Sheriff's Office News
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Sheriff Garrett Invites You to a Memorial Day Ceremony

Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett extends his invitation to veterans, families, and friends to honor this Memorial Day Holiday at a special ceremony.  This event honors the members of the armed forces that made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country.

Hillsboro Mayor Jerry Willey will be the ceremony host and Sheriff Pat Garrett will be the keynote speaker. Mayor Willey served in the United States Navy and is a Vietnam veteran.  

Sheriff Garrett enlisted in 1987, serving two tours overseas, to include a tour in Iraq.  Sheriff Garrett recently retired as a Lieutenant Colonel with the United States Army Reserve.

The ceremony will be held at the Washington County Fairgrounds Veterans Memorial Gateway at 34th Avenue and Veterans Drive in Hillsboro on May 25 at 2:00 p.m.  Free parking is located in the Tri-Met lot at the Fair Complex/Hillsboro Airport Station.  

Sheriff Garrett looks forward to the public attending this important opportunity to express gratitude and honor our fallen service members.
Memorial Day Prep at the Fairgrounds
 Inmate Work Crews gave 90 hours
digging trenches for electrical wire
and landscaping
Memorial Day Event
Monday, May 25, at 2:00 pm
Washington County Fairgrounds

A Step Forward with House Bill 2002
From Sheriff Pat Garrett
  
At at time when national media is reporting on the strained relations between many police departments and ethnic groups, Oregon took a unifying step with House Bill 2002.  Sheriff's and police chiefs across our state, stakeholders who represent communities of color, and legislators, successfully reached agreement on an anti-profiling bill.
  
HB 2002 accomplished three main goals: 1) It defines profiling that is based on bias, 2) it requires police agencies to have a policy that prohibits profiling, and 3) it establishes a working group to study ways to identify patterns of profiling and, if they exist, recommend corrective action. 
  
The law does not restrict policy from taking action based on the physical description of a suspect when a crime has been committed.
  
Your Sheriff's Office has had a policy prohibiting bias-based profiling for 12 years.  The fact that sheriffs, chiefs, stakeholders, and legislators can agree on this sensitive and important subject is a win for all Oregon communities.
  
The men and women of your Sheriff's Office continue to be dedicated to the protection of everyone, and are committed to our core values: do our best, do the right thing, and treat others as we want to be treated.
  

Traffic Stop of the Month
  
During routine patrol on Cornelius Pass Road this week, Deputy Green had to look twice.  This truck was traveling down the road with the flow of traffic just like this.

When the battery terminal falls out of the battery, the only way to "limp" home is by having your buddy hold the battery in place with some vice grips.  And when driving, hold your head out the window like a Labrador Retriever so you can see around the hood!

These guys might get extra credit for creativity and originality, but not safety.  
  

New Law on Firearms Transfers

Senate Bill 941 was signed by the Governor on May 11.  It will soon change laws that govern transfers of firearms in Oregon.  Effective August 9, 2015, a background check will be required for all gun transfers 
between private parties, unless one of the listed exemptions applies.  

Gun Law Update
For instance, the law does not apply to transfers between family members (spouses, domestic partners, aunts, uncles, first cousins, etc.) or when loaning a firearm someone for hunting or use at a shooting range. 

 

The new law also sets disqualifiers for people who are in outpatient treatment for mental illness.  If they are prohibited by the court from possessing firearms, they will also be disqualified from buying a firearm or applying for a concealed handgun license.  (See our June issue for more on this topic.)
 

Please understand that our Concealed Handgun License Unit, by law, will be unable to do the background checks to help people complete sales transactions.  They must be performed by the Oregon State Police through a gun dealer (as defined). 

 


 

 

Deputy Jason Moser

From Cornelius Officer to Sheriff's Deputy


 

Deputy Jason Moser joined the Sheriff's Office when we began providing city-level police services in Cornelius.  A former Cornelius Police Officer, Deputy Moser has spent the majority of his career focused in impaired driving enforcement and training other officers to do the same.  He is a Standardized Field Sobriety Test instructor, a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE), and hopes to become a DRE instructor within a year. 

 

Deputy Moser's passion for DUII enforcement and education is evident as you speak with him, "DUII enforcement is what I have wanted to do, and trained to do, for the past six years."  He was a natural fit for the Sheriff's dedicated DUII patrol.

 

Moser confides that although he was initially reluctant to join the Sheriff's Office, "I've found WCSO really to be the best place I've worked in law enforcement so far.  I really like our core values to Do the Right Thing, Treat Others How You Want to be Treated, and Do Your Best.  That's how I live day-to-day life, so it's been pretty easy and fun to be that way at work."

 

All good deputies do not start their careers in law enforcement right away.  Deputy Moser's past careers include chef, mill worker, taxi dispatcher, PCC Public Safety Officer, and West Linn Police Department Reserve Deputy.


 

Create a Career With Our Team!

HAWK signal red
Traffic Refresher -- HAWK Signals Installed

Have you seen the new HAWK pedestrian traffic signals? 

 

The City of Beaverton has installed High intensity Activated crossWalK (HAWK) signals at a few locations.  Examples are on Hall Boulevard east of Greenway and on Farmington Road at Rose Lane. 

 

HAWK signal yellow

These three-part lights remain dark until triggered by a pedestrian. Then they transition from solid red to flashing red.  Here is what drivers need to know: 

  • Solid red means all drivers MUST stop.
  • Flashing red means drivers must stop, confirm there are no pedestrians in or walking into their path, and then proceed. 

The City of Lakewood has a good HAWK signal simulation that shows what drivers see and what pedestrians see through the cycles of this signal.

 

HAWK Signal Simulation

  

Community News


New K9 Team Hits the Road
Congratulations to Deputy Michael Zaugg and K-9 Chase (great name for a tracking dog).  The team passed Oregon Police Canine Standards on May 21, and then had their first capture in ONE HOUR. The team responded to a domestic dispute at a home on Highway 219 where the suspect had fled the home. 

K9 Zaugg began searching property around the home at 10:52 pm, and made the capture in exactly one hour.  Following investigation, the suspect was not charged with any new crimes; however, he was taken into custody on an outstanding arrest warrant.  Nice work!


Two Calls About Teens in Drug-Induced Rage
Deputies responded to two calls in two days in Aloha where teens have gone into violent rages, torn houses apart, and caused injuries. Both fought with deputies and were taken to the hospital.

In the first case, family members reported a teen enraged and tearing the house apart and bleeding.  They thought drugs might be involved. While talking calmly with the deputy initially, he suddenly started flailing his arms and knocked over a book case and TV.  It took several deputies to finally subdue and calm him down.
  
In the second case, a 17-year-old juvenile in Aloha randomly chased a 13-year-old from a park to his house where the victim locked himself inside.  The suspect kicked in the front door, picked up a bat, and began swinging at the younger boy. The victim was able to flee from the house and call for help, but the rage of the suspect continued as he began destroying the inside of the house. The suspect charged at responding deputies and fought until they could get him into handcuffs.

Medical staff confirmed each teen suffered an LSD overdose, and one person may have suffered brain injury. Because these cases are still under investigation, it is too early to know if the overdoses are a coincidence. 

In both cases, the teens seemed to momentarily calm down, then raged, and continued this cycle until they received medical attention.  Call 9-1-1 immediately if you observe this behavior or if you have any information about drug-related crimes.  Both of these cases put several innocent people at risk.


Hull Inspections

Cost of the hull inspection: priceless.  No really, it's FREE.  Just call non-emergency dispatch at (503) 629-0111 to have a deputy come to you or, better yet, flag us down at Hagg Lake and we will take care of it on the spot!



Avoid a Traffic Citation on Oleson Road
While the majority of the construction work is complete on Oleson Road, road crews are still working on the final touches.  The designated speed for this work zone remains 25 MPH.  Please slow down to keep workers safe.


More Sheriff's Office Media Releases


Other County Information
05/22/2015 - Farmington Road Construction Begins June 1 (Murray Boulevard to Hocken Avenue).  
05/22/2015 - More road news is available at www.wc-roads.com.

 

Coffee with a Cop - Bethany and Cornelius
 
 

K-9 Trials and Kids Safety Fair    

Deputy Green and K9 Gunny invite you to join us for the 10th annual Washington County Sheriff's Office police K-9 Trials.  This free event is great for families!

Date:   Saturday, June 20
Time:   Kids Safety Fair, 10 am to noon
            K-9 Competition, 11 am to 2 pm
Place:  Washington County Fairgrounds

The event kicks off with a large Safety Fair for kids and adults, from 10 am to noon.  Then the actual K-9 competition runs from 11 am to 2 pm.  

There will be bleachers or you can bring your own seating.  Food and drinks will be available for sale.  This event fills quickly, so come early to get a good seat.  Outside dogs are not permitted.

This is an awesome event.  If you have never seen it, you are in for a treat!  Printable flyer.  Best Photo Contest #WCSOK9Trials on Instagram flyer.
Crime Reports icon

Crime Reports 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 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.

 

Believe it or Not!

Deputies stopped a car for traffic violations.  The driver and his passenger wife were both intoxicated. The husband was arrested for DUII, and the wife had a friend come to help move their car and take her home. 

After taking the husband to jail, deputies got back on the road. Just across from the Sheriff's Office, a familiar-looking car pulled from the parking structure.  The driver committed traffic violations and was stopped.  Guess who was driving - the wife, and she was still intoxicated.

She did not recognize that the deputies were the same ones who had stopped her husband just two hours before.  She was arrested for DUII, and joined her husband in the famous Washington County Jail "Bed and Breakfast."
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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.

 

For more details on the crimes they committed or their physical description, click on any photo to visit:
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