Sheriff's Office FAQ: Hiring, Training, Policy and Discipline

Hiring the right people, training them properly, and evaluating their performance throughout their career are among the ways we assure we have a workforce capable of making the right decisions in the field.

• Hiring
  The Sheriff's Office sets high standards for hiring deputies. Applicants proceed through a rigorous process, including interviews and a background investigation. During interviews, applicants are asked to express their views and thoughts on diversity and the community. The background investigation includes an interview between an investigator and the applicant. The investigator also follows up with friends, family, neighbors, significant others, and professional contacts. This is an extensive process, designed as a fact-finding investigation to determine an applicant's core character and decision-making skills, as how they regard others and are perceived by others.
• Academy
  All law enforcement officers in the state attend the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) for 16 weeks of training. The Academy commits over 60 hours of instruction and training in community relations which includes effective communication, implicit bias, problem-solving, de-escalation, and ethics. More information regarding DPSST Academy training can be found here.
• Field Training
  When patrol deputies return from the Academy, they receive field training with training officers for an additional 17 weeks. During field training, the deputy is directly supervised by a training officer during their entire shift. The training officer completes daily evaluations of the deputy. The deputy's progress and training are closely monitored by a sergeant, the training coordinator, the training sergeant and a lieutenant to determine progress and proficiency.
• Performance
  During the course of their career, patrol deputies receive regular feedback and annual performance evaluations. All certified personnel receive a minimum of 80 hours of training every 3 years. In addition, all staff receive ethics training on an annual basis.

Since 2005, the Sheriff's Office has collaborated with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and local mental-health agencies to build the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program. CIT provides information, tools and resources to enhance first-responder encounters with the individuals in mental health crisis or affected by mental illness — in jail and on the street — and reduce overall interactions and risk of injury or death. Every CCSO deputy receives this training first at the Academy, then again through ongoing Sheriff's Office training.

Our deputies are highly trained. Unusual for most law enforcement agencies, this training is monthly. Use of force is covered in monthly firearms and defensive tactics training. During these sessions, instructors cover state law, updates on case law, techniques, and issues of concern. Deputies are trained by expert staff who are certified instructors. Training also extensively covers de-escalation options.

Our deputies are trained to use force only when necessary. If a subject refuses to comply with the lawful orders of a deputy and/or presents a threat of violence, the deputy may have to resort to force to gain control of the situation. In gaining control of a situation, deputies are expected to use only that force that is objectively reasonable to bring an incident under control, effect arrest, prevent an escape, or protect life, , as outlined in ORS Chapter 161.190 to 161.275.

There are several factors in the decision to use force — including the seriousness of the crime, the threat to the deputy or the public, and whether other options including de-escalation are available. Once a subject is subdued and detained, our deputies are taught to move the subject into a recovery position and render first aid as needed.

At one time we did use a "use of force continuum"; however, this is no longer considered best practice. We are trained to use a reasonable amount of force based on the totality of the circumstances, as outlined by the United States Supreme Court in Graham v. Conner. This is national best practice. Our training is continually informed by current court case rulings and evolving best practices. Deputies are trained to continually evaluate the situation after application of force. You can see more on this topic here.

We do not train our deputies to restrict someone's airway and impede their ability to breathe. Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Policies and procedures are in compliance with HB 4203-A (2020 1st Special Session).

Deputies use verbal warnings or commands whenever feasible prior to using physical force and while using force. While every situation is unique, de-escalation is at the core of our work.

Deputies get extensive de-escalation training when they attend the police academy and again when they return to our agency for field training. This mandatory training continues regularly throughout the deputy's entire career.

Additionally, all deputies are required to attend a 40-hour Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, created with the help of NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness), which includes de-escalation training.

Any time a deputy uses force, they are required to complete a Use of Force Report by the end of their shift. That report is then reviewed and approved for sufficiency of information by the patrol sergeant before end of shift. Each month, all patrol lieutenants — along with the captains who oversee Patrol, Training, and the Professional Standards Unit — review the prior month's Use of Force Reports. The reports are reviewed to ensure consistency in practices, determine training needs, and ensure the deputy's actions are within policy.

Yes. Our policies are available online.

Nearly all Sheriff's Office patrol cars are equipped with in-car cameras that capture multiple video angles around the patrol car and of the back seat, which is used to transport people in custody to jail. These cameras capture audio as well.

We currently do not use body cameras; however, we want to. The purchase and maintenance of body cameras for an agency of our size has been cost-prohibitive. In the next budget year, we will ask the County to appropriate funds for their purchase.

Yes. Whenever possible, warnings are issued.

The Sheriff's Office, like all law enforcement agencies in the state, is required to have a detailed plan for response to deadly use of force.

The plan details the procedures and protocols for investigating officer-involved shootings that result in the death of a person.

Our plan was established in 2008 in accordance with Senate Bill 111 (2007).

Use of force incidents that result in the death of a person are investigated by the Clackamas County Major Crimes Team (MCT). The MCT comprises investigators from several different agencies within the county and is supervised by the Clackamas County District Attorney.

All investigation findings are presented to a grand jury for review to determine if any criminal laws have been violated, and to maintain public confidence through an independent review of the facts by an impartial body of private citizens. Under Oregon law, grand jury proceedings are strictly confidential and the details of the grand jury review are not open to public inspection, with limited exceptions (under ORS 132.270) when a grand jury enquires into the conduct of a public servant. The grand jury may only return a criminal indictment if all the evidence taken together would warrant a conviction of a specific crime by a trial jury.

Yes. All uses of force require a supervisor to be notified and a report completed before the end of the deputy's shift. The report requires supervisor approval. These reports are also reviewed by our training division, which looks for issues and trends and adapts training accordingly.

Deputies must report to a supervisor any employee that uses excessive or inappropriate force. Any complaint of this nature is investigated by our Professional Standards Unit to determine if the deputy's conduct violated policy. In compliance with HB 4205A, we will revise our policy to require deputies to intervene to stop unjustified or excessive force.

Complaints are generally handled by a supervisor; however, any member of our office may take a personnel complaint.

Complaints can be made verbally, in writing or submitted through our website.

Every complaint that the Sheriff's Office receives is documented and sent to our internal affairs team in the Professional Standards Unit (PSU).

PSU comprises two detectives and a captain who investigate personnel complaints and make findings. All complaints are investigated and, if sustained, discipline is determined by command staff.

If a complaint involves credible allegations of criminal conduct the Clackamas County District Attorney's Office is notified.

In some instances, we might ask an outside law enforcement agency to conduct the investigation for us.

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office uses progressive discipline to manage employee conduct. This system is set up to address and correct issues as they arise. If an employee repeats a disciplinary issue the discipline typically progresses to a higher sanction. In some instances, however, discipline can move directly to termination.

The Clackamas County Peace Officers Association may grieve and challenge any imposition of discipline on behalf of a deputy who is a member of their union. When that occurs, and an agreement cannot be reached with Sheriff’s Office management and the County, the union has a right to ask an independent arbitrator to decide if the discipline should be upheld. The Sheriff’s Office is required to abide by the arbitrator’s decision.

Oregon law mandates that the Board of Public Safety Standards and Training establish minimum standards that are required to be met and maintained by Oregon's providers of public safety — including police officers, corrections officers, parole and probation officers.

The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) is responsible for certifying public safety professionals who meet all of the Board-established intellectual, physical and moral fitness standards, and for denying, suspending or revoking the certification of those who do not meet or fall below these standards.

By law, DPSST has access to the personnel investigation files of any certified public safety officer. The employing public safety agency is required to report to DPSST whenever a certified officer is terminated, or has resigned while under investigation. Related to this, any certified officer who is arrested or receives a criminal citation to appear or its equivalent, for any offense punishable as a crime, must personally notify DPSST within five business days.

Sheriff's Office policies and procedures are reviewed on a regular basis — and also after any legislative action or major incident — to determine if they should be maintained in their present form, updated, or rescinded. All policies undergo a review for legal sufficiency and are approved by CCSO leadership.

Additionally, to meet and maintain the requirements of accreditation, CCSO policies and procedures undergo an independent review by the Oregon Accreditation Alliance every three years to verify our practices continue to meet standards for accreditation. The Oregon Accreditation Alliance provides an independent method of measuring the performance and accountability of police agencies. The Sheriff's Office has earned and renewed OAA accreditation since 2014. Law enforcement accreditation establishes a uniform set of "best practices" for police agencies that are consistent, measurable, and verified.