GET OUT OF JAIL FREE

As the sheriff for Multnomah County, I am deeply disturbed by the new
"catch and release" approach we have been forced to take with
criminals.

Since January, budget problems forced us to close a jail and, as a
result, our deputies have had to release almost 800 inmates. Some
were awaiting trial or probation-violation hearings; others were
already convicted and serving sentences of up to a year.

In order to free up beds for the most violent offenders, beginning
May 2 we will discontinue booking into the jail people arrested on
allegations of drug possession, auto theft and forgery. Individuals
accused of these crimes will simply be given a citation, just like a
traffic ticket.

The problem is not a lack of space. The problem is a lack of money to
pay the deputies to staff our jails.

And the problem is about to get much worse. A current budget proposal
for the Sheriff's Office would remove 254 more jail beds beginning
July 1.

We are trying to keep the most hardened criminals in jail and release
those who pose less danger to the community. But when I look at the
individuals who are already getting out early, it frightens even an
old cop like me. These are people who need drug treatment, need
mental health services and need to know that society has a jail cell
waiting for them if they continue to commit crimes.

Let me introduce you to three fellows who were released early last weekend:

Inmate One is a police officer's nightmare. He is 6-foot-3, 250
pounds and has a string of drug-related criminal convictions dating
back to 1989 when he was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for
possession of dangerous drugs. He was in jail on a probation
violation, his 10th in 10 years. In spite of that, he was released
early because our officers ran out of empty jail beds.

Inmate Two is only 22 but he has already been convicted twice of
stealing cars. In recent months, he has been released early three
separate times, always getting picked up again by police. What kind
of message are we sending someone like this?

Inmate Three has a conviction record in Multnomah County that dates
back to 1978. He was released from the Oregon state prison system in
2000 after serving more than seven years for robbery and burglary. He
was convicted again on drug charges in 2001 and was back in our jail
on probation violations. In February, his name was called under our
early release requirement, and he was sent back to the streets.

These are not people who should be sent back out into our
neighborhoods. In all three cases, judges have ruled they should be
incarcerated. The have not only violated the laws that we live by,
they also have repeatedly abused the "second chances" provided by our
justice system. But, without the money to operate more jail beds, I
do not have the resources to keep them locked up.

The Multnomah County commissioners have a tough job to do. They have
to weigh the importance of public safety against other priorities. My
hope is that they recognize what dumping these inmates back into our
neighborhoods does to our quality of life.

We have long since cut administration at the Multnomah County
Sheriff's Office. Even a study done by the county's budget office
last year found "the Sheriff's Office to have the smallest
administration of any county department."

I am being asked to cut another $3 million from my budget, and it
can't be done without closing more jail beds.

These early releases defy all of my instincts as a 36-year police
officer. But now they are defying all my instincts as a citizen in
this county who expects our streets to be safe and repeat criminals
to be locked up.

My biggest fear today is that this problem will get worse. There are
worse people in our jails than the three you met on this page. And
they may be coming back to a neighborhood near you. Dan Noelle is
Multnomah County sheriff; reach his office through the Web site
www.sheriff-mcso.org.