Administrative Services for the Sheriff's Office
are located at the Multnomah Building.

501 SE Hawthorne Blvd Suite 350
Portland, Oregon 97220
503-988-4300

A Brief History

Five years before the state of Oregon came into existence; Multnomah County was created on December 22, 1854 from parts of Washington and Clackamas counties by the Territorial Government. The county's formation was prompted by residents who found it inconvenient to travel to Hillsboro in Washington County to conduct county business. At the same time, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office was founded and William L. McMillen, was appointed its first Sheriff in February 1854. Sheriff McMillen’s duties included tax collection, executioner, custodian of prisoners in jail, peace officer, and to assign deputies duties of the Sheriff at the will of the Sheriff.
Although the Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction has been reduced to a fraction of its original size, as cities have incorporated and formed their own enforcement departments, the role of the Sheriff's Office has basically remained unchanged for over 150 years, with the exception of tax collection and executions.
Today the Sheriff’s Office employs roughly 800 employees, has a jurisdiction of roughly 291 square miles of Multnomah County, 17,415 residents and manages 3 county jail facilities.
The Sheriff currently serves as an elected official after voters approved a home rule charter in 1966.

Patches