January was National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The Washington County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) joins others during this time to draw attention to this growing issue.

Human trafficking is a very real threat and is used by exerting power and control over others, especially women and children, through force, fraud, or coercion. Human trafficking is often not reported by victims, so having advocates to prevent this behavior or those able to help identify and report on their behalf is crucial.

WCSO is part of the Washington County Human Trafficking Task Force, led by Safety Compass and our District Attorney's Office, to coordinate sex trafficking investigations and prosecutions while ensuring victims and survivors receive trauma-informed advocacy services. As a member of this task force, WCSO detectives work tirelessly to help those trapped in forced labor and trafficking. In 2021, the task force identified 42 victims of trafficking here in Washington County under the age of 25.

Anyone can join the fight against human trafficking. The US Department of State has outlined ways you can get involved to help prevent and stop this criminality:

To read more about this fight and other ways you can help, visit the US Department of State's website.

As Valentine's Day draws near, there may be a spike in new profiles set up on dating sites/apps, perhaps even more so now in our growing digital world. Many have had successful outcomes finding a match online, but what if, instead of finding a potential partner, you find a scammer? 

Those who take advantage of others also know this is prime time to exploit victims. Romance scams reached a record of $304 million in losses reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2020, 50% higher than the previous year.

So how can you spot if your new interest is a scam? Be aware of the following warning signs:

If you or someone you know use dating sites, stay informed by visiting the FTC's "What You Need To Know About Romance Scams” webpage to learn more. 

December 27, 2021 - Portland Police Bureau (PPB) located a vehicle stolen from the Bethany area earlier that month. After officers recovered the car, a large amount of stolen property was found inside, including a lot of mail, identification cards, and driver's licenses, among other things. Detectives identified 179 possible victims from the recovered property, some of whom lived in Portland and some in Washington County. Thankfully, many of the recovered items had identifiable information for Sheriff's Office staff working diligently to coordinate their return to the rightful owners. 

If you are a victim of theft, we urge you to promptly report your stolen items to non-emergency dispatch (503-629-0111), or you can report online if you don't have any suspect information (https://bit.ly/WCSO_Reporting). By sharing this information, you can help detectives with their investigations and increase the opportunity your stolen property may be returned.

December 9, 2021 - A community member in the Rock Creek Neighborhood called 9-1-1 around 4 a.m. reporting two suspicious men with flashlights lying under a vehicle. Deputies arrived in the area to find a stolen SUV with one of the described men sleeping inside. The second man ran from deputies, but they quickly apprehended and took him into custody.

Inside the stolen vehicle, deputies found many tools, including saws, torches, and a device made for breaking windows. WCSO lodged both men in the Washington County Jail on the following charges:

This is one of the multiple recent incidents where deputies arrested people for stealing catalytic converters. Thank you to our community for reporting suspicious activity and helping stop these chronic thieves!

January 5, 2022 - A Washington County jury found Mark Charles Anderson guilty of unlawful use of a weapon and menacing. Last year, the defendant’s mother reached out to the WCSO Elder Safe Program, designed to help victims over 65 work through the criminal justice system while providing emotional support. She connected with Elder Safe Program Specialist Corrine Haning for help with filing a restraining order against her son, who lived with her. She told Ms. Haning that her son behaved erratically and often verbally abused her. She hoped a judge would grant the order to force her son to move out of her home.

Deputy Brett Winders responded and called Ms. Haning while en route to explore safety options for the victim in case there weren’t any arrestable offenses. At the same time, however, a concerned friend of the victim called dispatch, reporting the son threatened to kill his mother and burn the home to the ground with her inside. This friend also noted that the defendant had armed himself with a spring-assisted knife.

Meet Scout: an 8-year-old girl who lives in Washington County, Oregon. Scout loves dogs and police officers and one day wants to meld her two favorite things into a career. When she grows up, she wants to be a police officer on a motorcycle with a sidecar for her K9 partner!

Scout and her family first met Sergeant O’Reilly and Radar at the 2019 K9 Trials and, from there, began to follow Radar’s career on social media. Once Scout found out that she and Radar were the same age, their friendship bond was forever sealed. Like any good friend, knowing Radar’s birthday was fast approaching, Scout wanted to do something extra special to help celebrate. Scout’s mom reached out to Sergeant O’Reilly to invite Radar to a party in his honor – marked with balloons, hats, and the whole bit! Both the Sergeant and Radar were only too happy to oblige and made a point to stop by.

Scout’s mom shared her recount of the event and said, “I can’t put into words what this meant to Scout to have Sergeant O’Reilly and Radar show up to our home; it will be an event in her life she will always remember. I wanted to share this story because they went above and beyond to show kindness to a little girl, and I don’t want it to go unnoticed.”

Of course, Radar doesn’t mind in the least taking the occasional break from chasing bad guys, given the opportunity to let his tail wag and share special moments with fellow community members of all sizes.

Thank you, Scout, for helping make Radar’s day so special!

December 18, 2021 - Deputy Mitcham, assigned to our traffic team, performed a routine stop on a speeding vehicle. The driver was a local mom returning from the coast with her two children. After briefly reviewing the dangers of speeding, Deputy Mitcham issued the mom a warning.

Unbeknownst to the mother, Deputy Mitcham is a certified child passenger safety technician trained to install and check car seat safety. With his expert eye, Deputy Mitcham noticed the driver's daughter improperly buckled in the back seat. He asked mom if she would allow him to check, then gave her pointers to adjust the shoulder straps and correct the child's position. He stayed and helped the mom not only fix the straps but taught her how to adjust them as the child grows. Deputy Mitchem's keen eye may just have prevented future serious injuries. 

Later, the mother wrote an email expressing her gratitude and appreciation for his genuine compassion. "It was an incredible experience. With the way the world is, I just wanted to say thank you for this wonderful interaction," she wrote. 

Though traffic stops are not always viewed as positive experiences, deputies assigned to the traffic team often comment that their favorite part of the job is providing community safety education. It can be dangerous on the road, and ensuring everyone's safety is always their end goal.

 

To learn more about car seat safety or to schedule a virtual car seat consultation, visit Doernbecher's Tom Sargent Safety Center online. 

We appreciate hearing from our community! Feel free to submit a compliment or complaint to share your story.  

Calling all Washington County high schoolers interested in learning about the unique field of law enforcement! 

In partnership with School to Career, WCSO is hosting a Virtual Career Day on February 15, from 9 a.m. -11 a.m. You'll hear from team representatives (like K9's, Patrol, Mental Health Response, Robots, and Forensics) to get an inside view of what it's like both on and off duty. For more information and to register, visit: https://bit.ly/3dVpfzr.

Over the last few months, we’ve seen an increase in vehicle crimes in Washington County. Our community has experienced thefts of property left inside cars, thefts of vehicles left running unattended to de-ice or warm-up, and even thefts of car parts such as catalytic converters. The Sheriff’s Office offers the following tips to help curb these crimes:

Contact us if you have questions or are interested in working together to reduce crime through a Neighborhood Watch Program.

If you witness a crime in progress, call 9-1-1 immediately, or if you discover you are a victim after the fact, call non-emergency dispatch to report at 503-629-0111.

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.

Ever thought about a career at the Washington County Jail? We are now accepting applications for Jail Service Technicians (JST) through February 6.

JST's are vital to keeping our complex jail operations running smoothly. They work alongside uniformed deputies and provide various administrative jail services related to booking, evaluation, risk assessment, and custody support functions.

Visit Washington County Jobs for more information and to apply.