Sheriff Bishop points to many accomplishments over last year

January 7, 2010 | By Sheriff John Bishop| CurryCountyReporter.com

 

Citizens of Curry County, the following are some of the accomplishments of your Sheriff's Office in 2009.

In the past year we have completed minor adjustments such as consolidating all divisions under one letterhead, saving on printing envelopes, business cards etc. This allows us to operate as one unit, saving money, time, efficiency, and effectiveness.

We now have new Vision and Mission statements, which reinforce this. We have goals to obtain and a plan to meet those goals. These goals are not merely words but goals and actions to hold us accountable to our citizens. The following are our accomplishments:

Dispatch

1. Implemented Priority Dispatch System.

2. Maintained a full staff with 100 percent staff certification.

3. Implemented a new security system with new jail/court cameras.

4. Archived and destroyed old records, some going back to the 1960s helping to increase efficiency.

5. Installed 7-County/OWIN radio equipment, helping Curry County hook up to a statewide system. (When completed we could have radio service outside the county during an emergency.)

6. Upgraded 911 audio recording devices.

7. New Mobile Communications Vehicle for emergency incidents.

8. Installed new LEDS server for better service and reliability.

9. Installed new 911 GIS mapping software for 911 calls.

10. Received 19,192 complaints, 68,909 business calls, and 5,401 911 calls in 2009.

Patrol

1. We remodeled downstairs office space and evidence room. Most of this labor was done by jail inmates with little cost to county.

2. Re-organization in the patrol division. (office space, cleaning and repairing of equipment, better efficiency).

3. Morale and productivity was a continual climb upward and remains high.

4. New equipment and vehicles were purchased to replace the old, and broken vehicles, making patrol more productive, safer, efficient, and helping with maintenance costs.

5. We purchased new uniforms for a professional look and to replace torn and ragged looking uniforms.

6. We added a Lieutenant position for patrol to give us a complete chain of command, and save overtime expenses.

7. We had our deputies certified as instructors for more in-house training to help us meet the DPSST requirements. This has saved the Sheriff's Office money, time, and has helped us in liability exposure.

8. Patrol has been involved in numerous big cases and has solved several high profile cases. Patrol has also answered a higher than normal amount of suicidal subjects.

9. Implemented a new Policy and Procedure manual for all of the Sheriff's Office personnel. We replaced outdated policy with current best practices policy, which will be updated twice a year.

10. Patrol wrote 1,088 reports, handled over 11,000 complaints and served over 1,362 civil services. (This is addition to what the civil department handles.)

Search and rescue

Search and Rescue has been called to respond 21 times to various SAR related issues in Curry County and several times for outside assistance. On at least five occasions the quick response saved the lives of citizens. SAR continues to meet and train every month. Equipment is now being purchased to help these trained individuals to do their jobs in a safe manner, while keeping our citizens and visitors safe while enjoying Curry County.

Equipment includes: ATV Polaris 700 donated by a local citizen; Rope and rappelling equipment; GPS Rhino units to assist in navigation; orange uniforms for members for safety and appearance; dry suits with survival vest for cold water rescue; adjustments and upgrading of vehicles for more dependable transportation of members.

Jail

The jail has been a major focus for the administration this year.

1. New pump grinder/digester for jail sewer system. This will help prevent further flooding and damage to basement and to the jail.

2. All toilets/sinks replaced mostly due to $50,000 USDA grant.

3. Raised all the vents in the plumbing alleys to help with flooding.

4. New paint in the Sheriff's office halls, jail cells and halls, sally port and intake corridor. Also cleaned areas which had not been cleaned for years.

5. New uniforms for all corrections deputies. Replaced badly needed uniforms.

6. New radios issued for all corrections personnel, helped with the safety of the deputies.

7. Lights installed in exercise yard for the ability to operate the yard times in the evening to help with noise issues and the courts.

8. Upgraded the personal protection equipment (masks, gloves, blood trauma kits, etc.).

9. Purged approximately 10,000 jail booking files.

10. Replaced all the light switches with security switches in jail.

11. Replaced and added new cameras and security system in the jail.

12. New security monitors for the jail office.

13. Four new stab vests and two new ballistic vests purchased, for jail deputies.

14. Replaced old cups and trays with new safety cups and serving trays.

15. Installed live scan digital fingerprint machine.

16. Installed bullet proof glass in the front lobby area.

17. Have started a remodel of the front lobby.

18. Installed two new printers in jail for prisoner bookings and sergeants' use.

19. Installed a Visa machine for prisoner families and bail.

20. Translated the inmate manual and some of the jail forms from English text to Spanish text.

21. Replaced dining tables with new stainless steel tables getting rid of the old rusted steel tables.

22. Entered into agreement with the Oregon Department of Revenue to collect unpaid inmate medical expenses from past years.

23. Started a debt collection system and mailing to former inmates who owe the county money. We have collected several thousands of dollars to date.

Animal control

1. Changing the euthanasia room to a medical exam room. The county no longer euthanizes any animal. If a dog must be euthanized it is taken to a local veterinarian. The shelter prides itself as a low-kill facility, making it able to apply for several grants. In 2009 the Curry County Animal Shelter only had to euthanize three dogs, a far cry from a previous year where 58 dogs were put down. With partnerships with local veterinarians' older dogs are allowed to spend the rest of their life at the shelter.

2. Over 200 healthy, spayed/neutered dogs were adopted into homes from our shelter. All dogs that leave our shelter are up to date on all shots including rabies, are altered and when they leave, if their new family lives in the county, they buy a license.

3. The County installed brand new thermal windows that open for ventilation, something that all the veterinarians advised were very important to having a healthy kennel. The windows were installed professionally and were a high priority. This prevented mold from forming which was making the dogs ill.

4. The shelter utilizes inmate work and they have been painting and cleaning. The shelter has been re-painted and cleaned. Almost all material has been donated and the shelter is once again bright and clean. The original kennels are still left to be painted when dry weather comes back.

5. Curry County Animal Shelter started a boarding program and it has been a success. We have worked out a few kinks and have found it is a great way to add some well needed income to the budget. The boarders are identified by a scarf we put around their neck so when people come to see what dogs are up for adoption they will know what dogs are available. Several dogs that come on a regular basis really enjoy their stay and have no problem adjusting to their owners leaving. Boarding also gets people who have not seen our facility recently to take a tour. This program has helped increase revenue to the shelter and will help save general fund expenditures.

6. The shelter has received some great donations for the dogs such as: 18 soft, fluffy beds, raw hides to last for months!!! Canned dog food, milk bones, leashes, collars, dog bowls, laundry soap, bleach and not to mention the overwhelming response we got for blankets, and dozens of brand new, light, easy to wash blankets. We also are waiting for a commercial washer, which is promised shortly.

7. The office has been re-modeled, and the computer system is currently being upgraded. The shelter is very friendly, happy, and people leave our shelter with a very warm feeling.

Emergency services

1. 2009 has seen a considerable amount of change in Emergency Services. Most of this year our main priority was catch up. The vast amount of paperwork, grant administration, and planning projects left incomplete from previous years had to be brought into compliance.

2. We have successfully transferred command of Emergency Services to the Sheriff's Office. A great deal of help, advice and guidance was given from command staff. Josephine County was gracious enough to come to Curry County and helped get the scope of office duties to a manageable level.

3. Some of the successful projects include the creation of a communications vehicle capable of functioning independently from the existing communications systems. We received, installed, tested, and successfully used the ODAN (Oregon Digital ARES Network) equipment from Oregon Emergency Management /Oregon Military Department. Along with these two projects, The ‘Fly Away Kit' emergency communications project is nearing its completion.

4. The first draft of the debris management plan annex/appendix to the EOP (Emergency Operations Plan) is out to the applicable agencies for review.

5. The Natural Hazards Mitigation Planning Committee has been/is being refilled. The plan is being reviewed with the contractor to maintain FEMA compliance.

6. The Curry Wildfire Preparation Team (CWPT) has made great progress with distribution of the plan as well as work on projects outlined in the plan. Much more is to come this next year in public education; outreach and more project implementation working with the NFP grant, and the Wild land Urban Interface (WUI).

7. Many of our neighboring agencies both within the county and around the state had been reluctant to work with the County due to its' past history and reputation; however, the county's current leadership has worked hard to overcome this in the past year.

8. Curry County hosted the ‘Tsunami Road Show' in each of the three coastal cities promoting earthquake/tsunami education and preparedness as well as overall emergency preparedness.

9. Emergency Services administered the OYCC/OYEI program for the summer of 2009, employing 12 youth from our communities. These youth worked on several projects for the county both at the Brookings Airport and the Lobster Creek Youth Camp as well as many projects for the USFS in Curry County, many involving CWPT/WUI interface projects.

10. We recently received training for the respiratory protection fit testing and have the equipment to fit test employees for the new PAPR equipment.

Parole and probation

1. Parole and probation has also gone thru many changes in the last year. Due to budget cuts from the state we have a lost parole officer position and may lose another in 2010. However we have reorganized the office and are holding our own regarding the supervision of the offenders placed into our system.

2. On average a P&P officer would supervise approximately 65 clients. Currently our Curry County P&P officer supervises 110 clients in addition to 44 clients with community services conditions. This, however, may dramatically increase if the State of Oregon Department of Corrections Early Releases by approximately 4,000 inmates due to budget cuts in February.

3. The office security has been upgraded and a small lobby has been added in Gold Beach for the clients so they are not waiting in office space, giving them visual access to numerous records that may be on a desk or on a computer screen. Records and reporting have also been streamlined to help meet state mandates and requirements.

4 We have also converted an older patrol unit with a transport cage to help Parole and Probation safely transport its offenders to jail. The computer system which was archaic was upgraded and brought to standard, which helps staff supervise their heavy workload. We also are currently working on a state of the art program to help keep track of sex offenders and their movements around the state.

Marine

1. The Marine Division was able to upgrade several pieces of equipment using Marine Board and Title III monies. New vehicles to help tow the boats were purchased as well as new emergency and search lights for the boats. This will allow the boats to work in a much safer capacity and will help other boaters on the water to avoid the Sheriff's boat during an emergency.

2. The Marine Division was also integrated into the SAR program as the Marine Deputies spend most of their time in the water inside the federal forest boundaries.

3. Both Marine deputies have become state instructors and help train new deputies around the state in boating and enforcement procedures. Both teach at the Marine academy and are instrumental in white water boating. They also assist, when requested, the two jet boat companies which bring numerous tourist to the area and operate on the Rogue River.

4. The rivers in Curry County are among the most technical and unforgiving rivers in the state and nation. The Upper Rogue River in particular is one of the most technical and dangerous rivers in the nation. Unfortunately we loose lives almost every year in this section and it is imperative our marine deputies and others keep up with their boating skills to help assist rafters and other citizens using the federal forest land, while keeping our rivers a safe area to enjoy.

Busy year

As you can see 2009 was an extremely busy year for the Sheriff's Office. Not only were we operating with budget constraints but we were under even more state and federal mandates.

The Office was able to help bring us back into compliance in some areas that had not been addressed in years and we were able to get some of our qualifications for federal grants back on track so that in the future we will be able to apply for federal dollars if they become available.

We have worked towards repairing our relationships will all outside agencies, media, and our citizens. We want to give the children of our communities someone to look up to and to know if they need help, they can count on us to do our very best to give it to them.

The employees have worked extremely hard this year and we even came in under budget for the 08/09 fiscal year.

Please, when you get a chance, thank the sheriff's personnel for a job well done. You should be proud of the work they have done in this last year.

They have been fiscally responsible with your money and have taken the office to a new level of competence, effectiveness, and efficiency.