The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Camp Sherman has a population of 250 residents and until recently had a resident Deputy Sheriff, Dave Blann. With his recent passing, local residents have worried about local police coverage.

Many people in Camp Sherman felt the community was safe because of Blann, whether he was actually there physically or not.

“I was unaware that Dave only worked the area part of the time — one thought he was around full-time,” said Peggy Anderson.

Camp Sherman is in Jefferson County. The county has a population of 24,000 and a land area of 1,700 square miles. That’s a large area for police coverage, and, emergency coverage may become more important in summer months when the campgrounds fill and many visitors come to the local area.

Sheriff Jim Adkins, Jefferson County Sheriff, earlier this year held a community meeting with Camp Sherman residents to answer questions about future police coverage. The Jefferson County seat is in Madras, 80 miles from Camp Sherman. Sheriff Adkins explained that deputies from other county areas would cover Camp Sherman in a sharing nature.

Sheriff Adkins said he would return to Camp Sherman and continue discussion with local folks about police coverage. Wednesday of last week saw Sheriff Adkins back, true to his word, and much of his department came with him to meet with local folks in Camp Sherman and discuss coverage.

The meeting was held at the Camp Sherman Community Hall and the many deputies explained their duties and backgrounds with the large crowd.

In an emergency, not only would some of these deputies respond to Camp Sherman, other police agencies would also respond. The Black Butte Ranch Police, U.S. Forest Service personnel, Oregon State Police, Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputies, and two reserve members from Sisters would also be available in cases of Camp Sherman emergencies.

Presently, Deputy Sheriff Mark Foster, a Camp Sherman resident, volunteers his time to monitor and protect his community.

Also, there are ongoing meetings between Ellen Wood, Lorie Hancock, and a committee with Sheriff Adkins concerning Camp Sherman police coverage and finding a resident replacement for Blann.

Some of the recommendations for safety included remembering to lock doors at home, lock parked cars, and place light movement sensors around the outside of homes. There was discussion of the possibility of neighborhood watch teams. Residents should be alert for suspicious activity in the area, and call 911 for emergency help.

A demonstration of working together in emergency situations was the recent fire training exercise in Camp Sherman with the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Department and Cloverdale Fire units to become familiar in Camp Sherman with fire hydrant locations, take water out of the Metolius River to fight fires, and practice other skills.