Troutdale considers dissolving police department, contracting with sheriff's office for services

Multnomah County's new sheriff, Dan Staton, rode in the Hollywood neighborhood's Veteran's Day Parade Wednesday.

Multnomah County Dan Staton sits in a patrol vehicle during a 2009 parade in Portland. Staton is working with the Troutdale leaders to consolidate police services in the city with the Sheriff's Office.

(Randy L Rasmussen/The Oregonian)

Troutdale leaders will meet next week to discuss a proposal to dissolve the city police department and instead contract for services from the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.

The deal would give the city's 16,000 residents access to more services, Sheriff Dan Staton said this week. Mayor Doug Daoust said the plan would save Troutdale $500,000 a year.

Residents shouldn't notice a huge difference. The department's 27 sworn officers and support staff will join the sheriff's office but will continue working from the city's $7.5 million police station, built in 2010. The sheriff's office will lease the building.

Troutdale City Council work session

Time: 7 p.m.

Date: March 3

Location: Police Department, 234 S.W. Kendall Ct.

"The majority of the City Council sees it as a win-win," Daoust said. The council will hear details March 3 and vote March 24. The Troutdale Police Officers Association also supports the plan, union President Greg Vining said. County approval is also pending.

Troutdale would join other metro-area cities in shifting from city police to contracting with a sheriff's office. Cornelius, in Washington County, took the step last year. In Multnomah County, Wood Village and Maywood Park contract with the sheriff's office, and Staton said Fairview is considering it.

Details of Troutdale's plan, including specifics on potential savings, were not available.

Staton and Multnomah County would not release a draft of the plan because it wasn't cleared by his county attorney, he said. Daoust referred questions to Troutdale Police Chief Scott Anderson, who responded via email that he couldn't offer specifics.

"I am not on the negotiating team and therefore I don't have the specific details that have been negotiated," Anderson wrote. "I am well aware of the general proposal and am in favor of this happening."

City Manager Craig Ward said in an email that Anderson was kept out of negotiations to avoid the appearance that he could have "unfairly influenced agreements" with his potential employer. Anderson did contribute expertise on daily operations, Ward said.

City records show Troutdale allocated $4.3 million in its current budget for the police department. The proposed cost under the new plan was not available.

According to the sheriff's office budget, 4,000-resident Wood Village will pay $390,476 for services this fiscal year and 770-resident Maywood Park $33,852.

Staton said that under the deal, 16 officers and supervisors would cover patrols in Troutdale in any given 24 hours. Other staffers would fill sheriff's office vacancies but work in Troutdale. Anderson would also join the office, Vining said.

"Some of their officers will become detectives," Staton said, adding that others could work in drug enforcement, schools or on other duties. "They're going to blend in."

Vining said the change would be bittersweet.

Union members "have emotional ties and loyalty to the police department, as do many members of the community and City Council," Vining said. "However we must set those emotions aside and see what is in the best interest of our members, our families and the community we have sworn to serve and protect."

-- Tony Hernandez
thernandez@oregonian.com
503-294-5928
@tonyhreports

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.