2014 CAREERS EDITION
Multnomah County: ‘Your Reputation is Important’
R
ecently
promoted
Multnomah County
Sheriff’s
Office
Captain Derrick Peterson
has been assigned as the
Facility Commander for the
Multnomah
County
Detention Center. We spoke
with him about his career
and how more local youth
can find employment with
the Multnomah County
Sheriff’s Office.
The Skanner News: Did
you start out thinking that
this is what you wanted to
do with your career? When
you were graduating from
high school, what was the
vision for what you wanted
to do with your life?
Capt. Derrick Peterson:
I actually wanted to go into
the ministry, that was my
original focus. When I had
some issues with my parents
— my Dad passed away —
I ended up staying home
and going to Portland State.
This line of work came into
being via some counselors I
met who were an integral
part of my collegiate experi-
ence. They made sure I was
getting focused and looking
at possible jobs out there. I
received my degree in
Administration of Justice
(now
known
as
Criminology & Criminal
Justice), and went through a
practicum with Washington
County as a probation and
parole officer — I really fell
in love with that. When I
graduated I put an applica-
tion for corrections as well
as the Washington County
probation and parole.
What’s interesting is I
found out about the proba-
tion and parole job the very
day that it was going to
close. I got the application
filled out and went down to
the post office to get it time-
stamped, but they wouldn’t
do it, so I got a reject letter.
The other job I applied for
was with the sheriff’s office.
I went through that process,
and became a corrections
officer. And 27, going on 28
years later, I’m still here.
A lot of times when we’re
growing up, kids don’t think
about whether they want to
be a corrections officer– it’s
usually a police officer, a
fireman or something like
that. I’ve come to find out
what a great career it can be
Peterson: Yes, you’re
right.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MULTNOMAH COUNTY
Lisa Loving
Of The Skanner News
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Captain
Derrick Peterson
for someone, especially in
our community– I was born
and raised here in Portland,
went to Holy Redeemer and
Central Catholic High
School, part of the black
community. And so it’s fan-
tastic to be a homegrown
product.
TSN: There are so many
corrections jobs that out-
siders have no idea exist. In
virtually every area going
forward there are expected
to be massive job openings
because people are retiring
out.
TSN: What advice would
you give to high school stu-
dents? What should they be
thinking about for the
future?
Peterson: I think the first
thing is protecting their rep-
utation. That’s the biggest
thing. You don’t ever want
to cut off avenues that may
be available to you in the
future. And so the things
that you do, the people you
hang out with, interaction
with social media, it’s very
important to get a clearer
understanding of that.
That’s the first thing.
I think a lot of youths
don’t think about that, and
the consequences of some
of the things you might par-
ticipate in or do an early age
that might disqualify you in
a lot of different areas. It
shortens your field of refer-
ence of work and where you
might be able to work
should that present an
opportunity for you.
TSN: And that’s true even
if someone does not want to
get a career in law enforce-
ment or medicine or some-
thing like that.
Peterson: I also see that
there are not enough people
in the community – even in
our profession – getting out
to some of the younger kids.
We walk into neighbor-
hoods and do good commu-
nity outreach, but to actual-
ly get youths to start under-
standing some of those jobs
that are available out there,
at an earlier age – I’m talk-
ing eighth grade, sometimes
this intervention needs to
come into play before high
school. They’re at such a
high risk, even before high
school, in elementary
school and on into middle
school.
TSN: In past years I have
gone to the Christmas party
held at the Inverness Jail by
the Multnomah County
Sheriff’s Department, for
See CAPTAIN on page 10
Clackamas Community
College
C
lackamas Community College,
with three campuses in the
Portland metro area, provides
education and training for people in all
stages of life. CCC offers transfer credit
classes for those working toward
degrees, dozens of career and technical
programs leading to jobs, work force
services and adult basic education.
CCC’s main campus is conveniently
located in Oregon City, just three miles
from I-205. Our beautiful 165-acre cam-
pus is a hub of community activity
including sports, arts, events and outdoor
CCC has formed degree partnership
programs with three Oregon university
partners. These partnerships allow stu-
dents to be jointly admitted and enrolled
at both CCC and one of our four-year
partners: Oregon State University,
Portland State University and the Oregon
Institute of Technology. This program
saves students thousands of dollars and
provides a seamless pathway toward
completion of a bachelor’s degree.
Scholarships play an important role in
college success for hundreds of CCC stu-
dents every year. CCC is proud to have
CCC is proud to have one of the most
active community college foundations in the
state, awarding more than $600,000 in
scholarships last year
recreation. Classes are offered days,
evenings, in condensed formats and
online to meet the needs of our students.
CCC at Harmony Community Campus
is well-equipped to train students for
jobs in the expanding health care field.
Harmony houses the thriving health edu-
cation programs, and also offers a full
array of student services. The Harmony
Community Campus is centrally located
in North Clackamas, close to the
Clackamas Town Center and the Green
Line light rail.
CCC’s Wilsonville campus (the
Wilsonville Training Center), located on
the east side of the Town Center Loop,
serves as the Utility Training Center for
employees of area utilities including
Portland
General
Electric
and
PacifiCorp. We offer degrees and certifi-
cates in Energy Resource Management.
The Wilsonville campus also offers a
growing number of academic courses.
Page 6 The Skanner News Careers Edition May 21, 2014
one of the most active community col-
lege foundations in the state, awarding
more than $600,000 in scholarships last
year. Anyone who is enrolled at CCC,
plans to enroll at CCC or transfer from
CCC to a four-year college or university;
has a 2.0 GPA or higher; has a high
school diploma, GED or high school
equivalency can meet the requirements
for at least one scholarship.
Veterans are an important priority at
CCC, and the college’s Veterans
Education and Training Center provides
vital services to military veterans and
their families. The college is home to the
Army Strong Community Center, pro-
viding life resources to military family
members, active military and veterans
from all branches of the service.
For more information, visit our website
www.clackamas.edu or call 503-594-
3162.