extended Sheriff's Office family, as well.  I've been doing a lot of traveling to attend various meetings and conferences-making sure our voice is heard and the needs, along with the exemplary efforts of our agency, are known and serve to inform the ongoing policy and budget processes.  When I took office I pledged to you that a top priority of mine was to increase our involvement and our influence at the regional, state and national levels, and we have been busy doing just that.   

Be it personally, a member of my command team, or any one of our agency's deputies or staff members-we are busy reaching out and continuing to drive the conversations about law enforcement and public safety in our community.  We are proud of the hard work we do and I know we will continue to ensure every effort is made to educate and inform not only the policy makers, but every member of the community we are so proud to serve.  Busy times call for the extended effort that has become commonplace here at MCSO, and I know that we will continue to rise to the challenge moving forward.

So I hope you find time to get out and enjoy the changing of the season, and that you and your families are well as the holiday season approaches.  Thank you for all that you do to make the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office the standard of excellence it has become.  I am proud to serve alongside each of you.

Sincerely,

     Daniel Staton

Back Row left to right: Stanimir Kolarov, Sheriff Staton, Chief Jason Gates, Chief Mike Shults, Nate Reaver, Undersheriff Tim Moore, Steve Ott Second row: Deputy Tamara Levi Sieveke, Deputy Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell, Kim Staton, Captain Mary Lindstrand, Diane Hutchinson, Jennifer Ott Third row: Peyton Sieveke, Philip Kolarov, Valentin Kolarov, Janet Hailey, Maddie Staton

On September 18th, MCSO had two teams participate in Portland's 20th Annual Race for the Cure; Sheriff's Strike Team for the Cure and Team MCSO. Beside their entrance fees, the teams made a total of $535 for the cause.

If you are interested in joining the MCSO team next year, please contact Diane Hutchinson or Nicole Morrisey. 

 

Shop with a Cop

On Saturday, August 20^th, 18 Optimist Club members, 17 Multnomah County Sheriff Deputies, three Troutdale Police Officers, one Fairview Police Officer, two Corbett Citizen Patrol members and eight volunteers joined together at Wal-Mart in Fairview to help 20 children shop for back to school supplies.    

Each child was given $100.00 to spend on supplies and was paired with a law enforcement officer and a volunteer or Optimist Club member to shop.  After shopping, Burgerville treated all the children to lunch.  The Optimist Club of Gresham paid for the officers' lunch.

This event was made possible by a $2000.00 grant  given by Wal-Mart.     

Nominate Those Who Go Above and Beyond 

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office is now celebrating those who have gone above and beyond, twice a year.  The 2011 Fall Awards Ceremony will be held Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at the Multnomah Building, First Floor, Commissioner's Board Room, 501 SE Hawthorne, Portland, OR, 97214.   

Any member of the agency, public safety community, or the public may submit a nomination. If you know someone you would like to nominate, please view our Application Form for more information. 

Congratulations and Good Luck in Your Next Endeavors

July 13, 1987

It is with mixed emotions that I am writing this today, to honor and celebrate Carol Hasler's retirement, after 24 years of dedicated service to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. While there is great sadness to see her departure, there is also great delight to know she are embarking on the next chapter of her life.

In so many ways, Carol left an indelible mark on the agency. Her knowledge, experience, and staunch dedication to the agency helped shape many of our successes. She also mentored and guided countless members. Her leadership has helped set the foundation and direction for the future of the agency.

During the course of Carol Hasler's career, she worked in eight different facilities and special assignments, spanning the start of her career as a Corrections Deputy to promotion as Chief Deputy of Corrections. In addition to other recognition and awards, she received four Unit and individual Citation Awards as well as the Oregon State Sheriffs' Association Distinguished Service Award. It is a rare breed of individual who is able to achieve that level of success. Her ability to inspire confidence in her teams, represented by the level of devotion and loyalty with which she is regarded, is a testimonial to her personal and professional abilities.

True leadership is rare to find. Our agency has been privileged to call Carol Hasler one of our own. I speak on behalf of the entire agency when I say it has been an honor to work with Carol and she is wished, with warmest regard, the best today and always.

Sincerely,

    Daniel Staton

    Sheriff

Law Enforcement Division recognizes Outstanding Member  

Chief Deputy Jason Gates with Deputy Ryan Parker

In July, Deputy Ryan Parker was recognized by Chief Deputy Jason Gates and the Law Enforcement Steering Committee as the Outstanding Member of the Quarter for the second quarter of 2011.  Dep. Parker was selected as this quarter's winner for his work with local at-risk youth.  Since January of 2011, Dep. Parker has participated in the Youth Violence Prevention Partnership in the City of Wood Village.  The partnership between the City of Wood Village, the Multnomah County Health Department and the Sheriff's Office is directed at building trust and relationships with the at-risk youth who live in the City of Wood Village.

According to Lt. Harry Smith who leads MCSO's involvement in the partnership, Deputy Parker's "easy going demeanor and life experience working with children has brought, in the eyes of the children, an approachable human face to the uniform."  In June, Deputy Parker lead a group of teens from the City of Wood Village on a day of hiking in the Columbia River Gorge.  The goal of the outing was to further develop relationships with youth who were in need of positive role models, positive interaction with law enforcement, and healthy alternatives to unhealthy and disruptive behaviors. 

Deputy Parker was hired by the Sheriff's Office in 2008 and is currently assigned to the Patrol Unit.  When he's not busy patrolling Multnomah County, Deputy Parker enjoys fishing and travelling.

Congratulations to Deputy Ryan Parker for receiving the Outstanding Member of the Quarter Award! 

-Sgt. Bryan White

 Tip a Cop 

On Thursday, September 22^nd, local law enforcement officers and department personnel  traded in their handcuffs and badges for aprons and menus to earn tips at all Oregon Applebee's Restaurants for Special Olympics Oregon (SOOR).  During the event, law enforcement personnel became "Celebrity Waiters" collecting tips from restaurant guests.  The goal of this year's "Tip-A-Cop" fundraising event is $30,000.

Lt Alexander getting ready for customers

Captain Lindstrand bringing out orders with a smile

Another Happy Customer Lt Alexander, Captain Lindstrand and Sgt Gullberg with Multnomah County athlete Jamie Newman, and her coach Kim Cunningham. Dont quit your day job Deputy Zwick!

Budget Update

In my previous Budget Update I had identified another potential budget reduction regarding a State of Oregon budget shortfall affecting funding we receive for the "local control" offender population, commonly referred to as SB 1145 funding. The cut to MCSO from this shortfall was just over 1.09 million dollars, for which we were required to submit a proposal for constraint. Since this funding is specific to supporting local jail system beds, our proposal to meet this constraint included the closure of Dorm 4 at MCIJ, closure of the Courthouse TSI program and an identified overtime savings of $200,000 through additional FTE staffing for suicide watch at MCDC.

However, through meetings with our local public safety partners we determined that our current level of jail system beds was at a base point, and that 1,310 system beds and the continuation of the TSI program were both necessary to maintain the core functions of our local public safety system. To that end, on September 15 the Board of Commissioners approved on-going contingency funding for both Dorm 4 and the TSI program, leaving only the reduction of overtime funds as our constraint relative to SB 1145 cuts. In short, no FTE cuts were made as a result of this constraint. I thank Chair Cogen for his proposal of funding these programs and the Board of Commissioners for their vote to supply these important programs.

I also want to share some uncommon good news regarding our budget since my last update. We were able to secure continued grant funding for both the Eastside Metro Enforcement Team Deputy and the In-Jail Gang Intelligence Deputy (both were expiring this year) and, in cooperation with several other county departments, secure funding for replacement of our aging fleet of Motorola radios. As you may know, BOEC is changing their broadcast platform from analog to digital, and that change coupled with replacement parts no longer being manufactured for our current radios brought our replacement need to a critical point. This need was addressed by the Chair and Board through a 1.5 million dollar contingency identified specifically for the replacement of radios county-wide - with MCSO receiving just over $900,000 for this replacement project.

Unfortunately, we may yet face another constraint exercise in February when the next state forecast is announced, but until then I will continue to work to seek funding opportunities and to keep you informed regarding impacts to our agency. As always, thank you for your continued commitment to this agency.

   Sheriff Daniel Staton  

 MCSO Search and Rescue Accepting New Members

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office has begun enrollment for its annual search and rescue (SAR) academy.  

Those who enroll in SAR academy will become members of an active search and rescue team that is regularly called to find the lost and care for the injured in the Columbia River Gorge, throughout Multnomah County and around the state of Oregon. The academy will accept volunteers over the age of 14, in good health, who are able to pass a background check. Middle and high school students must be making sufficient progress toward their diploma.

The 7-month academy offers training and experience in current search and rescue techniques and culminates in Oregon state Search and Rescue certification. After the first month of training, students will be able to participate in some searches. After just a few months, students can participate in all search types.

"SAR has been an invaluable experience," said Reserve Team Leader Lauren Dillard, who has been a member of the unit for 8 years. "I walk a little taller knowing that my hands have saved lives. My hands and my skills have brought loved ones home to their families. There is no greater human experience."

Key elements of SAR academy training include search techniques; wilderness awareness; outdoor survival skills; evidence identification and crime scene preservation; land navigation using GPS, map and compass; medical assessment; and first aid.

"MCSOSAR is an organization built by volunteers and overseen by the sheriff's office. Our primary missions include locating and rescuing those who are lost or injured in Multnomah County, as well as aiding the sheriff's office in criminal investigations," Head Advisor Courtney Keller said. Keller has been a member of the unit since 1999. "While my three siblings have also been members, this unit - as a whole - is my family. Our lives have literally depended on each other and our training."