Category Archives: Law

Articles, Community News, Curry, Law

Curry County Law Enforcement Levy Proponents Say It’ll Free Up General Fund Dollars, Commissioners, Staff Still Have Questions

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The spokesperson for a Curry County citizens’ group behind a proposed law enforcement levy broke the numbers down for elected officials on Monday, stating if voters approve the measure, $1.2 million could go back into the general fund.

But commissioners were no closer to supporting a levy than they were at last Thursday’s regular meeting when they said they were uncertain about how many patrol deputies it would fund.

On Monday, commissioners, staff and the few residents who showed up to the workshop had more questions for Georgia Cockerham, who spoke along with Sheriff’s Lt. Jeremy Krohn, in favor of the levy. They asked if they would consider using the levy to fund correctional deputies or if they thought about paying for a detective who could follow up on cases patrol deputies initially respond to.

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Articles, Curry, Law, Local Government

Service District Proposal For Curry County Sheriff Turns Into Pitch For Another Tax Levy

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Right after the Curry County Board of Commissioners heard a proposal to send another law enforcement tax levy before voters, a North Bank Chetco River Road resident said “unsavory people” frequenting Social Security Bar were destroying his property.

The property owner, whose name is Rob, said those “unsavory people” are known to Oregon State Police and are drug addicts. They have cut down his trees and left their refuse, including needles, behind. He asked commissioners on Thursday if they planned to install gates, recruit hosts or institute “any of that campground stuff” for the gravel bar that’s on the Chetco River four miles from U.S. 101 near Brookings.

“I’m at the point now, when it dries up, I’m going to import some riprap and I’m going to block the lower section of Social Security Bar to vehicle access,” Rob said, adding that the sheriff’s office doesn’t pick up his calls. “I’m at my wits’ end and I was wondering if there’s anything in the works.”

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Articles, Community News, Law, Youth

In Del Norte’s New Teen Court Youth Will Be The Jury; Restorative Justice Program Seeks Volunteers

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Del Norte County is adding a new wing to its juvenile justice system that will offer first-time nonviolent offenders a chance to be held accountable by a true jury of their peers.

The system’s foundation will still be there. This includes the sheriff’s office, police department, Del Norte Unified School District, county probation, the District Attorney and the court itself, said Paul Dillard, chairman of the Del Norte County Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Commission. But as the John Wilson Teen Court program gains steam, Dillard sees youth serving as prosecutor, defense attorney, even the judge.

“We [will] have legal representation there to help those youth,” he told Redwood Voice Community News on Friday. “The DA’s office is going to be there for the prosecution and — not necessarily a public defender, maybe it’ll be a retired attorney or it might even be a retired judge — but they guide them. They set standards on the model that’s been created, including what they can do and what they can’t do.”

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Articles, Community News, Law, Local Government

Del Norte Sheriff Retains Ability to Hire At More Advanced Salary Step

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Despite what the county staff report said, Del Norte Sheriff Garrett Scott told supervisors that he has used his ability to hire at a more advanced step in the salary schedule four times in the last six months.

Though they agreed that being able to hire at a level higher than Step A but no higher than Step C is a useful tool — one they allowed to continue on Tuesday — the Board was surprised at the sheriff’s news.

“It was less than three weeks ago when we had this conversation, and at the time it wasn’t a useful tool. As a matter of fact, I think you made some statements that it was a morale killer,” District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard said. “Obviously now you’ve corrected us in the sense you believe it has been used. I’m curious what’s changed with your perception in the last several months since the Board adopted this for you.”

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Articles, Community News, Curry, Law, Local Government

Former Commissioner Proposes Creating A Service District To Rebuild The Curry County Sheriff’s Office

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Former elected official Christopher Paasch appeared before the Curry County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday to make a formal pitch to ask voters to create a service district in an effort to rebuild the sheriff’s office.

Paasch, who retired from the Board following the 2022 election, brought Sheriff John Ward with him, and urged commissioners on Wednesday to declare their intention to form a Curry County Law Enforcement Service District and schedule the first of two public hearings Oregon statute requires to place the measure before voters next May.

The proposed service district would be funded through a property tax of $1.12 per $1,000 of assessed valued property and would generate roughly $4.2 million annually, Paasch said. The revenue would pay for eight patrol deputies, a civil deputy, an administrative assistant, two sergeants, one lieutenant and the sheriff.

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Articles, Community News, Law

Del Norte Supervisors Sign Off On DNSO Staffing Plan; Sheriff Says He’s Already Received Interest From Potential Recruits

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Experienced officers have already begun inquiring about working for the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office, Garrett Scott told Redwood Voice Community News the day after the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved his staffing plan.

The Del Norte County sheriff said his proposal to freeze positions that have been vacant for more than a decade in an effort to increase salaries for new and existing employees won’t be the answer to all of his office’s problems, but it will help.

“I [plan] to send five locals to the academy in January,” Scott said Wednesday. “I anticipate several of those being current staff members of the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office. For example, jail deputies that want to work [as] patrol deputies or bailiffs.”

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