Congratulations to Undersheriff Shawn Fischer, who retired on January 9, 2021, after 27 years of dedicated service to Washington County!

Former Chief Deputy John Koch succeeded Fischer as our new Undersheriff, and subsequently, former Commander Al Roque filled Undersheriff Koch's vacant Chief Deputy position alongside Chief Deputy Karlyn Degman. We are proud to have such honorable leadership, guiding our agency by our core values.

December always marks an exciting time for WCSO as the season of giving and our annual Shop With a Cop (SWAC) program. This year, despite continued COVID-19 safety measures, we sought alternatives to our customary celebration and still provided gifts to more than three dozen local families. Through generous donations from local sponsors, WCSO deputies gave toys, household items, jackets, blankets, and food to deserving families.

As in years past, local elementary schools nominated families to participate. Though we could not shop with the students this year, WCSO staff and volunteers assembled gift bags with "wants" and "needs" provided by each participating family. While spreading goodwill and cheer is rewarding, ultimately, creating bonds and meaningful moments between law enforcement and our local community is the driving force behind this program.

Many thanks go to all who helped make this happen. One appreciative recipient said, "Thank you, Shop With a Cop, for selecting our family. We have gone through so much since the pandemic, including losing my job. To have this opportunity was a blessing, and we are just very grateful for the help and support."

To increase connection with older adults in our community, this holiday season, the Elder Safe program of the Washington County Sheriff's Office, in partnership with the Washington County Disability, Aging, and Veteran Services program (Washington County Writes) and the Washington County Cooperative Library Service (WCCLS), encouraged local residents to write a note or color a holiday page/card to reach out to some of these isolated individuals. 

WCCLS served as a conduit to distribute these holiday greetings through their Library Mail Service, which provides materials through the mail to individuals living with limited mobility. In December and January, patrons who rarely leave their homes received a note from a caring community member along with their standard parcel of library items. In total, 180 notes, cards, and coloring pages were received and distributed! WCCLS and WCSO have already begun planning for the 2021 holiday season to make this meaningful connection with the older adults in our community an annual tradition.

Anyone wishing to make a meaningful connection into the new year is encouraged to do so through Washington County Writes. 

On October 28, 2020, the Washington County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) received its 6th consecutive accreditation award from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). Accreditation is a rigorous ongoing four-year process during which the Sheriff's Office must comply with national standards considered best policing practices in four primary areas: policy and procedures, administration, operations, and support services. After confirming standards compliance through file review, observations of agency activities, and interviews, the Commission voted unanimously to award WCSO its 6th consecutive accreditation award. This accreditation marks more than 15 years of compliance, which also awarded WCSO the Meritorious Award.

Sheriff Pat Garrett stated, "Now more than ever, the value of a national police accreditation program is being recognized as a genuine agency commitment to professionalism and learning. CALEA standards align with community-oriented policing by requiring agencies to have contemporary policies, train regularly, and build trust with the community through engagement and best practices."

This month five years ago, Corporal Elaine Benade joined the Sheriff’s Office and started her Law Enforcement career at 46. Though not the typical age of a new deputy, Elaine has never looked back and believes she is where she's supposed to be. To her co-workers, who fondly view her as ‘Mother Elaine,” she is an inspiration, and age has never held her back. Known for her kindness and grit, she is very well respected at the Washington County Jail. Along with her regular Corporal duties in the jail, Elaine is part of the Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard, Defensive Tactics Training Team, and is one of the select training instructors for Power Curve Women’s Self Defense.

Law Enforcement has always been her calling, though Elaine’s unique story kept her from pursuing her dreams earlier in adulthood. She grew up in a small mining town in South Africa where police work is not viewed as a suitable career for women. Out of respect for her family, she pursued other means and became successful as a national sales coordinator. She married, had two children, and focused her efforts on raising her family.

As the years passed in South Africa, high crime trends were an everyday struggle. Elaine remembers, “Our home was burglarized, I was car-jacked at gunpoint, and my daughter, then 14, was mugged on her way home from school. Crime there is out of control, and as a parent, you can’t risk that.” In fear for their children’s safety, Elaine and her husband started to discuss making a drastic change. By random coincidence, Elaine entered the “Green Card Lottery,” an unlikely chance to win an opportunity to apply for a US Permanent Resident Card. According to Elaine, of the 9.6 million who enter each year worldwide, only 50,000 are invited to apply. The cards fell right for her small family of 4, and within seven months, they sold everything they had, said goodbye to their extended families, and each with only two carrying bags of belongings boarded a plane and left what was known as home.

Though excited about the new adventure, the “honeymoon” ended quickly as they soon encountered everyday struggles. No jobs, no home, no address to set up bank accounts needed to apply for a home, settling was not easy. They blindly dropped a point on a US map out of pure coincidence and landed in Oregon, where they slowly began to establish a new life. Five years later, after her children were grown, Elaine dared to change it up again to pursue her lifelong dream of Law Enforcement.

From a far different way of life, Elaine’s perspective of the US has always been the land of opportunity, the light at the end of the tunnel. Elaine states, “The current state of affairs saddens me. When I signed up, the good guys always won. When there was a struggle, the people joined forces to work together to better our community. It makes me very sad how divided the nation has become.”

Baking is Elaine's stress relief; to her, the kitchen is an excellent place to solve the world's problems, and there are no complaints from her co-workers who benefit from all the baking she has been doing!

The American Safety Council provides tips to avoid hydroplaning:

Washington County Land Use and Transportation (LUT) reminds us that flood gates and barricades are used on flooded roads for traveler safety. Moving or driving around barricades is not only dangerous but against the law with a potential fine of $260. A mere 6 inches of fast-moving water can knock over an adult, and 12 inches can carry away most cars. It is never safe to drive into flooded waters.