Oregon Jail Oversight Committee Disbanded After Sheriff Resigns
Oregon Jail Oversight Committee Disbanded After Sheriff Resigns
In 2006, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners in Portland, Oregon responded to a scathing prosecutor’s report about dangerous and costly conditions in the county’s jails by creating a special advisory committee. [See: PLN, Jan. 2008, p.12].
The committee was designed to address the systemic management failures of then-Sheriff Bernie Giusto, who publicly battled commissioners over the way he ran the Multnomah County jail system.
Giusto resigned under fire in July 2008 following findings of ethical violations. [See: PLN, Jan. 2009, p.48]. Three months later the advisory committee was disbanded, representing a strong endorsement of the county’s new sheriff, Bob Skipper.
“It’s an expression of confidence in my ability and the staff’s ability to run this agency as it should be run,” said Sheriff Skipper. County Chairman Ted Wheeler praised Skipper’s efforts but promised that the Board of Commissioners, which was also faulted for lackadaisical jail oversight, would continue to stay involved.
Source: The Oregonian
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