Sheriff's Office News 
  



Holiday Shopping Budget - With DUII

Sing along everyone - 

Dashing through the malls,
With a car plum full of gifts,
Since I had some drinks,
I'll call a taxi for a lift . . .

During the 4-day Thanksgiving holiday period, deputies arrested 23 people for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants - alcohol or drugs.  

People from all walks of life drive intoxicated throughout the county and the many devastating results are completely avoidable.  Are you or your friends ever DUII drivers?

The receipt attached includes just a few of the actual monetary costs of DUII.  

Please talk to people about driving sober over the holidays and be the example yourself.  Give everyone the gift of safe travels!


Building Community Relationships and Trust
A Message from Sheriff Pat Garrett on Current Events

National news is filled with examples of failed police and community relations.  While the most recent events happened in other states, we cannot ignore the fact that similar sentiment may be shared by some in our local community.  The good news is your Sheriff's Office has a record of building strong relationships with many community groups and continues to make this a priority.
 
We live in the most diverse county in Oregon.  Some residents are attracted to this county by its high tech careers, others arrived as farm workers or laborers, and still others are arriving as refugees or immigrants. As our population continues to grow, building trusting relationships within our community and having clear communication is an ongoing and essential challenge.

As a public service agency, we have the opportunity to work first hand with our community members, either directly or indirectly. Working as a patrol deputy, we respond daily to help people who are elderly, in mental health crisis, victims of abuse, disabled, homeless, veterans, and have many different backgrounds with varied life circumstances or experiences.  Jail deputies work with inmates, family members, attorneys, and clergy - sometimes all coming from varied cultural and socioeconomic groups. Our success in resolving neighborhood issues, investigating cases, and safely operating a jail depends on cultivating an understanding of people, no matter their background.

We train for success.  Sheriff's Office staff receive ongoing training in cross-cultural communication and the impacts of bias.  Over the last 10 months, members from several different cultural and community groups provided input on the course content, helping to shape our approach to this proactive training.  As our community is constantly changing, this type of training will never be finished.  We will continue to assess our progress and determine our best steps to ensure we are constantly growing and developing the most up-to-date programs.

Your Sheriff's Office is also continually conducting outreach to its diverse communities.  It was a privilege to recently join leaders in the Muslim communities and Sheriff's Office staff at two gatherings.  While our relationship with some of these leaders may be new, we are beginning to take the right steps to build for the future.  Additionally in November, Sheriff's Office staff assisted in serving a community dinner to a large cross-section of people in Cornelius.  The dinner served residents, primarily those with limited resources, who may have not had the opportunity to enjoy their own holiday dinner.  These shared positive experiences are invaluable.

We accept the challenge to not only acknowledge differences but to embrace them and continue to build relationships through our experiences together.  By this, we develop trust - which is something we cannot do without.

While we always strive to be better, our deputies, investigators, office staff and many volunteers do an excellent job day-to-day tackling enormously challenging work across a richly diverse Washington County. They deserve our full support, and I thank you for yours. 

We all wish you save travels and the happiest of holidays!
  
Sincerely,
 
Sheriff Pat Garrett

 

Sharing Christmas Joy With Kids


Deputies had two great opportunities to Christmas shop with kids for the 
holidays. On December 4, Cornelius Walmart hosted Shop with a Cop for 24 kids from the local community.  


Then, on December 5, deputies had the pleasure of Christmas shopping with 23 additional kids at the Cornelius Fred Meyer. 

 

Deputies look forward to this event each year and to having so much fun with these kids. 

 

We thank the schools for helping to nominate the eligible children.  We also are grateful to Fred Meyer and Walmart for their generous donations that make this program possible.  

                                                          
                   

Sheriff's Office Puts Two New Narcotics K9 Teams on the Road!

Congratulations to Deputy Dan DiPietro and K9 Tux (top) and to Deputy Don Maller and K9 Taz (bottom) on completing their police dog certification training and earning their narcotics detection certification.  These teams go through an intensive training process, especially to be dually trained as police search and narcotics detection teams.

Training has already paid off with a big drug bust! Last month, Deputy Maller responded at the request of Oregon State Police to search a vehicle the trooper stopped on I-5.

Taz went into action searching the vehicle and alerted on the trunk area, locating about 3.3 pounds of Heroin.   Both vehicle occupants from Utah were lodged in the Clackamas County Jail.  

Nice work!



One Warm Coat Leads to Many Warm People

The community gathered their hearts and coats to make this season a little warmer for many children and adults in need.  Our One Warm Coat campaign proudly collected 472 coats, which were delivered to the Hillsboro Family Resource Center.
  
We thank our hard-working volunteers, Vince and Linette Montecalvo, Bryon Scott, Bonnie Hadley, Christen Reed and Florence Kawai, as well as our fellow Washington County partners, the Cities of Cornelius and Banks, Cruise In Diner and the Glencoe High School Kindness Club.  This outstanding team contributed in the collection and transportation of these coats. 

We also thank all of you for making this project such a success!  Please keep One Warm Coat in mind for next year ...


Help Me Home - Another Local Mom Shares Her Story
(Written by a Sheriff's Office News Reader)


Hello,

I read the article about the "someone waving a gun" call in Beaverton.  It turns out the gun was not real and the person waving it was not only autistic, but afraid of the police.  Fortunately, no one, including the autistic boy, was injured because of the way the call was handled by the Sheriff's Office.

The next day, a woman sent an email to the Sheriff's Office describing how she has a 33-year-old autistic son who is also afraid of the police.  She said that her greatest fear was that her son might do something similar and have a potentially harmful encounter with police. She commended the officers for the way they handled the situation as it slightly lessened her fears.

I also have an autistic son, and it has also been a huge fear of mine to think of what might happen to him if he ever encountered police and didn't follow their instructions.  In my son's case, not only is he autistic, but he is profoundly deaf.

I was relieved, therefore, to find out about your Help Me Home program for people with disabilities who could potentially get lost or be unable to communicate with law enforcement.  The program allows a parent or caregiver to supply a photo along with information about the person, including what they might do if confronted by police, and recommendations for effective communication.

This would be the perfect opportunity to remind others about the existence of this wonderful program.

Sincerely,

A Mom in Washington County
 
  

Definitely Not a "Silent Night" 

 

It is true that deputies never know what a call will involve - and they also don't know how many of them will happen in a shift.  We picked a Sunday graveyard shift, not on a holiday weekend, which you might expect to be somewhat calm.  Consider that these calls require multiple deputies, trips to jail, and definitely unknown risk.

 

9:49 PM - Burglary now - west county resident reported someone trying to break into their house. No one was found in the house or on the property.

 

10:16 PM - Mental health issue with family member who was out of control; relatives had locked themselves in a bedroom for safety.  Deputies responded multiple times for similar reasons, but the family did not want action taken.

 

10:53 PM - Disturbance with a weapon - a male suspect with a gun got into his vehicle as deputies arrived, causing a high risk stop. Less lethal munitions were deployed (beanbag rounds), and the suspect was detained.

 

12:12 AM - Female teen found passed out roadside with her pants undone.  A male was found in a compromising position and ended up fighting with a deputy.  The male was taken to jail; the girl was transported to a local hospital.

 

12:24 AM - Female fighting and breaking stuff in local bar.  The woman was detained and put in the back of a patrol car. She slipped her handcuffs, stripped naked, and tried to tear apart the patrol car.

 

1:52 AM - Deputies assist Tualatin police with a possible arson.  Suspects learned that huffing butane in a gas station restroom can be dangerous.  They were located at a hospital with burns to their hands and faces.

 

2:19 AM - Male fighting with staff to escape from the Community Corrections Center. A K9 tracked to the location where he likely got into a vehicle.

 

2:56 AM - Dispatch relayed that more than 10 people in Aloha were beating up a neighbor who confronted them.  All parties are uncooperative and belligerent.  They were preoccupied with taking pictures and videos. Several were arrested on outstanding arrest warrants.

 

3:21 AM - Male reported a suspect pointed a gun at him.  When deputies make contact, they find two suspects who are mentally ill and hallucinating.  There was no gun and no suspect.

 

6:03 AM - Male points a gun when roommate tries to retrieve his property.  Suspect explained to deputies that he did not own or have a firearm in his possession and never did. Deputies found one hidden under his rocking chair.  Suspect went to jail for Menacing with a Weapon and Unauthorized Use of a Weapon.

 

 

 


Deck the Halls - by Letting Go a Little

For most of us, the holidays are an amazing mix of joy and stress, and many aspects of the holidays can bring both of those experiences: spending time with family, buying gifts, workload, travel, and spiritual practice, just to name a few.  Some of the most challenging aspects of the holidays are the expectations that we all have about what the holiday is supposed to look like, how our family is supposed to look and behave, and the perfect gift we feel we are supposed to buy.

This season, you might want to try letting go of some of those expectations.  Instead, a couple of times a day, try taking a deep breath, and acknowledge some of the moments, experiences and people for whom you are grateful.  Don't wait for the earth-shattering moments, but notice the small ones - from your spouse who did the dishes before you got home from work, to the stranger who held the door for you at the store, to the seat you were able to get on the Max train that is almost always full.

If at any time you find the holidays difficult or sad or lonely, or you know someone else you believe is struggling, remember - there is always someone to talk to, any time of the day or night.

   
You have many opportunities in Washington County to access mental health and emergency services. If you feel your safety or the safety of someone else is threatened by suicide or mental health crisis, please call 911 to report the emergency. In non-emergency situations, you can refer a person via an e-mail to our Mental Health Response Team or call the Crisis Line (503) 291-9111 that is always available.



Community News

 

stack of newspapers 366x600Stolen Christmas Packages Recovered!

On December 5, deputies and detectives recovered more than 100 items that were stolen during package thefts.  While many of the items have been identified and linked to police reports, many others have not.  If you have had a package stolen, please take time to report the theft.  Two people have been arrested.

 

Elderly Man Victim of Hit & Run on Beef Bend Road

Just after 5:00 pm on December 2, a motorist called 911 to report finding an elderly man on his hands and knees bleeding from his head on the east side of SW Beef Bend Road.  He had been knocked down and was badly injured.  Car parts were scattered in the roadway.  The driver of the vehicle that struck him did not stop. 

 

The county Crash Analysis and Reconstruction Team was called out to investigate the incident.  They identified a suspect vehicle early on and shared it with the media.  The following day, a citizen tip led deputies to the driver. Deputies recovered his vehicle which matched evidence at the scene and took him into custody.

 

Armed Robbery of Person in Aloha

On December 11, just before midnight, numerous deputies were dispatched to a reported robbery with a gun on SW Blanton in Aloha.  An unknown adult male wearing all black and holding a silver handgun took the victim's wallet and iPad, then went south on 175th Avenue.  If you have any information on this ongoing investigation, please call non-emergency dispatch at (503) 629-0111.

 

Youth Worker Arrested for Sex Abuse

Sheriff's Child Abuse Detectives are searching for other possible sex abuse victims following the arrest on December 7 of Christopher Joseph Gonzales, 44, of Vancouver, Washington.  A family in the Bonny Slope community reported abuse of three different girls as young as five years old, beginning in 2008, at their home.  Detectives processed evidence and interviewed a number of people who had knowledge of the incidents.  Mr. Gonzales volunteered at two different churches in Vancouver - Crossroads Community Church from 2010-2014 and the Freedom Community Church from early 2014 until his arrest.  Detectives fear there are more victims.  He was arrested for First Degree Sexual Abuse.  If you have any information, please call the Sheriff's Office at (503) 846-2500.

 

Washington County Alarm Permit Services Available Online NEW!

Notice to Alarm Permit Holders 


 

More Sheriff's Office Media Releases

 

12/12/2014  Six Men Arrested in Human Trafficking

12/10/2014  Sheriff's Office Provides Enhanced DUII Patrol

12/09/2014  Deputies Arrest Three After Drug Related Robbery

12/08/2014  Deputies Conduct Underage Alcohol Compliance Sting





Links to Holiday Resources in Our County


  


 

  

Crime Maps Online

 

This link to Crime Reports automatically opens with a view of all requests for police service (except traffic) in unincorporated Washington County during the last 30 days. 

  • Click on this link
  • Enter your address to view your area
  • If you live in Banks, Cornelius or Gaston, type in your city in this format "Cornelius, OR"
  • Click on map markers to view call details
  • Use the Advanced Search to change time periods, add traffic data, etc.

Keep in mind, these are requests for police service, not confirmed crimes.  

   

Visit the Sheriff's Community Calendar for seasonal celebrations, FREE Training, and safety events.


 

Ask Your Question

Dumb Crook - Knock, Knock . . . Who's There?


 

This month's Dumb Crook got into the holiday "spirits."  Deputies were dispatched to an early morning burglary call.  Upon arrival, they found our dumb crook banging on the front door of the reporting party's home.  They could smell a strong odor of alcohol emanating from the crook.  A deputy asked what he was doing at that house, and the crook replied, "Trying to break in."  When asked why, the crook stated, "Because other [sic] don't understand the globalization."  


Deputies arrested him for Criminal Trespass and took him to jail.  His blood alcohol content was 0.259%.  We think he is on the naughty list. 

This Month's "Most Wanted"  
 
The following people are wanted for committing crimes.  Do not approach them.  If you see them or have information to share with law enforcement, please call the Sheriff's 24-Hour Records Office at (503) 846-2700 or non-emergency dispatch at (503) 629-0111.
  
Most Wanted
  
For more details on the crimes they committed or their physical description, click on any photo to visit:
 

 

  
  
   
 
Washington County Sheriff's Office, Hillsboro, Oregon
Nationally Accredited by CALEA since 2004
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