The City of Troutdale is currently exploring creating its own city-led police department and terminating the comprehensive law enforcement services it receives from the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. To help ensure community members have access to information, the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office has created this FAQ page.
We encourage Troutdale constituents to stay involved and share their opinions about public safety.
Q: Will Troutdale still have around-the-clock police patrols if the city creates its own department?
No. According to current city projections, the proposed city-led police department would operate a "limited" model with only 13 total positions. Under this configuration, the Troutdale Police Department would be unable to provide 24/7 patrol coverage.
By contrast, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office currently provides guaranteed, around-the-clock comprehensive policing divided between two districts, utilizing three overlapping 10-hour shifts with on-duty Sergeant supervision. Moving to the city's proposed model means there will be hours of the day where no local officers are on patrol in Troutdale.
Q: If a Troutdale officer isn't on duty, won't Multnomah County Sheriff's deputies just fill in the gaps and respond to our calls?
No. There is a misconception that the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office can simply mitigate local service deficiencies.
Once the City of Troutdale terminates its contract, MCSO deputies currently dedicated to Troutdale will be repurposed and reassigned to other responsibilities and districts outside of Troutdale.
MCSO will not maintain an un-contracted "standby" posture to supplement a limited city department. The level of public safety Troutdale establishes independently is exactly the level of service residents will receive.
In a critical incident, such as a shooting, MCSO deputies will always respond, just as they do for other jurisdictions such as Portland and Gresham.
Q: What happens to specialized services like detectives, school resource officers, and traffic enforcement?
Under the model proposed by the City of Troutdale, specialized units that the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office provides would be non-existent or severely restricted.
Under the current contract, MCSO provides Troutdale full access to the Investigations Unit, which initiated 142 new cases and closed 116 felony investigations in Troutdale last year alone.
The city would also lose dedicated School Resource Deputies embedded in the Reynolds School District, the Community Resource Deputy, and regional assets like the East County SWAT Team, East County Vehicular Crimes Team, and high-visibility enforcement missions.
Q: How would complex, major crimes be handled by a 13-person department?
Right now, that’s not entirely clear.
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office has a team of detectives and has the ability to bring in additional resources through the East County Major Crimes Team, for which they are a lead agency.
Complex cases require substantial investigative resources. For example, when a multi-victim shooting happened at the Sandy River Delta, it required an exhaustive, rapid response from patrol deputies to homicide detectives from MCSO.
A limited department consisting of a chief, a lieutenant, two sergeants, and eight patrol officers does not have the administrative support, a dedicated records division, or the detective strength to handle complex felony investigations while simultaneously trying to answer routine calls for service.
Q: Why did Troutdale get rid of its police department in the first place, and what has changed?
In July 2015, Troutdale officially disbanded its police department to join MCSO because a small city could not independently afford comprehensive, modern safety capabilities.
Joining MCSO immediately upgraded Troutdale from 14 hours of daily patrol supervision to full 24/7 coverage, increased officer pay to county scales, and saved taxpayers' money.
Reversing this decision effectively rolls back a decade of public safety progress.
Q: The city says a smaller department will save millions of dollars. Isn't that a good thing?
Public safety costs are a reality for every city, creating a fundamentally understaffed police department is inadequate, and does not fulfill the government’s core obligation to protect its residents, employees, and visitors.
Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell believes that replacing reliable 24/7 coverage with a department lacking equivalent staffing, training capabilities, equipment and fleet resources, and specialized services would be highly detrimental to Troutdale’s public safety.
Financial "savings" should not come at the cost of leaving residents and local businesses vulnerable during off hours.
Q: Can a newly formed Troutdale Police Department easily hire enough officers to get started?
Recruitment will be an uphill battle.
There is currently an incredibly high regional and national demand for highly trained law enforcement professionals. To successfully hire and retain quality officers, a re-established Troutdale department would have to directly outbid established agencies like MCSO, Portland, Gresham, Clackamas County, and Sandy – even Oregon State Police.
Q: How long do we have before the current Sheriff's Office coverage ends?
In June 2025, a short-term transition agreement was signed to extend MCSO services through June 30, 2028, to give the city time to evaluate its options.
However, the city's current "ramp-up" proposal - which involves hiring a chief and lieutenant early – could result in the city terminating MCSO services well before 2028 with only a 90-day notice.
Sheriff Morrisey O’Donnell remains committed to a path that does not compromise current safety standards and strongly encourages all community members to attend upcoming public meetings to learn more and share their opinions.
