To all our Washington County residents, 

We know you have a choice, and we are thankful to be able to continue serving you at full strength, along with the District Attorney's Office, Community Corrections, Juvenile Department, and our other justice partners.

Thank you for your continued support of the Washington County Sheriff's Office!

Brrrrrr . . . as the temperatures drop and the windy weather returns, many people in our community will need coats to keep warm. Do you have one warm coat to spare?

Monday - Friday, 8:00 am to 1:00 pm
Banks City Hall, Banks

The coats will be distributed by Family Resource Centers within Washington County. Thank you for spreading the warmth by supporting the One Warm Coat project!  Details and locations.

A 74-year-old man from McMinnville, David Hostetler, had been missing since October 16. Mr. Hostetler is a Navy veteran and retired Yamhill County Sheriff's Office deputy. On October 21, our Search and Rescue team, along with 17 Explorers, began searching for Mr. Hostetler in the forest southeast of Tillamook near Beaver, Oregon.

During the search, Explorers noticed a credit card and knife on the mud-covered ground under vegetation, just off an old logging road. This trail was the only access point to where Mr. Hostetler's car had been left and was a well-traveled path that was used during the long search. Searchers realized this likely meant he was nearby. They found him just about 50 meters down a steep embankment, alive. He had tumbled down the hillside and came to a stop when he became pinned under a fallen log. In less than 40 minutes, our Explorers had extracted Mr. Hostetler from the ravine and transported him to a nearby landing zone, where a helicopter took him to a hospital. 

Our youth are constantly connected to technology and social media. Whether it is a smart phone, tablet, or laptop, they can communicate online in the blink of an eye.

Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram are just a few well-known social media apps. On Facebook, anyone who is added as a contact is considered a "friend." Does your child really know who they are "friending?"

Predators take advantage of social media by disguising themselves with a fake online profile. By acting a certain age or gender, they can easily lure a child or teen into communicating with them. After just a few messages, they can often convince youth to share personal information, or even meet in person, making them vulnerable victims. The slang term for this is "catfishing."

Our best advice is for parents to befriend their children on the apps they use so they can better monitor their use. It's not uncommon for kids to have multiple Facebook accounts, too, so parents need to be proactive about keeping up with them.

If you don't think it can happen to your child, our detectives suggest you watch this video. Using hidden cameras, it reveals a few examples of "catfishing" and how dangerous it can be.

We are not trying to scare you, but rather encourage you to communicate with the youth in your life about the potential risks of trusting someone they have never met. Work with them to determine what is and is not safe information to share. If they want to meet a new friend, agree on a plan that will ensure their safety.

The best time to have these conversations is BEFORE your kids create a social media account (which is earlier and earlier now). Let's work together to keep kids safe online!

Your Sheriff's Office and Centro Cultural of Washington County are joining several community partners in offering a free, hot meal for members of our community who are in need. Dinner will be served Saturday, November 21, from 4 - 8 pm, at Cornelius Grade School. All ages are welcome.

This event is made possible by donations from area churches, local businesses, and the generosity of local citizens.  Printable flyer in English/Spanish.

Help Someone Find Holiday or Meal Assistance
To help someone in need find holiday assistance programs, home-delivered meals, or shelters, consider visiting 211info or simply dial 211, toll free, from anywhere in the county.

Access the County's Severe Weather Shelter List for Homeless Persons
Washington County regularly updates a list of Severe Weather Shelters and Warming Centers available for homeless people in Washington County. With temperatures dropping to the 30s some nights, helping people find shelters near them will be important.

On October 26, the Westside Crime Prevention Coalition, a partnership between your Sheriff's Office and the police departments of Beaverton, Hillsboro, and Tigard, proudly graduated 15 participants from the Safety Academy.