A jail booking counter is not where you would typically find a corrections lieutenant, but that’s why Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Lauren Baker shows up and embodies being present.  

It is early Monday morning, the booking counter is full, when someone turns themselves in after learning they have an outstanding warrant.  

Without hesitation, she performs a contraband search and books the person into the Multnomah County Detention Center herself.  

While not a daily occurrence, this is just one example of how Lt. Baker demonstrates her leadership philosophy of “Don’t ask people to do a job you’re not willing to handle yourself.” 

When her deputies and sergeants need assistance, she is always willing to help. 

“I don’t remember seeing lieutenants doing things like that when I was a young officer at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility,” Lt. Baker said. “I always thought, if I get a chance to promote, I’ll do things differently.” 

The Cleveland High School alum and former Girl Scout leader, credits longtime mentor Sgt. Barrett Taylor for shaping her leadership approach. 

“Sgt. Taylor was always so generous with his institutional knowledge early in my career. He wants people to succeed and so do I,” Baker said. 

A dayshift lieutenant at the Multnomah County Detention Center, Baker has built a career of having a deep commitment to professional development.  

During her work, she prepares and distributes personnel orders, manages scheduling and staffing, reviews adult in custody service request forms, and other assigned investigations, all while mentoring corrections professionals and juggling logistical projects. 

Lt. Baker recently worked with Law Enforcement Lt. Mike Kramer and the sheriff’s office’s fiscal procurement team to procure a new scheduling system that will be implemented agencywide. 

Earlier this year, she and Law Enforcement Sgt. Marc Hevern became the first members of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office to complete the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association’s (LEEDA) prestigious Trilogy program. 

FBI LEEDA was founded in 1991 to expand continuing education opportunities for public safety professionals who may not have access to the FBI National Academy. Its Trilogy Program includes three intensive courses: the Supervisor Leadership Institute, Command Leadership Institute, and Executive Leadership Institute.   

These courses are designed around four leadership concepts that include heart set, mindset, skillset and tool set. Heart set addresses “why” we serve. Mindset covers commitment, accountability, performance, and vision. Skillset addresses the soft and hard skills needed to excel in the line of duty, and tool set is the combination of all the acquired skills public safety leaders must hone to perform their duties.  

Lt. Baker also serves as board president of the Metro Area Sergeants Academy, a two-week training program for law enforcement and corrections sergeants. The academy, a nonprofit initiative, provides instruction in legal updates, ethics, leadership and corrections focused coursework, and is required for all Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office sergeants.  

Baker, who graduated from Western Oregon University in 2003, previously worked as a corrections officer at the Oregon Department of Corrections’ Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. She joined the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office in 2014, was promoted to sergeant in 2021 and to lieutenant in 2024. 

Baker said her passion for the work comes from the people she serves alongside and the opportunity to mentor deputies and sergeants. Her advice to others in the profession is to stay positive and treat everyone with respect, regardless of rank or circumstances.  

Outside work, Baker has traveled to 26 countries with her husband, a retired Gresham Police officer. She also helps plan events for Portland’s Royal Rosarians, and has organized major family celebrations, including her daughters’ weddings.  

Lt. Baker jokes that if she weren’t a corrections lieutenant, she might be an event planner.  

The attention to detail Lt. Baker demonstrates as a meticulous corrections leader would undoubtedly translate well into any field. It has certainly been an asset to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.