Sheriff levy may boost Sisters patrols

More sheriff's deputies will be on patrol near Sisters by the end of the summer after voters approved a one-year, $6.9 million operating levy for the Deschutes County Sheriff's Department May 20.

In recent months, two of the deputies assigned to the Sisters area have spent much of their time answering calls n

ear Redmond, where the department is short two deputies, Sheriff Greg Brown said. The levy's passage means the department can fill those vacancies.

Brown said Sisters should have three full-time deputies on patrol by summer's end.

The levy, which passed by a 54.9 percent to 43 percent margin, will fund sheriff's department operations for one year. The department will have to go back to the people again to seek long-term funding.

Before that happens, Brown said, the department will find out what level of service county citizens want and what they are willing to pay for.

"The Sheriff's Citizens Advisory Committee is going to become really critical," Brown said.

Brown said the committee will hold a series of town hall meetings -- at least one in Sisters -- to find out what the

citizens want from their sheriff's department.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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