A little over a year ago I had the opportunity to meet with many of you to talk about how we can increase the law enforcement presence in the McKenzie River area. Some of these meetings were in group settings and others were individual chats over coffee and a meal.
In one a neighborhood meeting I was asked HOW we could get more deputies in your area. I heard stories of frustration about not seeing a deputy in your area often, and long response times. We share your frustration, and welcomed the invitation to talk about how to best give you the type of law enforcement services you want, and deserve. Several options were discussed, but the one community members kept coming back to was forming a special law enforcement district in the McKenzie River area.
In the past the Sheriff’s Office has enjoyed grant funding that allowed for a Resident Deputy to be in the McKenzie River area, but that program is no longer funded. A special law enforcement district as envisioned would start by providing a service level similar to the Resident Deputy program, and would have the opportunity to grow if residents saw the value and wanted to fund additional deputies.
This had never been done (successfully) in Lane County in an incorporated area with the Sheriff’s Office, but I felt inspired by the community’s support. We researched how to make this happen and identified major phases of the process, which included working with Metro Plan partners on whether a special law enforcement district was allowed in the plan (and if not, how could we get approval to move forward), identifying district boundaries, and placing the district formation as well as a funding mechanism on the ballot for those within the potential district.
It’s a heavy lift but one I was excited about. We looked at the timeline and eyed the May 2021 election to put the proposal on the ballot, with the potential district encompassing the McKenzie and Upper McKenzie Fire districts combined.
Enter 2020: COVID-19 and other world events have taken center stage.
So much has changed, but one thing that has not changed is our desire to provide the services you want, and deserve.
Our efforts towards a special law enforcement district were slowed by COVID-19, but work is still being done. As we approach different phases of this project, we will update the community so you know where we are at in the process.
On behalf of the men and women at the Sheriff’s Office, we thank you for your continued support and look forward to all of the great possibilities our future together holds.
— Cliff Harrold, Sheriff