Sheriff

The Criminal Reconstruction and Forensic Technicians (CRAFT) Team is an inter-agency team with one full-time and 18 on-call Reconstructionists from 8 agencies operating in Clackamas County. The Clackamas County District Attorney's Office also has Deputy DAs assigned to the team.

CRAFT is on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to investigate fatal and serious-injury crashes in Clackamas County -- and assist our Patrol and Detective divisions with crime-scene investigations.

Training

CRAFT team members receive training in collision analysis, speed analysis, vehicle dynamics, occupant kinematics, scene photography, surveying equipment, crash-scene mapping, and computer-aided drawing programs.

They attend the Institute of Police Technology Management at the University of North Florida for a minimum of 240 hours of initial training.

They stay current in accident-investigation trends by attending various training courses and conferences throughout their career.

CRAFT members currently have active memberships in the Forensic Accident Reconstructionists of Oregon, Accident Reconstruction Network and EDR Experts.

Tools and Techniques

CRAFT team members examine and analyze the roadway, physical evidence, and vehicle damage to reconstruct crashes and diagram crime scenes using the latest technology in the forensics field.

The FARO X330 Laser Scanner is able to capture and create a 3D image of the scene allowing CRAFT Reconstructionists to accurately depict what occurred.

The Bosch Crash Data Retrieval Tool allows CRAFT to gather information from vehicles involved in crashes, making the process highly accurate. This information is then entered into FARO Zone 3D software and an accurate animation is created to show exactly what happened in the crash and why.

Mapping these scenes often requires at least a portion of roadway to be shut down while investigators do their work -- in order to protect the evidence and maintain safety for the investigators. The Sheriff's Office recognizes the inconvenience that roadway closures may cause, and makes every effort to reroute traffic and re-open the roadway as soon as possible.

FARO laser-scanning technology helps to limit this road-closure time by speeding up the process while at the same time making it more accurate -- and at a higher level of detail -- than any other method being used around the country.

After the on-scene investigation is complete, the lead investigator is responsible for completing the follow-up investigation. Investigative tasks may include obtaining search warrants for evidence, interviewing drivers, victims, and witnesses, obtaining medical records, downloading and analyzing the collision-related electronic data from the involved vehicles, analyzing headlight filaments, processing blood evidence, and more.

Many of these investigations require a mathematical reconstruction in order to determine vehicle speed, direction, momentum, etc.

The ultimate goal of an investigation is to determine the proximate cause of the collision and to hold those responsible for the collision accountable for their actions by forwarding the case to the appropriate prosecuting authority.

Thank you for your interest in purchasing a Sheriff's Office shoulder patch. We charge $7 for each patch.

To order a patch:

1. Print this form and fill it out with your patch selection(s) and return address.
2. Mail form with payment to:

   Clackamas County Sheriff's Office
   attn: Jenny Nelson
   2223 Kaen Rd.
   Oregon City, OR 97045-4080

Payment must be included in the form of a check or money order made out to Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.

Important Note: Oregon Law (specifically, ORS 162.367) classifies Impersonating a Peace Officer as a Felony. This includes wearing a law-enforcement uniform (defined in part as clothing bearing words such as "police," "sheriff," "state trooper" or "law enforcement," or clothing that is substantially similar to an official uniform). Clackamas County Sheriff's Office patches are offered for private display only -- NOT for wear on clothing or uniforms or to represent the bearer as a law-enforcement officer or employee of the Sheriff's Office.

• The quality of our Jail is continually being evaluated. Each year, for example, a Grand Jury is convened to listen to testimony and inspect the county's Jail, Correctional Facility and Juvenile Intake Center. The Jail has also been audited and assessed by the National Institute of Corrections and the Oregon State Sheriffs' Association.
• The Oregon Jail Standards Board awarded the Clackamas County Jail a 97.4-percent compliance rating - one of the highest grades in the state.
• The Jail employs 127 full and part-time employees.
• Approximately 16,000 offenders are booked into and processed at the Clackamas County Jail annually.
• The Jail spends approximately $12,000 per month for inmate medications. The majority of this cost is for psychotropic medications serving the 18-20% average daily inmate population who suffer from mental-health issues.
• The Jail's kitchen serves roughly 36,000 meals per month. The average cost is 91 cents per meal, which only covers the food costs.
• The Jail provides its own laundry service using inmate labor. The annual savings is about $50,000 per year versus contracting this service.
• The Sheriff's Electronic Home Detention program monitors prisoners remotely using electronic ankle bracelets - freeing up as many as 100 Jail beds per day.
• The Jail provides inmates with AA/NA meetings, religious services, adult basic-education and life-skills opportunities, and an inmate law library.

The Corrections Emergency Response Team (CERT) was created in 2000 to address the growing need for a specialized corrections unit needed to handle jail emergencies such as inmate disturbances, inmate riots, high-risk inmate transports and any other situation that may be beyond the control of on-duty jail staff.

In 2003, CERT was also tasked with becoming Clackamas County’s only Rapid Response Team (RRT). RRT is designed to deal with civil unrest, crowd control and any other civilian situation that may need a police presence to restore order.

This team comprises members from within the Jail Division — including 16 operators and a team commander.

The team also works in coordination with the Clackamas County Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT).

CERT team members are required to stay in a constant state of readiness — thanks to ongoing physical training and evaluation, plus hundreds of hours of mission-specific training.

The team utilizes a broad range of tactical equipment, including a full spectrum of less-lethal weaponry and munitions.

CERT is also trained to handle:

• Facility evacuations
• Court security
• Officer rescue 

"Semper Vigilo" - Always Vigilant

From the City of Wilsonville "Police" page:

The City of Wilsonville contracts with the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office to provide law enforcement services to the city. The contract offers the city an economical way to provide police services and allows the city to take advantage of some of the special services that a larger law enforcement agency, like Clackamas County, has available.

The following Clackamas County special services are available to the city on an as-needed, as-available basis:

• Detectives Division
• Hazardous Materials Team
• Special Investigations Unit
• Traffic Team

The Wilsonville/Clackamas County contract provides the city with a dedicated Chief of Police, a School Resource Officer, and a Detective in addition to 15 deputies.

The Wilsonville / Clackamas County contract also provides the City with a Chief of Police. Our current chief is Capt. Robert Wurpes.

Capt. Wurpes and the Wilsonville Police are committed to protecting, serving, and working with the Wilsonville community.

In addition to the Chief of Police position, the Wilsonville / Clackamas County contract includes a School Resource Officer (SRO) position. The SRO works directly with youth in the school setting to teach drug awareness and provide a positive role model and police presence for students.

The Wilsonville Police also participate in a Juvenile Diversion Program designed to help at-risk youth. This program provides additional community resources to divert at-risk behavior before it escalates.

The Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) comprises three full-time mental-health clinicians employed through  Clackamas County Health, Housing and Human Services' Behavioral Health Division.

BHU clinicians are available to the Sheriff's Office Patrol Division seven days a week.

Clinicians provide follow-up and community outreach to individuals who have had contact with law enforcement and may be in need of mental-health services.

Clinicians are also available to respond to mental-health crises on-scene when requested by deputies.

The BHU aims to divert individuals from unnecessary emergency-room visits and incarcerations by providing them with a full risk assessment on scene -- followed by help accessing ongoing services.

The BHU is part of the Sheriff's Office commitment to providing Clackamas County residents with a safe and healthy community.

The Computer Forensics Unit is staffed with three full-time Computer Forensic Examiners (CFEs) -- two of whom are sworn deputies -- and one non-sworn examiner. The Unit is supervised by the forensic support supervisor in the Investigations Division.

While all of the examiners are able to examine all types of devices for all types of electronic evidence, one CFE is an expert in working child sexual exploitation cases, and is assigned to INTERCEPT.

The unit helps deputies and detectives recover electronic evidence -- of murders, kidnappings, child exploitation, sex offenses, traffic offenses and property crimes -- from computers, phones and other electronic devices. Mobile devices increasingly make up the highest volume of devices seized and examined by the Sheriff's Office.

In 1938 some like-minded members of the Lake Oswego Hunt Club formed a western style riding group and were asked the following year by Clackamas County Sheriff Fred Reaksecker to serve as a mounted posse.

Led by Cedric Hollingsworth, a U.S. Cavalry veteran drillmaster, a drill team commenced.

They performed all over the Pacific Northwest and on the popular television show “You Asked For It."

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Posse (CCSP) was kept busy by their sheriff during WWII -- and has remained a popular volunteer organization to this day.

Activities have included a Pony Express Race from Lake Oswego to Timberline Lodge, blood drives, horse shows, and mounted searches.

The Posse has also been involved in the child safety program called “Hug A Tree” and the Cold Weather Survival Conferences.

They are one of the longest participating organizations in the Clackamas County 4-H and FFA Livestock Auction at the Canby Fair.

The horses are still a very popular attraction at Clackamas Town Center every December, where Posse members patrol the parking lots.

The Posse has evolved to the needs of the Sheriff and community over the years. Recently, the Posse teamed up with the Sheriff’s Office to respond with deputies to calls of animal neglect and abuse. Called the Posse Equine Advocate Team (PEAT), its members have been trained to assist deputies and help equine owners by giving them information to better care for their animals. This has already proven to be a valuable service to the Sheriff and community members.

Connect with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Posse on Facebook.

Want to join the Posse?

Contact the Posse by email.

On Jan. 31, the Sheriff's Office renewed its accreditation through the Oregon Accreditation Alliance.

Accreditation is a process that involves voluntary, independent verification of established standards by an outside organization of professionals and peers. It's a process that confirms a high standard of professionalism in an agency. It's also relatively new to law enforcement. In 1983, the New York State Sheriffs' Association became the first law-enforcement organization in the country to develop an accreditation program for its members. It was a success -- and inspired the creation of the Oregon Accreditation Alliance (OAA) in 2000. OAA is now one of 26 state law-enforcement accrediting bodies evaluating agencies across the United States.

There are 102 OAA accreditation standards, covering the full spectrum of law-enforcement ethics and procedures. The Sheriff's Office first earned accreditation in 2014, following a process that involved cross-referencing its policy manual with OAA standards and establishing working groups at various rank levels to speed the process along. This led to a rewrite of CCSO's policy manual -- which was uploaded to a policy-software platform that allows employees to access and search CCSO policy from anywhere.

"The advantages of accreditation are enormous," said Sheriff Craig Roberts. "When I first took office, I made a commitment to do this. The process inspired us to take a careful look at our existing policies and procedures. This process alone was incredible for our long-term health as an agency. Beyond that, it builds public trust. It also provides other long-term advantages: Just for example, some grants require you to be accredited. We've really raised our standard with this process."

"Accreditation doesn't just prove compliance," explains CCSO Policy Analyst Andrew Gale , who helped spearhead the accreditation process. "It establishes a dynamic process of internal communication and improvement. The very process of seeking accreditation enhances the agency by prompting an internal review of its basic operations." 

On Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017, the Clackamas County Commissioners recognized the Sheriff's Office's accrediation during its weekly meeting.

Sheriff's Office gains OAA state accreditation (May 29, 2014 press release)

The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office works to keep the Clackamas County Jail (CCJ) in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title II, regarding services and accommodations for all adults in custody.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush. The ADA is one of America's most comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination and guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in the mainstream of American life -- to enjoy employment opportunities, to purchase goods and services, and to participate in State and local government programs and services. Modeled after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin - and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 -- the ADA is an "equal opportunity" law for people with disabilities.

To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability, which is defined by the ADA as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments that are covered.

Who is the Jail ADA Coordinator?

The Jail ADA Coordinator is Sergeant Heidi Wooster, CCJADACoordinator@clackamas.us or 503-722-6750.

The Jail ADA Coordinator is responsible for the Clackamas County Jail's overall efforts to comply with the ADA. Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Administering the Jail's ADA regulations
• Reviewing documentation for requests from adults in custody for Reasonable Accommodations
• Ensuring that buildings and pathways are free from obstructions, and
• Addressing concerns that arise from the Jail Population.

The Jail ADA Coordinator promotes activities, programs, and initiatives that enhance campus capacity to develop and maintain a commitment and spirit of inclusivity for all, including constituents with disabilities. In addition, the Jail ADA Coordinator ensures that the campus has appropriate procedures for accommodation, investigation/complaint, and other compliance processes in place, to ensure the proper handling of disability-related requests, concerns and complaints, and to direct ultimate removal of barriers inconsistent with the Clackamas County Jail's obligations under state and federal law.

Basic Function and Responsibilities

The Jail ADA Coordinator:

• Ensures that jail programs are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Act and other federal and state laws and regulations pertaining to persons who are incarcerated with disabilities.
• Coordinates Jail policies and procedures relating to adults in custody with disabilities; programs access relating to its policies and procedures, as well as state and federal laws relating to adults in custody with disabilities; files all necessary reports; and provides consultative services to jail staff.

The Jail ADA Coordinator's scope of responsibility includes Clackamas County jail staff, as well as access for adults in custody to programs and facilities.

The Clackamas County Jail is responsible for ensuring all staff within the Clackamas County Jail understand the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office's full commitment to implementing federal law and jail policy assuring nondiscrimination for staff, adults in custody, and the public on the basis of disability.