The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on Thursday, Sept. 8, approved a mutual aid agreement between the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and neighboring public safety partners to provide vital resources during critical incidents, as well as an agreement with the Reynolds School District to provide four school resource deputies at various Reynolds schools.
The vote followed a briefing Tuesday, Sept. 6, by Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese and Sheriff-elect Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell, who serves as Reese’s undersheriff. The briefing highlighted the Sheriff’s Office’s commitment to provide mutual assistance to its neighboring public safety partners, specifically Gresham Police Department and the Portland Police Bureau, during critical incidents and special emergencies.
Mutual aid agreements are routinely renewed — every five years, for example, with Multnomah County’s East Metro Special Emergency Response Team. But the speakers said this year’s renewal signifies dedication not only to the public’s safety but also to innovation, partnerships and teamwork that are necessary for the health of the community.
“This mutual assistance agreement is an example of how the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) acts on its commitment to safety regardless of the jurisdictional boundaries and the limits that we find ourselves in during times of extreme need,” Sheriff Reese said Tuesday.
Reese offered examples of when the agreement might be invoked, including major incidents when the Portland Police Bureau is using all of its resources to respond to an emergency, leaving the bureau unable to respond to other calls.
“Then our deputies would transfer to East Portland and take calls as they come up,” he said.
Another example would be an extreme-risk situation, like the shootings at the Clackamas Town Center and Reynolds High School.
“At times of extreme risk, first responders and public safety professionals are responsible for intervening in violence and significant crisis,” said Morrisey O’Donnell.
“Immediate additional support by local law enforcement partners is crucial.”
The Office’s vision is for a safe and thriving community throughout Multnomah County, stressed Reese. “We’re committed to exemplary public safety service while treating the communities we serve with dignity and respect. We work to ensure that our agency values align with our community’s values.”
The agency’s many partners include County departments, city police departments, and state and federal agencies. The Sheriff’s Office provides 24/7 comprehensive public safety policing services throughout unincorporated Multnomah County while also serving the cities of Fairview, Maywood Park, Troutdale and Wood Village. That jurisdiction extends from Sauvie Island down to Dunthorpe on the west side, and all the way through the Columbia River Gorge on the east.
The services include uniformed patrol, marine patrol, investigative efforts, civil process serving, community resource programs and multiple system partnerships. But the work also includes several county-wide collaborations including the East Metro Special Emergency Response Team, said Morrisey O’Donnell.
The formal aid agreement allows the East Metro Special Emergency Response Team, consisting of the Sheriff’s Office and Gresham Police, to collaborate with the Portland Police Bureau’s Special Emergency Reaction Team, assisting that team when needed.
The agreement allows the Sheriff’s Office to provide aid in the form of personnel, equipment and supplies whenever a major incident occurs and the demands of the incident exceed operational capacity for the respective agency.
It covers major incidents but also any crime or set of crimes, natural disaster, or similar event that has the potential to cause significant injury, death or substantial property damage. It includes the service of high-risk warrants.
This particular mutual aid agreement does not include riot situations or crowd-control events at demonstrations, said Morrisey O’Donnell.
Responding deputies or officers supporting Portland remain under the supervision of their own chain of command, she further explained, and are beholden to their home agency’s policies and procedures. Each agency is responsible for responding to community questions or complaints involving its personnel, she said.
The five-year agreement approved Thursday would last through 2027.
“This agreement allows for our shared value as public safety professionals dedicated to the quality of life throughout Multnomah County and beyond in reducing crime and the fear of crime through innovation, partnerships and teamwork,” said Reese.
“The protection of this community requires dedicated professionals willingly risking their lives in safety to this community. It requires that we maintain trust and partnership with those we serve,” said Reese.
Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson asked during Tuesday’s briefing if there are any significant differences in policies between the responding agencies the Board should know about.
Reese said all agencies, on a broad scale, must follow state and federal law.
“We’re following the common practices for SWAT teams set through standards at the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association and Chiefs of Police Associations. We train together, so I think there’s a common understanding of those practices and policies,” he said. “Specific policies that guide how we interact with community members and how to respond to certain events are overriding, so our members are always going to follow our policy and leadership guidelines.”
“I think it’s important to highlight that you do backfill,” said Commissioner Lori Stegmann, “so if something happens in the City of Portland, you are responding to those events.”
“Do you have an estimate of how often this happens in a given year?” asked Commissioner Sharon Meieran.
In 2021, the East Metro Special Emergency Response Team had 23 callouts. In 2022, so far, there have been 15 callouts, said Morrisey O’Donnell.
“We have worked within [a part of] the city of Portland that is in Multnomah County’s jurisdiction, but may have led us into the city,” she continued. “That has been just a handful of times, but I’m appreciative of this agreement to have it solidified.”
School Resource Deputies
The briefing followed yet another informational presentation Tuesday on the renewal of an agreement between the Reynolds School District and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office to provide school resource deputies.
For years, the Sheriff’s Office had as many as four deputies assigned to three schools: Reynolds High School, Walt Morey Middle School and Reynolds Middle School, said Morrisey O’Donnell.
But the program was put on hold, alongside in-person learning, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the return of in-person learning launched more robust conversations with students, family, faculty and community alongside internal discussion along with County leaders and agency partners.
Dr. Christopher Ortiz, deputy superintendent for Reynolds School District, shared the results of two community surveys among students, parents and staff on the return of school resource deputies to the Reynold’s School Districts.
- Do you feel safe at school?
- 87% of students and 85% of parents and staff said yes.
- Do you support school resource deputies in schools?
- 86% of students and parents and 67% of staff said yes.
- Of the students who support school resource deputies in school:
- 72% BIPOC) or People of Color, said Ortiz.
- Of the students that replied, 142 attended schools that currently have school resource deputies. When asked, “How would you describe your interaction with school resource deputies?”:
- 81% indicated positive interactions, 14% were neutral and 5% indicated negative interactions.
Overall support of school resource deputies in schools is 79%, said Ortiz.
Other focus groups provided additional comments, including suggestions for training, trauma-informed care, counseling, de-escalation, anti-racist, anti-biased practices, and culturally informed practices, among other trainings, before bringing in school resource deputies.
The Sheriff’s Office and Reynolds School District’s renewed partnership would include training on diversity, equity and inclusion, scheduled either through the District or the Sheriff’s Office’s equity and inclusion unit, said Morrisey O’Donnell.
The selection process for school resource deputies would also include reviewing an applicant’s preferred skills and any related characteristics, such as whether they would consider themselves open to conversations on the impact of policing on BIPOC communities.
Other desired characteristics include possessing the ability to make decisions centering vulnerable people and demonstrating a commitment to, and understanding of, racial equity and how it applies to policing.
Watch the full board briefing on commissioner questions here.
The Sheriff’s Office will provide up to four school resource deputies. The Reynolds School District will pay the deputies’ salaries while school is in session. The Sheriff’s Office will pay the deputies’ salaries during summer break.
The agreement would begin September 2022 and last through 2025.
"With this updated IGA, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and Reynold’s School District have the opportunity to continue partnerships with shared values," said Morrisey O’Donnell.
“We really believe that our values as an organization align with this school district's values," said Sheriff Mike Reese. “This creates a model for collaboration and school safety in East County.”
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Remarks from Multnomah County Board members:
Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson
“I appreciate the effort that the school board has made to reach out to the community and parents and get additional student input on this policy. That’s a very important piece of this, finding out what the community thinks of this,” said Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson.
“I appreciate going into this that there is training that deputies have plus additional training the school district is doing.”
Commissioner Sharon Meieran
“As a mom, safety in schools and support for youth mental health are priorities for me. And I want to acknowledge the tragedy that the Reynolds School District experienced that didn't cause more loss of life,” said Commissioner Sharon Meieran. “Troutdale School Resources Officers were on campus and able to respond quickly. Knowing that there was such deep engagement helps in knowing there’s more support and that this is something that has a positive impact in our community and schools.”
Commissioner Lori Stegmann
“A lot of people have different opinions about the course of action,” said Commissioner Lori Stegmann. “But this is what the community has responded with about their desires. I appreciate this work to serve our community.”
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