HOOD RIVER, Ore. – The first week of October, the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office resumed twenty-four-hour patrol coverage for the first time in nearly two and a half years. Around the clock patrol coverage has been sporadic for the Sheriff’s Office since 2016 due to staffing challenges that resulted from budgetary issues.
In May of 2020, Hood River County voters passed a public safety levy to reinstate services lost during previous years. One of the primary goals of the levy was to increase coverage back to twenty-four hours per day.
“We are very appreciative of the continued support we have from our community”, said Sheriff Matt English. “Without their commitment to funding public safety, we would have been unable to rebuild services lost from budget constraints.” English added that the Sheriff’s Office team is committed to ensuring the community receives the services they deserve and were promised as a result of last May’s levy.
English further explained that the stability the levy created, helped attract trained law enforcement personnel from other agencies to apply for open positions, reducing training time and allowing for a return to 24-hour coverage sooner than initially anticipated.
The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office provides comprehensive public safety services to Hood River County to include 911/Dispatch, Civil, Patrol, Investigations, Parole and Probation, Search and Rescue, Emergency Management, Animal Control, Marine Patrol, Forest Patrol and Off-Highway Vehicle Enforcement.