News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The passage of the sheriff's levy September 15 will keep a full complement of deputies on duty in the Sisters area.
Sisters area voters in all precincts approved the levy. Except in the Cloverdale area, which went in favor by only 18 votes (470-453), the levy passed by wide margins. The levy passed by a 55.95 percent to 43.56 percent margin county-wide.
The Sisters sheriff's station has eight positions including a supervising sergeant. According to Deschutes County Sheriff Greg Brown, one position has remained vacant due to uncertainty about funding. Brown said that position will soon be filled and a deputy will go on duty in Sisters schools.
According to Brown, the schools deputy will provide security, teach "refusal skills" and help identify "at-risk" youth in an effort to keep them in school and out of the criminal justice system.
"It's a big picture approach," Brown said.
The sheriff's office is also in the process of finding a coordinator for the Juvenile Empowerment Team, Sisters' successful diversion program, which includes the Sisters Teen Court.
JET has been moribund for several months in the wake of the resignation of coordinator Kirsten Werner. Brown expects the program to be back in operation next year.
"JET is going to be a little different in the future," Brown said.
According to Brown, the coordinator's position will be full-time, based on funding from the county, the Sisters School District, the City of Sisters and the Commission on Children and Families.
Brown said there have been 66 applicants for the position.
According to Brown, the program will focus on proactive efforts in the schools and community to reach "at-risk" youth before they get into trouble in the first place.
Brown said the levy's passage sent the message that voters "realize how important public safety is," especially for people in the outlying areas of the county.
"Without deputies, they don't have anybody out there," Brown said.
Brown emphasized that the three-year levy is at a fixed rate; sheriff's services will grow only through an increased tax base (more people and higher property values) or through the addition of new contracts, such as the one the sheriff's office has with the City of Sisters.
Still, Brown anticipates growth, with the population in Deschutes County predicted to reach 120,000 by the end of the levy.
"There's going to be a lot of new people moving in," Brown said. "We're not going to stay static."
Brown said he plans to strengthen communications with the public regarding budget matters.
"Next spring I'm going to hold our budget meetings and ask the public to participate," Brown said.
He also indicated that the sheriff's office would publish an annual report.
Brown is keeping a close eye on the November 3 election, concerned that Measure 61, which would further tighten sentencing requirements, could put a strain on the sheriff's office.
"If our citizens pass that this November, it's going to have a big impact on our jail system," Brown said.
The sheriff is not confident that simply putting more people behind bars is a cost-effective way of fighting crime.
"I'm not convinced that locking up more people is going to have that much impact on crime - unless you do something else with it," Brown said.
"Something else," to Brown, means creating community service and restitution opportunities, such as inmate work crews.
He believes such services provide some value to the community, rather than building more cells where inmates do nothing productive.
Brown said he will continue to conduct town hall meetings to gauge the public's law enforcement concerns. He said that previous Sisters town hall meetings indicated that area residents want highly visible patrols and an emphasis on traffic safety.
Brown wants to deliver on those desires.
"I want to see a sheriff's office in Sisters that reflects the needs of the people in Sisters," he said.
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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