Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Explained

Agencyname:Multnomah County Sheriff's Office
Patch:Multnomah County, OR Sheriff - NS.jpgframeless
Patchcaption:Patch of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office
Motto:A Safe and Thriving Community for Everyone
Employees:800
Legaljuris:Multnomah County
Police:Yes
Local:Yes
Headquarters:Multnomah County, Oregon
Stationtype:Office
Chief1name:Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell
Chief1position:Sheriff
Sworn:590
Sworntype:Deputies
Unsworn:210
Unsworntype:Civilian employees

Multnomah County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) serves the close to 700,000 residents[1] [2] of Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. Multnomah County Sheriff's Office is a County Law Enforcement agency that handles 9-1-1 calls and assists other city agencies such as Portland Police Bureau. The current Sheriff is Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell.[3] The cities of Maywood Park, Wood Village, Fairview, and Troutdale contract out the law enforcement services of Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.[4]

The sheriff is elected by popular vote, and oversees a budget of $118 million.

History

Multnomah County Sheriff's Office was established in February 1854, with William L. McMillen as the first sheriff; he served until 1862.[1] In 1960, the Sheriff's Office created the River Patrol Unit, which has grown to be the largest river patrol division in the state.[5]

In the past, as recently as the 1980s, the position was essentially the "top cop" in the county, performing law enforcement for the bulk of the county's population., however, as the unincorporated areas of the county have diminished, 85% of sheriff's office employees work in corrections rather than law enforcement.[6]

On July 1, 2015, the Sheriff's Office began policing services for the city of Troutdale. In a 10-year agreement, the officers and civilian personnel of the Troutdale Police department were brought in as sworn deputies and employees of the Sheriff's Office. The agreement was reported to save the City of Troutdale over $900,000 per year over a ten-year period. The deal also included leasing of the Troutdale Police Community Center. The Law Enforcement patrol, property, and records divisions were also moved from the Hansen Building to this location in July, 2015.[7]

The sheriff's office oversees a budget of $118 million.[6]

In early 2020, the Sheriff's Office switched their emerald uniforms to black ones. Part of this change also included updating the vehicle livery and retiring their green vehicles.[8]

In 2023, Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell became the first female Sheriff in the agency's history.[9]

Overdoses among inmate escalated due to illegally smuggled drugs by inmates. In August 2023, a strip search was put back into place in response.[10]

Controversies

Sheriff Bernie Giusto

Former Sheriff Bernie Giusto resigned on July 1, 2008[11] [12] after a state police standards board recommended that he lose his badge because of multiple issues including using an official vehicle for personal use,[13] lying about a relationship he had with former Governor Neil Goldschmidt's wife while he was assigned to the governor's protective service branch in the mid-1980s,[14] and allegations that he lied about his knowledge of Goldschmidt's illegal sexual relationship with a minor in the 1970s. In addition to ethics violations, Giusto was thought to have managed the county budget poorly, and when confronted about such issues once replied with "They're not my bosses; they're my bankers, I'm not gonna debate how I do spend my budget. That's why I'm independently elected."[15] [16] Days after making that comment, he closed the county's restitution center, which was a program that was just created that year.

2015 retaliation incident

In 2015, Sergeant Brent Ritchie worked with three other deputies to investigate use of force in the Sheriff's Office's jails. Their conclusion was that use of force was disproportionately used against Black inmates. Sheriff Dan Staton demoted Ritchie upon being shown the final report.[17]

In 2019, a court rules that Staton retaliated against Ritchie and Ritchie was awarded $250,000 plus attorney's fees.[18]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Multnomah County . 2007-11-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120207051719/http://www.mcso.us/public/history.htm . 2012-02-07 . dead .
  2. Web site: U.S census bureau. https://archive.today/20200210211208/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US4101000&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US41%7C16000US4101000&_street=&_county=Multnomah+County&_cityTown=Multnomah+County&_state=04000US41&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null:null&_keyword=&_industry=. dead. 2020-02-10. 2009-02-17.
  3. Web site: 2023-01-04 . Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell sworn in as Multnomah County Sheriff; first woman to hold the office in the organization's near 170 year history. . 2023-02-26 . Multnomah County . en . 27 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230227000006/https://www.multco.us/multnomah-county/news/nicole-morrisey-o%E2%80%99donnell-sworn-multnomah-county-sheriff-first-woman-hold . live .
  4. Web site: City Of Wood Village . 2007-11-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110609075458/http://www.ci.wood-village.or.us/police.htm . 2011-06-09 . dead .
  5. Web site: River patrol. 2007-11-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20071127015904/http://www.mcso.us/public/rpu.htm. 2007-11-27. dead.
  6. News: Sheriff should be appointed, not elected. Anna. Griffin. The Oregonian. July 25, 2009.
  7. Web site: Troutdale Police Department taken over by sheriff's office. KGW.
  8. Web site: Oregonian/OregonLive . Piper McDaniel The . 2020-01-25 . Out: Emerald pants. In: black shirts. Multnomah County sheriff’s deputies get new, modern uniforms . 2024-04-05 . oregonlive . en.
  9. Web site: Oregonian/OregonLive.com . Catalina Gaitán The . 2023-01-04 . Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell sworn in as Multnomah County’s first female sheriff . 2024-04-05 . oregonlive . en.
  10. Web site: 2023-08-16 . Multnomah County's Dysfunctional Jails Have Turned Deadly . 2023-08-16 . Willamette Week . en . 2023-08-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230816213828/https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/08/16/multnomah-countys-dysfunctional-jails-have-turned-deadly/ . live .
  11. News: Multnomah County sheriff Bernie Giusto will retire July 1 . Arthur . Sulzberger . Arthur Gregg Sulzberger . . May 22, 2008 . February 13, 2018 . May 31, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080531032402/http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/05/multnomah_county_sheriff_will.html . live .
  12. News: Multnomah Sheriff Bernie Giusto Will Retire . Tim . King . Salem-News.com . May 22, 2008 . March 17, 2009 . September 29, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110929055220/http://www.salem-news.com/articles/may222008/sheriff_retires_5-22-08.php . live .
  13. News: Ethics panel rules against Giusto . Arthur . Sulzberger . Arthur Gregg Sulzberger . . June 21, 2008 . March 17, 2009 . January 9, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090109031348/http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1214018735206050.xml&coll=7 . live .
  14. News: Second Giusto investigation finds fault . Arthur . Sulzberger . Arthur Gregg Sulzberger . . December 15, 2007 . March 17, 2009 . May 16, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080516174231/http://www.oregonlive.com/special/index.ssf/2008/02/second_giusto_investigation_fi.html . live .
  15. News: Giusto may lose budget control . Arthur . Sulzberger . Arthur Gregg Sulzberger . The Oregonian. May 28, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20110609073512/http://www.portlandonline.com/leonard/index.cfm?a=157311&c=27435. June 9, 2011.
  16. News: Giusto refused polygraph . Nick . Budnick . . October 29, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20110608042203/http://portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=119370135883607500. June 8, 2011.
  17. Web site: 2018-09-16 . Multnomah County Must Now Defend Disgraced Former Sheriff Dan Staton . 2024-04-05 . Willamette Week . en.
  18. Web site: 2019-06-02 . A Multnomah County Jury Finds Former Sheriff Dan Staton Retaliated Against Subordinate . 2024-04-05 . Willamette Week . en.

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