The Communications Unit connects, engages and empowers employees, residents, communities, and journalists in Multnomah County and beyond. The Communications team works around the clock to provide accurate, time-sensitive information necessary for the public to make informed decisions. The team publishes agency news to increase community engagement, works professionally and effectively with the media, and furthers transparency by facilitating public records requests. The Communications Unit supports internal communication to ensure an informed workforce. The Unit operates with equity as a guiding value, ensuring messaging, in its various forms, is accessible to all.
Press releases distributed by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office are sent to members of the media and public via the FlashAlert Newswire & Messenger system. To subscribe to the email list and receive press releases, please visit this website and enter your email address in the box under “Subscribe.”
Public notices may contain information, special announcements, legal proceedings, or requests issued by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.
Motor vehicle selection and unbiased enforcement standard operating procedure
MCSO is committed to delivering services in a professional, fair, and respectful manner. The goal of this Office’s public safety mission is to earn legitimacy through public trust, which is accomplished via thoughtful field-to-facility practices that further community safety. Learn more about the standard operating procedure here.
On July 12, 2026, at approximately 2:05 pm deputies from the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) responded to a 911 call reporting a person who was seen swimming near Sand Island appeared to be in distress and did not resurface. Sand Island is located on the east end of Rooster Rock State Park and sits within the Columbia River.
The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office announced the opening of a 30‑day Stakeholder Review period for six proposed policies, including one outlining arrest authority for sworn corrections members.
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a deadly Fourth of July weekend boating crash on the Willamette River.
A coordinated multi-agency operation successfully rescued a hiker from the Columbia River Gorge after she injured herself on a popular hiking trail.
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…
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.
After some convincing, Marginean was allowed to join and remained in the cadet program, honing strong leadership and public safety skills, until she was 20…
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.
Oregon Public Records Law (ORS192) provides individuals, organizations, agencies and businesses the ability to access written documents and materials.
It is our policy to respond to public record requests in an orderly, consistent and reasonable manner in accordance with the Oregon Public Records Law.
In order to request access to these documents and materials, the request must include the following:
Please be advised that there may be a fee to cover staff time researching and retrieving the documents.
