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Clackamas County is the safest county in the Portland metro area, in part due to voter support for the Public Safety Levy. First passed in 2006, the Public Safety Levy has supported law enforcement services for Clackamas County residents for 20 years.
Help shape the next Public Safety Levy!
The County plans to bring the Public Safety Levy back to voters in May 2027, and we're gathering feedback to better understand what matters most to you. Take this quick survey to help us learn which public safety services you consider most important.
The Public Safety Levy plays a crucial role in maintaining our public safety system, ensuring the necessary resources to effectively prevent and respond to crimes in a timely manner. The Levy provides funding to ensure continued rapid response to 911 emergency calls, for a specialized drug enforcement team to combat the impact of deadly drugs, and to prevent and investigate crimes, including property crimes and theft, elder and child abuse, and human trafficking. It also provides essential resources to keep the jail operating safely and effectively, ensuring individuals who pose a risk to the community can be securely housed and managed.
The Public Safety Levy funds approximately 17% of the county's essential Sheriff's Office services. Historically, that funding has been for:
Patrol deputies to ensure continued rapid response to 911 emergency calls
In 2025, the Sheriff's Office took more than 57,000 calls for service, a clear indication of the ongoing demand for timely patrol response. When a Clackamas County resident calls 911, whether it be for a burglary in progress or a disturbance that is escalating quickly, funds from the Public Safety Levy ensure deputies are available and equipped to respond quickly and effectively. The Levy helps maintain adequate staffing, keep patrol deputies on the road across more than 1,800 square miles, and ensure that emergency calls are prioritized and addressed without delay. It also allows deputies to support city police departments during complex or high‑impact calls.
Combating the impact of deadly drugs through a specialized drug enforcement team
We are currently facing a significant addiction crisis across the county. Deputies are responding to more drug‑related calls and seizing dangerous substances, like fentanyl, during routine patrols. The Public Safety Levy provides funds that help law enforcement combat the devastating impact of these deadly illicit drugs and dismantle drug trafficking organizations that infiltrate and harm communities and cities across Clackamas County.
Preventing and investigating crimes to increase community safety
The Public Safety Levy funds detectives to investigate elder abuse, human trafficking, and violent crimes. It also supports the drug enforcement team, which tackles drug trafficking and the related crimes that often accompany it, such as identity theft, property crime, and child abuse and neglect, ensuring those most at risk in the community are protected.
Resources to staff the jail to keep those with more dangerous charges in court-ordered custody
In 2025, the Sheriff's Office processed more than 12,000 jail bookings, highlighting the critical need for sufficient jail bed capacity. Operated by the County, the jail holds individuals charged with a crime on behalf of every police department in Clackamas County, including incorporated cities with their own police departments. Since 2006, the Public Safety Levy has funded a dedicated number of deputies who maintain 84 jail beds, effectively reducing the number of people charged with a crime from being released back into the community due to a lack of space. Keeping the jail operating at full capacity is essential to protecting public safety countywide.
Improving resources for those experiencing a mental health crisis
Prior to 2021, the jail did not have resources to support incarcerated community members experiencing a mental health crisis. Levy funds helped open 26 mental health and transitional beds in the jail, providing necessary services to those facing mental health crises when other services have failed.
Implementing and maintaining a body-worn camera program to ensure transparency
In 2021, the Levy provided the resources needed to launch a body-worn camera program, ensuring every deputy is equipped with a camera while on duty. These cameras provide an independent, public record of encounters with law enforcement and strengthen evidence collection. They also enhance training, helping the Sheriff's Office improve transparency, accountability, and the overall quality of service to the community.
By funding many of the vital public safety functions of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, the Public Safety Levy allows the Sheriff's Office to provide other critical countywide services as well, including Search and Rescue, School Resource Officers, SWAT, Parole and Probation, and other core community safety programs. Together, these services strengthen the countywide safety network that supports every city, neighborhood, and rural community in Clackamas County, helping ensure they remain among the safest in the Portland Metro Area.
