Neighborhood Watch | Sheriff's Office | Forced Release Report | Contact Area Sergeants | SUBSCRIBE     Volume/Issue Jan 2010 Dec 2009 Nov 2009 Oct 2009 Sep 2009 Aug 2009 Jul 2009 Jun 2009 May 2009 Apr 2009 Mar 2009 Feb 2009 Jan 2009 Dec 2008 Nov 2008 Oct 2008 Sep 2008 Aug 2008 Jul 2008 Jun 2008 May 2008 Apr 2008 Mar 2008 Feb 2008 Jan 2008 Dec 2007 Nov 2007 Oct 2007 Sep 2007 Aug 2007 Jul 2007 Jun 2007 May 2007 Apr 2007 Mar 2007 Feb 2007 Jan 2007 Dec 2006 Nov 2006 Oct 2006 Sep 2006 Aug 2006 Jul 2006 Jun 2006 May 2006 Apr 2006 Mar 2006 Feb 2006 Jan 2006 Dec 2005 Nov 2005 Oct 2005 Sep 2005 Aug 2005 Jul 2005 Jun 2005 May 2005 Postcards for Inmate Mail As our jail transitions to postcards for inmate mail, a lot of valuable discussion is taking place in the community. Some people like the idea because it saves money and reduces contraband. Others feel we are violating rights of inmates to freely communicate. We want you to follow the discussion, so here are a few facts and some context where it might help: The postcards inmates purchase are oversized - 5.5 by 8 inches Smaller (standard size) postcards are provided to each inmate upon arrival and to indigent inmates free of charge There is no limit on the number of postcards inmates may send or receive The average inmate stays in our county jail only 17 days; this is different than a prison where inmates are lodged for years Inmates who stay longer are more likely to attend educational or rehabilitative programs ? these inmates may send authorized mail in letter form if it aids their progress Legal and official mail is allowed in letter form Inmates are allowed extensive access to telephone calls and visitors When you join the discussion, remember that jails and prisons are very different. Inmates are lodged in jails upon arrest, often under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They can spend weeks going through withdrawal. Contraband drugs are highly desirable during that time and can be concealed in mail in sophisticated ways. Each year, our jail inmates send 12,000 and receive about 30,000 pieces of mail. All this mail has to be inspected and then either delivered to the inmate, destroyed, returned to sender, or inventoried and placed in storage until the inmate is released. It is an elaborate and time intensive process required to ensure contraband is not allowed into the facility. (Vol_7 Issue_1-January, 2010)   Free Gunlocks Available from Your Sheriff's Office Your Sheriff's Office wants to help you with a great New Year Resolution ? improve gun safety in your home! Thanks to an unused supply from another agency, your Sheriff's Office has over 500 free gunlocks to give away to citizens! The locks will be available at our Hillsboro Headquarters and East Precinct while supplies last. New Year's Day 2007 In January 2007, a 14-year-old boy was shot after confronting and pointing a rifle at a Washington County Sheriff's Deputy. The boy took the weapon from an unlocked gun safe and loaded it with armor-piercing bullets. This was a traumatic incident for everyone involved and, thankfully, the child and the deputy survived it. Please practice gun safety with your kids! You must pick them up in person, and we ask you to only take the number you will immediately use. Another free and easy idea is to share a 7-minute cartoon with kids in your life - the Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Video. Every day, parents must be vigilant about protecting their kids. Before play dates or sleepovers, ask an adult if there are guns in the home and how they are stored. Do not let your kids play if the guns are not locked up. Learn more by visiting www.portlandasks.org The safety of your kids is sooo worth the effort! (Vol_7 Issue_1-January, 2010)   Do You Know Anyone Who Hauls Scrap Metal? Help Them Avoid a Ticket Nearly everyone knows a person or business impacted by metal theft. While the lost metal is expensive, repairing the collateral property damage during the theft is often more costly. We want to be sure that a new law impacts just the bad guys and not your neighbor or family member who hauls scrap metal for legitimate purposes. The 2009 Oregon Legislature created a new crime for "Unlawfully Transporting Metal Property". Basically, the law requires people who transport metal to a scrap metal business on a public highway to complete a short form called a "Metal Transportation Certificate". If the person does not have the certificate on hand, they can be charged with the new class C misdemeanor crime that carries a penalty of up to $500 and 30 days in jail. If you plan to transport metal or know someone who might, please download and complete the Metal Transportation Certificate. Our deputies look forward to using this new tool to help combat metal theft. For more information, read the entire Senate Bill 570. (Vol_7 Issue_1-January, 2010)   Where Will You Use Your First Aid Training? First Aid Rescue . . . at the Hospital? Imagine sitting in the Emergency Room awaiting the outcome of a loved one's medical procedure. You fret, read, and people watch to pass the time. That is what Angela Warren was doing while off duty in mid-November. Ms. Warren is one of our civilian Jail Services Technicians. Suddenly a woman in the waiting area stops breathing and collapses . . . but hospital staff members do not see what is happening. Ms. Warren checks the woman and quickly performs the Heimlich maneuver ? out pops the snack that was choking her! A person in the waiting room reports, "It was very scary to me, the lady was convulsing and turning a dark color.ááWhen we left, the woman was waiting for her turn to see the doctor and was very grateful for the help." We are thankful for Ms. Warren's quick action, and we hope they inspire you to make a resolution to become certified in First Aid in 2010! (Vol_7 Issue_1-January, 2010)   Helping Domestic Violence Victims, Please Take a Moment Read Their Stories Teresa Beiser Varsha and Ronak Suther Sheena Mendoza Cindy England and Kevin Coleman Christine Perrault The Washington County Sheriff's Office is deeply saddened by seven recent homicides in our community that have arisen from extreme domestic violence. The crimes are so incomprehensible that it is hard to speak of them. Domestic violence can often be detected and avoided, but it will take the eyes, ears, and actions of a community focused on the issue. They Need Us We are their family members, school teachers, friends, employers, and neighbors. The victims need us to remember that there are often warning signs before these horrid crimes occur. If you missed the news over the holidays, please click on their names above to read their stories. Appreciate their fear and suffering. It will be painful. What Can You Do? Understand the victims are not to blame. Listen to people who are struggling. Be willing to help - call 9-1-1 when you hear violent arguments. Lend your strength when self esteem is lost, and encourage the victims to get away safely. Call or visit the Domestic Violence Resource Center to learn the warning signs. (Vol_7 Issue_1-January, 2010)   Detectives Seek Owners of Stolen Property on Bull Mountain Attention Bull Mountain Residents DVD player DeWalt drill On December 23, Sheriff's Detectives arrested a suspect in a long-standing investigation of car break-ins on Bull Mountain. The suspect admitted to stealing thousands of dollars worth of property from unlocked vehicles and garages between July and December. The suspect told detectives he checked 1,000 vehicles and broken in to more than 100 of them. He also admitted to some open garage door burglaries. While most of the stolen property was sold or traded off, some items were recovered and are waiting to be reclaimed by their rightful owners. For instance, there is a Sony PSP, Sony portable DVD player, Dewalt cordless drill, and dozens of sports collector cards. Detectives are also interested in tracking down an MG42 machine gun stolen out of one vehicle; the suspect says he threw it in a dumpster. Two other stolen handguns and an UZI have been recovered. Tad Williams, 34 of Tigard, has been tied to 50 cases so far, and detectives believe the suspect was involved in others. The investigation is ongoing as more leads are developed. If you believe you may be the owner of property recovered in this case, please call the Investigations Division at (503) 846-2500. (Vol_7 Issue_1-January, 2010)   Drug Bust Near Tualatin Methamphetamine and cocaine On December 17, Detectives from the Westside Interagency Narcotics Team (WIN) arrested two men suspected of transporting methamphetamine and cocaine from California to Oregon. Both individuals have been under investigation by the WIN team for the past several months and are believed to be part of a drug trafficking organization. The suspects were apprehended during two separate traffic stops after drug detection canines alerted to the presence of illegal narcotics hidden deep inside each vehicle. The vehicles were held until search warrants were served on December 18. Investigators found $33,000 worth of illegal drugs hidden in the vehicles - one pound of methamphetamine valued at $25,000 and a half pound of cocaine valued at $8,000. The suspects are both from Modesto, California and are lodged in the Washington County Jail on numerous drug charges and Immigration and Customs Enforcement holds. (Vol_7 Issue_1-January, 2010)   New Narcotics Detection K-9 Team Hits the Road The Washington County Sheriff's Office is pleased to introduce our newest K-9 partnership, Deputy Pete Olson and "Tau". Deputy Olson has been a member of the Sheriff's Office since 1998. Tau is a 2-year-old purebred Belgian Malinois imported from the Czech Republic. Having completed a 240-hour narcotics detection training course, Tau's primary job is to detect and find illegal narcotics. The Washington County Sheriff's Office relies heavily on the use of well-trained police canines to track suspects that have fled crime scenes, track endangered missing people, and search for drugs and other property. (Vol_7 Issue_1-January, 2010)   Bail Scam Alert! Please be aware that Sheriff's Deputies or staff will not call you on the phone and ask you to post bail for anyone! A recent scam in Multnomah, Clackamas, and now Washington County is catching innocent employers, relatives, and friends off guard. In each case, the "deputy" calls to advise the victim that a loved one or an employee has been arrested. They direct the victim to pay the bail to a bail bondsman via wire, and then go to the jail to pick up the arrested person. The money is actually being sent to the scammer, and the victim later learns the "arrested person" was at home or work and never even had contact with law enforcement. Security (bail) can only be posted in person at the jail. You can also call to the jail to confirm the arrest or search our online Custody List by name to confirm if a person is in the Washington County Jail. The best way to stop a scam is for it to stop working, so please share this message with others! (Vol_7 Issue_1-January, 2010)   Dumb Crook Deputies respond to a burglary in progress - two suspects removed a heavy safe from a home, loaded it into their car, and then unloaded it into a nearby apartment. Seeing police swarming the area, they believed the safe had a tracking device inside. So, to throw deputies off track, our crooks "yarded" the safe out of the apartment and put it back in their car. Soon after, deputies found the now weary suspects, and recovered the safe. The homeowner was elated get his safe back in good condition, still securely locked, and still . . . empty! (Vol_7 Issue_1-January, 2010)   This Month's ''Most Wanted'' Anthony Garrison Anthony Garrison is a black male, 36 years old, 5' 10'' tall, 185 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Mr. Garrison is wanted for violating the terms of his probation. Previous convictions include Assault IV and Aggravated Animal Abuse. He is from Beaverton. Details David Murphy David Murphy is a white male, 41 years old, 5' 08'' tall, 160 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. He is wanted for violating the terms of his probation. Mr. Murphy was previously convicted of Attempted Use and Carry of a Dangerous Weapon. He is from the Tigard area. Details Do not approach these individuals. If you see them or have information, call the Sheriff's Office Records Unit at (503) 846-2700, or non-emergency dispatch at (503) 629-0111. (Vol_7 Issue_1-January, 2010)   CALEA Accreditation The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is proud of its national accreditation as of July 1, 2004, by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). The Sheriff’s Office is re-assessed every three years by a new team of inspectors. Our most recent reaccreditation was effective July 1, 2007. Yes, I want to subscribe to the Sheriff's Office News!    Unsubscribe Washington County Sheriff's Office 215 SW Adams Street, MS 32 Hillsboro, OR 97124 Phone: (503) 846-2700 Fax: (503) 846-2719 TTY: (503) 846-4598 Email: Letter to the Editor County Sheriff's Office Sheriff Office Phone Numbers Top of Page.