The Oregon State Police is shouldering much of the law enforcement load in rural Josephine County, where state troopers have become the de facto sheriff’s office on nights and weekends.
Newly released statistics show huge jumps in the state police workload in the county, since 60 of the sheriff’s workforce of nearly 100 deputies and support personnel were laid off two years ago due to budget cuts.
These days, the Sheriff’s Office typically has patrol deputies on duty only 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Calls for help come in — thefts, domestics, property line disputes, etc. — but there are few deputies to go out.
Into the void have stepped state police, which recently sent five more troopers and a sergeant this way.
“The guys that are working nights and weekends have really had to do a lot more,” state police Senior Trooper Josh Quick said.
The change in roles — troopers responding to calls formerly handled by deputies — might be having an impact on highway traffic enforcement. Instead of ticketing speeders and drunken drivers, troopers are handling domestic violence and suicide calls.
Traffic enforcement numbers for the last few years were not immediately available from state police.
Quick said a trooper’s ability to be proactive has diminished.
“In our traditional role, we go out and stop cars,” he said. “We drive the highways and drive the freeways and stop cars. We’re not able to work traffic as much as in the past.”
The numbers are staggering. According to state police figures, in 2013:
* 72 percent of state police patrol calls for service were referred from the Sheriff’s Office — meaning that 72 percent of the calls troopers were assigned were calls that, prior to June 2012, would have been handled by a deputy.
* 86 percent of state police detective calls for service in Josephine County were referred from the Sheriff’s Office. Again, these are calls that used to be handled by a sheriff’s detective. Now, there are none.
* State police detectives investigated 797 cases in Josephine County, compared with only 148 cases in Jackson County, which has roughly two and a half times the population. It also, however, has a fully staffed sheriff’s department.
The figures also show that in the five months before deputy layoffs took place in June 2012, state police detectives investigated fewer than 10 cases per month in Josephine County, compared with 50 or more cases investigated per month in the remainder of 2012 and last year. For example, in May 2012, there were 10 state police detective investigations in Josephine County, compared with 85 the following May.
Senior Trooper Kirk Melahn, who works out of Grants Pass, was asked about his workload while out on a traffic stop last week.
“Busy,” he replied, leaving additional comments for others.
How long Josephine County can expect this unofficial state subsidy to continue is anyone’s guess. Shifting OSP resources from Jackson County, where property owners pay $2.01 per $1,000 of assessed value in county-government property taxes, to Josephine County, which has the lowest county-government tax rate in the state at 58 cents per $1,000, will at some point have political ramifications.
Counties that are paying their own freight for sheriff’s services will likely demand that they receive the state police presence they are entitled to.
Oregon State Police Supt. Rich Evans last month addressed a public safety summit in Curry County, speaking about the workload demands on his department in Southern Oregon. He presented some of the same statistics two weeks ago to a joint state legislative subcommittee on pubic safety.
Evans did not comment for this story. Instead, queries were directed to Lt. Gregg Hastings, the department’s chief spokesman in Portland.
“When one agency takes a hit as what has happened to the (Josephine County) sheriff’s office, it affects each agency,” Hastings said. “OSP is definitely feeling an impact while working very hard to minimize the effect it has on the community and transportation safety.
“The increased caseload definitely leads to long hours, increased responsibility and associated pressures.”
Currently stationed in Grants Pass are 11 state police patrol troopers, including two on loan from Jackson County. This spring, another sergeant is expected to be assigned to the one currently in Grants Pass. And in January, the agency can hire four more troopers in Grants Pass, Hastings said.
In a recent interview, Josephine County Sheriff Gil Gilbertson said he is now down to one patrol deputy, because the only other patrol deputy is injured. He said he has asked county commissioners to fund a replacement for the injured deputy. He has only two deputies assigned to patrol, in addition to three deputies on contract to provide services to Cave Junction, federal forests and rivers.
Sheriff’s Office cuts mean that patrol deputies typically don’t respond to thefts and burglaries. Instead, victims can file a report, mainly for insurance purposes.
“We’re not doing property crimes,” Gilbertson said. “We’re taking the information, but that’s what we can do at this point. We’re trying to keep up with person crimes N~ crimes against persons.”
Asked how long OSP can continue to provide a disproportionate share of resources in Josephine County at the expense of other counties, state Sen. Herman Baertschiger, R-Grants Pass, cautioned that state police funding can be uncertain.
“The situation with OSP might be a temporary situation, because it’s all related to the budget,” his chief of staff, Michael Sellers, told the Daily Courier on Baertschiger’s behalf. “The help we have with OSP might not always be there.”
But state Rep. Dennis Richardson, R-Central Point, supported the move of troopers to where they are needed.
“The state has a responsibility to ensure the public safety of all Oregonians,” said Richardson, a candidate for governor. “When one county has greater public safety needs, the state needs to respond accordingly.”
Josephine County Commissioner Keith Heck even sent a letter of appreciation to state police.
“Thank you for the detectives and troopers and their hard work and dedication to all of us here in Josephine County,” Heck said, in a Feb. 13 letter to Evans. “As you are aware, Josephine County is in dire financial straits. Your detectives (and) troopers E’ have stepped in and stepped up. While they cannot replace all of the deputies we have lost, their presence and hard work has truly helped us avert a total law enforcement disaster.
“Your troopers are not forgotten,” Heck said. “Please extend to your officers our deepest appreciation.”
