The Lane County Board of Commissioners unanimously (4-0) approved the addition of 4.0 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) deputy sheriff positions in order to enhance rural patrol and service for the next five years.

Two FTE will be designated to work in the McKenzie River Valley area during the ongoing response, recovery and rebuilding related to the Holiday Farm Fire. The other two FTE will be assigned to the West Lane region.

“As most of our rural residents know, funding for the Sheriff’s Office has allowed for only minimal rural patrol over the past several years,” said Sheriff Cliff Harrold. “This new investment comes at a time when the McKenzie River area is in need of support and a sense of security as residents begin the rebuilding process. It also allows us to increase the level of service we can provide to West Lane County residents who live in the most geographically difficult area to provide law enforcement services. Overall, this will help reduce response times and increase our presence in rural communities.”

Prior to this new investment, funding for the Sheriff’s Office only provided 25 FTE to patrol 4,600 square miles of the county. Those 25 FTE, spread across 24 hours per day, seven days per week, provided about three deputies on at any given time to respond to calls throughout the county, resulting in very long response times for life safety calls, and often no response to property crime calls.

“We are thankful for the opportunity to provide designated District Deputies to both the McKenzie River Valley area and to the West Lane County area so we can continue to build those valuable relationships that result in safer communities,” said Harrold. “While this funding is temporary, we are hopeful that it leads to more conversations about how to fund public safety in the long term for Lane County residents and visitors.”

--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-10-28 10:52:16

Last Update: 2020-10-28 11:02:00