Skip to main content

Published Alerts

Site search

Equity in Public Safety

This information is intended to address community questions on the overall quality and equity of policing. 

Our agency’s vision is for a safe and thriving community for everyone. Building strong neighborhoods where everyone feels safe begins by strengthening trust.  The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office is dedicated to building relationships by breaking down barriers through open and honest communication, transparency, and accountability. We are committed to listening, and learning from, all community members to build solutions together.

Data

Reported Crime Data Dashboard

Using the crime data dashboard, community members can view crime data by type, time and geographic area, as well as study historical trends and review specific time periods, in areas patrolled by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. This includes unincorporated Multnomah County, and sheriff’s office contract cities of Fairview, Maywood Park, Troutdale and Wood Village.

The dashboard is updated no less frequently than once a week. The data does not include statistics from the Cities of Portland, Gresham nor the Port of Portland. The dashboard is free to use.

View the dashboard here.
 

Control Event Statistics 

The International Association of Chiefs of Police has described use of force as the "amount of effort required by police to compel compliance by an unwilling subject."

The Sheriff’s Office requires that members be capable of applying, when needed, effective and reasonable physical force and tactics on behalf of the community. The Sheriff’s Office places a high value on resolving confrontations, when practical, with less physical force than the maximum that may be allowed by law.

Members are required to report use of force through a Control Event Reporting system. MCSO uses a program called Benchmark Analytics. 

Learn more about Control Event Statistics.
 

STOP data

The STOP program stems from the 2017 Oregon Legislative Session, where HB 2355 was enacted and signed into law. The bill requires:

  • All Oregon Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) to collect specific data related to officer initiated traffic and pedestrian stops.
  • Oregon State Police (OSP), in consultation with the Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), to establish a standardized method for the collection of required data elements from all Oregon LEAs. 
  • CJC to perform the requisite data analysis to identify patterns and practices and profiling and deliver a report to DPSST to provide advice or technical assistance based on the best practices of policing to LEAs.

Data has been collected and reviewed since 2019:
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
 

Monthly Jail Statistics

This report is a monthly publication of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office's Planning and Research Unit and includes the number of standard bookings, total releases, average length of stay in jail facility, and average daily population. Links to reports:

August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

*Archived reports are available upon request through public records request.

 

Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)

The Prison Rape Elimination Act that was signed into law in 2003. PREA requires zero tolerance for sexual abuse and sexual harassment in our custody. PREA applies in all prisons, jails and lockups in the U.S. and during arrest and while under MCSO supervision.

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office believes in the prevention of sexual abuse through education and monitoring of staff and inmate behavior. Prevention, detection and reduction of incidents of sexual abuse and sexual harassment is one of our top priorities. Adults in custody and staff will be held accountable for their actions when they violate this policy.

Staff members, contractors and volunteers are educated about their responsibilities under PREA including their duty to report all allegations of sexual abuse and sexual harassment for investigation. Adults in custody are provided education about PREA in a variety of languages and formats and are informed how to report allegations that occur in custody. Medical and mental health services are also provided. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office complies with the PREA standards. 

You can use the following links for more information and statistics. If you need a report from a year not listed, please file a public records request.

2022
2021
2020

  • Filing a PREA report

    Adults in custody can report sexual abuse or sexual harassment that has occurred or that they witnessed. They can also report any fears of retaliation for reporting an incident or any staff neglect or violation of responsibilities that may have contributed to the incident. They can tell any staff member who they feel most comfortable talking to: a deputy, nurse, chaplain, counselor, volunteer or mental health consultant. They can also submit a grievance, write a Service Request Form, commonly known as a kyte, to the jail detective or tell a family member or friend who can make the report for them. If you would like to make a report for an adult in custody, you can call 503-227-2010.

    MCSO takes reports of sexual abuse and sexual harassment seriously and each complaint will be investigated. If criminal behavior is indicated, the case will be sent for prosecution. If an incident indicates an internal policy violation, it will be sent to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Internal Affairs Unit for further investigation.

    If you prefer to report an incident of sexual abuse or sexual harassment to an outside agency, you can also contact the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office at:

    CLACKAMAS COUNTY JAIL
    Attention: PREA Coordinator
    2206 Kaen Road
    Oregon City, OR 97045          

    These reports will be received and forwarded to agency officials at MCSO for investigation. You can remain anonymous at your request.

  • How do we monitor PREA?

    The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office has designated a PREA Coordinator who develops, implements and oversees the agency’s efforts to comply with the PREA standards. The PREA Coordinator is responsible for reviewing current policies and practices to conform to PREA, and collecting information on reported allegations. Education of staff and inmates is reviewed annually to stay up to date on current best practices in the industry. A PREA Compliance Manager is assigned to the Detention Center and the Inverness Jail to assist in this process.

Accountability

The Sheriff’s Office is committed to transparency and continual growth through systems of accountability and within professional industry associations. We are guided by best practice and industry standards developed by the Prison Rape Elimination Act, National Institute of Corrections, Major County Sheriffs of America, and the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association and Northwest Accreditation. 

Additionally, oversight is provided by the Board of County Commissioners to include public participation, our annual Corrections Grand Jury process, facilitated by the District Attorney’s Office and conducted independently by Multnomah County residents, and other organizations that have oversight authority such as Disability Right Oregon. Through these organizations, the Sheriff’s Office is subject to audits, inspections, accreditations, and standards compliance. 
 

Internal Affairs

The Internal Affairs Unit is dedicated to creating an environment which encourages the highest standards of integrity by assessing and appropriately addressing complaints and concerns received from the public and agency members.

Individuals wishing to file a complaint against an MCSO member, may do so by postal mail, email, phone, fax or in person. Complaints can be made anonymously, though we encourage you to provide your name, telephone number and mailing address to help us conduct a thorough investigation and notify you of any action taken as a result.

We've created a Complaint Form. Please submit online or by email.

(503) 988-4557 Phone
iau@mcso.us

It is policy of the sheriff’s office to investigate complaints in a timely, thorough, and impartial manner. For a full description of internal affairs processing, please visit this policy page.
 

Local Public Safety Coordinating Council (LPSCC)

LPSCC is a statutorily created collaboration and is made up of public safety partners including the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.

The Executive Committee, which guides the work of multiple subcommittees and work groups, including a jail usage workgroup and reentry council, meets monthly.

The Multnomah County LPSCC engages in a variety of activities to improve and reform the criminal justice system. More can be learned on the county's website.

 

Body-worn cameras

Implementing a body worn camera program can be a highly effective resource, providing an unaltered audio and visual record of interactions that capture verified evidence in the event of a crime, police interaction or use of force event. This technology will also provide additional transparency in the daily operations of the Law Enforcement Division.

Body worn cameras help build community trust, by providing an additional measure of oversight and accountability for the deputy and community.

We are currently completing policies regarding body worn cameras, which will involve robust community involvement. The community involvement includes numerous listening sessions with organizations that include our contract cities, the Metro Business Association, Reynolds School District, the Somali American Council of Oregon, the Latino Network and the Waterfront Organization of Oregon. After receiving public feedback and further policy review, in the fall of 2023, we plan on implementing a pilot program in the winter. MCSO will review the pilot program in spring of 2024.

The results of the pilot program will be shared with the public and the Multnomah County Board of County Commissioners.
 

County Auditor

The Multnomah County Auditor’s Office promotes accountable and equitable county government. They find out how well the county government is working, recommend improvements, and report out the public.

  • County Good Governance Hotline

    The County Auditor's Good Government Hotline gives county employees and the public a confidential way to report:

    • Suspected fraud, waste, inefficiency, and abuse of position.
    • Issues where an employee’s conduct broadly affects the integrity, efficiency, or effectiveness of County government.
    • Retaliation that appears to be based on a report submitted to the hotline.

    The Good Government Hotline allows you to make reports online or by speaking to a trained professional by phone. Your report is taken by a neutral third party; it is not taken by County management. 

    Call: 888-289-6839 – available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

    Online: Reporting form

  • County Ombudsperson

    The County Ombudsperson helps people who live in Multnomah County resolve issues with county programs and departments. The Ombudsperson ensures that residents are treated fairly in their interactions with the county. As a part of the County Auditor’s office, the Ombudsperson is impartial and independent.

    Call: 503-988-1234

    Email: ombudsperson@multco.us

County Jail Audit & Response

Multnomah County Auditor’s Office conducted an audit in 2022 to provide an update on jail conditions. County leadership committed to making improvements based on a 2017 Disability Rights Oregon report which found improper conditions for individuals with mental health conditions. Their focus was on describing conditions with a data-rich approach that could inform the ongoing community discussions about the legal system.

Then-Sheriff Mike Reese provided this response to the audit.