Washington County sheriff's office outlines jail repairs, staffing gains and new crime-fighting tools

Sheriff Massey of the Washington County Sheriff's Office told the Tualatin City Council on Aug. 25 that the office is restoring staff and investing in infrastructure and technology as it responds to rising gun violence and jail capacity pressures.

The update said the county is “not just fully staffed, but are engaging in over hires” to ensure continuity as officers retire, while three jail housing units remain closed for major infrastructure repairs including a new roof, plumbing, fire suppression and HVAC work. "Wherever you live, we serve you," Sheriff Massey said, framing the presentation around countywide public safety services and partnerships with municipal police departments including the Tualatin Police Department.

The sheriff's office said it has a contract with Yamhill County to use 15 beds for sentenced adults in custody to reduce transfers for court and attorney visits. The office also reported receipt of a $750,000 grant to expand its pretrial release program; the funding will allow the county to bring electronic monitoring operations in-house so deputies will monitor alerts around the clock rather than relying on an external vendor that did not provide 24/7 monitoring.

Why it matters: county jail capacity, pretrial supervision and weapons interdiction affect public safety and court operations across the region. The sheriff said a recently commissioned jail-capacity study projects the county may need more than 1,000 beds by 2055, and he signaled plans to research models from other jurisdictions that pair behavioral-health programming and technology with custody operations.

Chief Deputy Errol McCrae described interagency enforcement efforts and new tools. McCrae said the COvERT (community violence reduction) team, formed in October 2024, has executed 68 search warrants, made 49 arrests and seized 282 firearms. He said the sheriff's office installed a NIBIN (National Integrated Ballistic Information Network) terminal that helps analyze shell casings and link shootings across jurisdictions, improving investigators’ ability to prioritize cases.

McCrae outlined other capabilities and programs: an 11-member drone/ROV (remotely operated vehicle) team that supports indoor and outdoor operations, a search-and-rescue cadet program for volunteers ages 14–17, and Project Lifesaver and Help Me Home programs that aid recovery of missing persons with medical or cognitive vulnerabilities. He described a rescue in which search-and-rescue located an endangered person about 30 feet down a ravine and brought the person to safety.

Council members asked for local context. Councilor Hillier asked whether the rise in gun violence described by McCrae reflected a local trend or a regional/national one; the sheriff's office said the metro area has seen a significant increase and that more local analytical capacity has made previously unlinked incidents visible. Councilor Brooks asked about how limited jail capacity affects custody decisions; the sheriff replied that the office books and fingerprints many arrestees and uses expanded pretrial release and electronic monitoring for people who can safely await adjudication outside custody, while noting serious-person felonies and domestic-violence suspects continue to be jailed.

The sheriff also noted that certain functions (marine patrol, search and rescue, concealed-handgun licensing and civil processes) are statutorily required of a county sheriff’s office. He mentioned, without presenting details, a planned public safety local option levy on the November ballot and said the sheriff's office is preparing materials to respond to public questions.

The presentation closed with the sheriff emphasizing partnerships with municipal departments, including Tualatin Police Chief Pickering, and an invitation for councilors to review the office’s annual report and forthcoming data responses to earlier council questions.