If anyone seemed destined for a law enforcement career, it was probably the United States Marine who served his country with valor and could easily bench press a 300-pound commercial-grade refrigerator. 

But Lieutenant Tim Lichatowich never planned on working in public safety.  

“I just needed a job while I applied to law school,” he said. “It was a real blessing from God that I got this job.” 

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.  

Before she ever stepped onto a shift at the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Jennifer Ciobanasiu already knew how to navigate a crowded room. As the second-born in a family of eight children, she learned early that standing out requires a mix of sharp focus and relentless drive.

Deputy Rachel Marginean didn’t grow up with a family law enforcement legacy. Quite the opposite. Her parents, who emigrated from Romania and own a retirement home, expected her to go to college and choose a different career path. 

When, at just 15 years old, she asked them for permission to join the Gresham Police Cadets, a program for high school students interested in law enforcement careers, they initially refused.

As the agency’s most senior detective, Detective Jonathan Zwick’s career has transitioned from lifesaving heroism to one marked by thousands of investigative hours and a strong drive to protect the county’s most vulnerable residents.

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) celebrated a major milestone as a new class of Search and Rescue volunteers marked the start of a critical role within our local public safety system.

Every Friday at Inverness Jail, Multnomah Education Service District Transition Specialist Nathanyel Israel sits down with a small group of adults in custody who have chosen to break unhealthy patterns in their lives.  

They have voluntarily enrolled in his ManUP course — a program whose name stands for Men Advancing Nobility, Unity, and Purpose.  

Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant John Pemberton is at the helm of Oregon’s only dedicated Gun Dispossession Unit (GDU), a team responsible for serving and enforcing firearm prohibition orders, many tied to Extreme Risk Protection Orders and domestic violence cases. 

Pemberton oversees two deputies in the GDU, which has become a statewide and national model for how law enforcement can help ensure that individuals subject to firearm prohibition orders safely relinquish their weapons.  

For Multnomah County Corrections Deputy Jason Blaesing, a decade of service can be distilled into one guiding principle: “I treat people how I want to be treated.”  

It sounds simple, but that mindset helps keep Deputy Blaesing, his colleagues, and other adults in custody safe. By leading with empathy, Deputy Blaesing, has spent near 10 years building trust and maintaining professionalism with people from every walk of life. 

Multnomah County Sheriff’s Deputy Joe Kaiser has spent more than three decades helping people. It’s what he dreamed of as a child. 

“I’ve wanted to be a cop since I was five, when my uncle got pulled over on his motorcycle. I was riding with him, and I didn’t have a helmet on,” Deputy Kaiser said. “I remember my uncle being upset about the ticket and I thought, ‘How cool is that police officer!’”