Sheriff Pat Garrett extends his appreciation through end-of-year agency updates, "I want to share what the past 18 months have been like for my team and how proud I am of their performance during this extraordinarily challenging time. They did not rest; they showed up to work every day and adapted to the changes and uncertainty of this pandemic." 

Sheriff Garrett also invites you to visit our Accountability webpage, where we've outlined many operational changes in response to community feedback and calls for reform.

This past year has highlighted what we already knew – when communities come together, we create real strength and resilience. At one of the most challenging times we are likely to experience in our lives, our community became a much-needed support system to encourage one another and pull us all through.

This past week a community member anonymously dropped off over 200 handcrafted cards to share amongst our deputies – this is just one of many acts of gracious kindness shown to our staff throughout the year. We are exceedingly honored to serve a community founded on a willingness to help and support one another. One kind person could not have established this alone; it took an entire community full of kind people, businesses, and organizations to make it happen.

It can sometimes be easy to miss seeing these moments of kindness, but it's what continues to make our community strong. Thank you for your continued support, compassion, and dedication to our community.

2021 has been a year full of adjustment, accountability, recovery, lingering anticipation to resume social norms again, and hard work to adapt to the challenges that continue to surface. Here's a look back at a few notable moments over the past year:

February 3 – Always looking for keen hiding spots, wanted suspects try their best to be creative when attempting to evade police. Alejandro Jaimes-Radilla thought he'd found a clever place to hide, curled up on a rooftop while police searched for him on an outstanding felony warrant and other charges. A K9 track led officers to his vicinity, but the technologically advanced use of a drone caught the moment police discovered Alejandro. Once he realized the drone had spotted him, Alejandro climbed down and gave himself up without further incident. 

WCSO Remotely Operated Vehicle Team (ROVT) has safely and successfully helped apprehend many suspects using drones and mechanical robots. The team also uses their equipment in search and rescue missions and to enter locations unsafe for deputies or K9s. 

March 2021 - WCSO took a huge step this past year by opening a brand new Jail Investigator position. Jail Corporal Justin Gabler was the first to fill this position and can already note several benefits this opening has provided.

The intent of this new position is for a dedicated staff member to investigate all felony-level crimes occurring within the jail. These crimes can include sexual assault, adult in custody assault, assaults on deputies, contempt of court, witness tampering, domestic violence follow-ups, and even robberies.

"This position keeps me super busy all day, every day," said Detective Gabler, illuminating the variety of cases he reviews even focused inside the jail walls. Crimes occurring within the jail is unfortunately not uncommon, and having the expertise of an investigator familiar with the jail and its operations has proven instrumental when conducting these investigations.

Detective Gabler started with WCSO as a jail deputy in May 2014; his knowledge of the facility and common behaviors among adults in custody has made him invaluable in this new position and an integral addition to our investigations team.

Sheriff's deputies often encounter individuals and families in need during their regular shift duties. Recognizing opportunities to help in unique situations, deputies compassionately go above their regular call of duty to distribute food boxes when appropriate. 

The Sunshine Division of Portland supplied WCSO with food boxes for over a decade; however, the volume of need at the beginning of the pandemic reduced their capacity to maintain this partnership. The Osborne's from Westside Food Brigade of Aloha reached out with a desire to continue this program by providing boxes containing shelf-stable food, hand sanitizer, masks, can openers, and even toilet paper. The Westside Food Brigade is entirely volunteer-run, and we extend our appreciation for their sacrifice and continued support for our community. Thank you, Sunshine Division, for your years of continued service and Westside Food Brigade, for your incredible generosity and support through this community outreach; your impact is immeasurable!

June 2021 – The WCSO Mental Health Response Team (MHRT) has served Washington County for over 11 years. This team uniquely pairs a deputy with a master's level mental health clinician from Lifeworks NW. MHRT's primary goal is to connect people with mental health services rather than potentially taking them to jail or a nearby hospital. They have experienced great success, and last year the team responded to more than 2000 calls for service. They also follow up with people to ensure they are connected to the services they need to help their individual situations.

This past June, MHRT expanded and became a multi-jurisdictional team incorporating new members from the Sherwood Police Department with plans to expand even further to include officers from Hillsboro, Beaverton, King City, Tigard, and Tualatin Police Departments. The MHRT team responds to mental health and crisis calls anywhere within Washington County; by incorporating officers from city police departments, MHRT members hope to further their impact and build this vital public safety service.

September 19 – WCSO's Marine Patrol was called to action when someone stuck on a trail at Henry Hagg Lake was experiencing a medical emergency. Thankfully, the patient's spouse was with them, flagged down the responding deputy, and led responders to the patient's exact location. Members of Gaston and Forest Grove Fire Departments also responded for medical aid, but the patient required specialized transport equipment due to their condition and location on the trail.

The WCSO Search and Rescue (SAR) Team deployed; having just finished a search in the Timber area, they were in the area and quickly arrived on scene. SAR secured the patient to a special litter (similar to a stretcher) attached to a large wheel. This equipment allowed SAR to securely evacuate the patient while keeping them level, passing over obstacles along the trail, and conserving energy despite the distance of rugged terrain. This team of teenage volunteers and WCSO staff coordinators train specifically for rescues of this sort and, like many of their call-outs, played a vital role in helping save this patient's life.

November 23 – Deputies were dispatched to the Aloha Inn, a Good Neighbor Center, to help evacuate the facility for safety concerns after a pipe burst, flooding two building floors. Thankfully, there were no injuries, but residents evacuated quickly, and many were stuck outside without shoes, coats, personal identification, and necessary medications as temperatures approached freezing.

As the residents' health and safety were of immediate concern, there were assistance facilities able to shelter them until they could return home. However, transporting them to the offsite locations became a concern when all typical transportation options were unavailable. Not able to pull patrol deputies from service, thinking efficiently and outside the box, the responding deputy, Deputy Julia Corey, contacted WCSO's Senior Chaplain Paul Lyda. Chaplain Lyda used his resources and secured a 15-passenger van from a local faith community group and personally made multiple trips to shelter the displaced residents. Though transportation is not a standard service provided by WCSO, emergency assistance is paramount. Thank you, Deputy Corey and Chaplain Lyda, for going the "extra miles!"

Visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) website for more information on safe winter driving.

Over the past few weeks, WCSO deputies and staff helped spread holiday cheer around the County through our annual Shop With a Cop program. Working with local schools, 70 nominated families received gifts and lasting memories while experiencing positive interactions with law enforcement. Traditionally, students shop with the deputies for gifts for the whole family, and while COVID-19 restricted us, it didn't stop us; instead, this year, gifts were pre-purchased and distributed to the selected families.  

 

A huge thank you to our community sponsors who helped make this possible: Washington County Police Officer's Association (WCPOA), The Sheriff's Office Foundation, Donnie Sullivan with ACT Window Tinting, Aloha Business Association (ABA), Raleigh Hills Business Association (RHBA), Westside Food Brigade, Target, Bi-Mart of Aloha, Reser's Cares, Walmart Cornelius, Fred Meyer, Coach Sarge Cine, Cornelius Police Department, school staff, and all the individual community members who contributed.

For those interested in getting involved or contributing to our program next year, please contact Public Affairs.

Over the past several weeks, WCSO partnered with the Muslim Educational Trust, Washington County, Washington County District Attorney's Office, and Community Corrections to collect food and monetary donations to support Afghan refugees settling in Oregon.

We filled a truck and dropped the donations off last week in hopes that this small gesture goes a long way in welcoming these refugees to our community.

If you would like to help, please visit METPDX.org.

The cold weather season is here, and the Sheriff's Office wants to remind community members not to leave running vehicles unattended. We have seen an increase in car thefts over the last month, and many of the cars stolen were left running and unattended. Although we all appreciate warm cars on cold mornings, remember criminals are always looking for easy targets.

Washington County Sheriff's Office is hiring patrol and jail deputies. If you or anyone you know is interested in making an impact in Washington County, check out our available positions! Visit joinWCSO.com for information on requirements, testing, application process and more.