Page 18
The INDEPENDENT, April 21, 2011
From the Sheriff’s Desk…
by Jeff Dickerson,
Columbia County Sheriff
Do we really need
law enforcement?
That is the question each
and every one of us has the
opportunity to answer on the
May 17 ballot. The Office of
Sheriff is tasked with many
duties under the State Consti-
tution (and memorialized in
State Statute) that set this
elected office apart from other elected offices, and also
set this office apart from other policing agencies.
Besides providing a law enforcement presence in
the areas of our county without a police department
(which make up 98% of the 657 square miles of Co-
lumbia County), the Office of Sheriff is responsible to
run and maintain the Columbia County Jail with its 255
jail beds, conduct all search and rescue in our largely
rural county, and serve as the ministerial office for the
state courts in our jurisdiction: serving civil papers
county-wide and providing security in our courtrooms
to ensure that the justice system is available to all.
But if the current trend continues in funding for the
Sheriff’s Office, the thing we won’t be able to continue
is the law enforcement presence in our county. We are
simply running out of money to do everything on that
list, and the law enforcement piece is the only thing left
to cut without eliminating the Sheriff’s Office altogeth-
er. I am forecasting that unless additional funding
comes from somewhere, by summer of next year we
will run out of money to fund a patrol function at all.
Back in the fall of 2009, after the Sheriff’s Office lost
four positions in patrol due to budget cuts, the Board
of Commissioners and I worked together to identify
participants in a county-wide ad hoc committee, later
named the Enhanced Law Enforcement Advisory
Committee, who would look at the gaps in the law en-
Please see page 19
Tony Johnson Construction
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Cell 503-396-1408 or 503-396-1409
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Be here when they need you.
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Call 503-429-9410 for information.
Shafer’s Bus Services Inc
Fleet Maintenance
School Bus Repair
Medium Duty Truck
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Ford 6.0L, 7.3L
Shop 503-324-0868
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160 N. Main Banks, OR