Sheriffs office outlines IGA changes, staffing plan and upcoming leadership transition

Estacada—Chief Mendoza of the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office updated the Traffic & Public Safety Committee on July 15 about a revised intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with contract cities, staffing changes tied to a full-time policing model, and upcoming personnel transitions.

The IGA revisions, negotiated over roughly two years by a committee of city managers, police chiefs and the sheriffs office, include a change to how long contract cities pay for a deputy who is off work for an extended injury. Under the revision, the city pays the deputy for the first 30 days; after that the deputy is rotated back to county assignment and the county deploys a replacement deputy to the city. Mendoza said the change reduces the risk a small contract city would shoulder long-term employee absences.

Mendoza told the committee the department is currently in a flexible-service model (five deputies and below) and would shift to a full-time model once allocations reach six deputies. Under that model, deputies assigned to Estacada would wear a city-designated black uniform and city patches and be identifiable by city markings on patrol vehicles. Mendoza said the full-time model also enables an option to assign a detective to city cases; if a city adds that FTE, the city would receive a slight reduction in its contribution to the sheriffs overall detective division.

Mendoza said the shift to a full-time model brings more consistent day-and-night coverage and requires mandatory replacements for deputies on training or leave; he estimated overtime costs to cover replacements would rise by roughly 20 percent. He also said the city manager and mayor have discussed moving a 0.25 FTE toward a full-time chief post, which the sheriffs office believes would be cost-effective and provide a working chief in the city.

Operational notes: Mendoza said the marine unit will conduct periodic lake patrols with a city deputy to improve shoreline visibility. He also said a new deputy, Deputy Ringo, was expected around July 22 after training; Mendoza cautioned that junior deputies are often replaced at September schedule changes and that the staffing lineup could be 50 percent new again by mid-September. He also said Deputy Bigler is moving to the civil division.

Personnel transition: Mendoza announced he has accepted a promotion to captain and will leave his Estacada duties in September to take a post in Happy Valley. Mendoza said he appreciated community support and noted Estacadas staffing had grown since he arrived: earlier staffing was 3.15 FTEs (one SRO and two deputies) and has increased to about 5.25 FTEs. The sheriffs office has identified Lieutenant Bill Turway as the successor for the Estacada assignment; Mendoza said Turway will be introduced and trained and will take over in September.

Why it matters: The IGA revisions and shift toward a full-time model change how small contract cities budget for and receive patrol coverage, affect overtime costs and create the option to place investigative capacity within the city. Mendozas imminent departure also creates a near-term leadership transition for Estacada policing.

Committee follow-ups and next steps included passing details back to the city manager for scheduling and ensuring deputies and community partners are informed of patrol and marine-unit plans.

Ending: Mendoza offered details on ride-alongs and said the sheriffs office website hosts the application; he said committee members and volunteers can arrange approvals through the sheriff where special approvals (e.g., for elected officials or committee members) may be required.