Angela Brandenburg took over as the Clackamas County Sheriff last month,
following the retirement of Craig Roberts after 16 years on the job.
Brandenburg is the 33rd county sheriff since 1845, when William Livingston
Holmes became the first.

Brandenburg has served with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO)
for 27 years, working up through the ranks from Reserve Deputy to
Undersheriff, while also taking on roles including the Public Information Officer
and as a member of both the Search & Rescue and SWAT Teams. She also
served for five years as the Director of A Safe Place Family Justice Center and

was responsible for leading CCSO’s Domestic Violence Enhanced Response
Team.

Brandenburg, who lives in Molalla, also served nine years in the Oregon Army
National Guard.

Roberts, who joined the CCSO in 1979 as a reserve deputy, praised
Brandenburg in a statement he released upon his retirement.

“Sheriff Brandenburg is taking command of an incredible operation,” Roberts
said in the statement. “I know the Sheriff’s Office will only further its tradition
of excellence under her leadership.”

Former Sheriff Roberts’ full statement is available on the CCSO website,
www.clackamas.us/sheriff/news.

To introduce the new Sheriff to our readers, the Mountain Times (MT) emailed
a series of questions to her, which are presented here:

MT: What has been your experience, both as a member of the CCSO and as a
civilian, when visiting the Mountain?

Sheriff Brandenburg: “Early in my career I did a stint as CCSO's Public
Information Officer, and I also had the honor of working closely with the
Mountain community for several years as a Sheriff’s Office representative on
the Mt. Hood Coalition Against Drug Crime citizen group. This relationship
continued as a Patrol deputy and Sergeant, when I served on the front lines in
the area. During this time, I became familiar with residents' deep love for
their community, as well as their passion to keep it safe. As a Clackamas
County resident, I know we're so fortunate to have Mt. Hood in our backyard.
I love the outdoors and visit the mountain with my family often. I recognize
this community survives in part thanks to visitors like my family.”

MT: You have spent 28 years with the CCSO, why did you choose this career
path and what do you find most rewarding about your work in the CCSO?

Sheriff Brandenburg: “After graduating high school, I joined the Oregon
Army National Guard, following in the footsteps of family members who
enlisted. That marked the beginning of my public service. I joined CCSO as a
Reserve deputy and quickly realized this was the work for me. The ability to
help people who cannot help themselves is absolutely rewarding. I jumped
into full-time law-enforcement work with both feet, and I'm honored to serve
my community each and every day.”

MT: Clackamas County includes urban, suburban and rural areas throughout a
large land territory. What are the biggest challenges in covering such a diverse area?

Sheriff Brandenburg: “Although patrol is the most visible part of our office,
we provide many services across the county. We are responsible for the jail,
court security, civil service, investigations and search and rescue, and we
have many special units and partnerships throughout the county. Managing all
of these responsibilities, keeping performance at a high level and meeting the
expectations of our diverse communities is a great challenge.”

MT: Members of the Mountain community have expressed concerns in the
past regarding two subjects in particular: response time after calling the CCSO
and speeders on Hwy. 26.
How can the Sheriff’s Office work toward improving these issues on the
Mountain, and what are the challenges in doing so?

Sheriff Brandenburg: “Highway 26 is the major thoroughfare on the
mountain, and I realize traffic related issues are of concern. 26 is a state
highway, which makes it the jurisdiction of the Oregon State Police. As you
know, their staffing is low at the moment, and they do not provide 24-hour
service. Our deputies supplement in the area by providing patrol services,
traffic and DUII enforcement, and crash response.
One of my priorities is to determine if we're using our resources effectively
and efficiently. To that end we'll be working with an outside firm to conduct a
comprehensive staffing study. We'll be looking at how we staff our patrol
districts, including looking for any areas where service can be improved.
We're also talking to our Patrol deputies, who know their districts well and are
familiar with areas that are likely to need more attention. In their available
time, those are the areas they generally patrol. We stop a lot of criminals in
the act by using these proactive approaches.
My goal (is) to use the information from this staffing study to drive our
decision making regarding our resource allocations early in my
administration.”
Editor’s note: The staffing study Sheriff Brandenburg mentioned was approved
and began in early January. It is expected to take up to 15 weeks to
complete.

MT: The Search and Rescue efforts have gone through restructuring in the
past year: where do they currently stand and do you have any other plans for
further changes to the structure?

Sheriff Brandenburg: “Year after year, we are seeing a 10-15% increase in
the number of searches we conduct. Last year we restructured and formed
Clackamas County Search and Rescue (CSAR), and still work alongside
volunteer organizations such as Portland Mountain Rescue. We have great
working relationships with our partners in the search and rescue community.
That's key in accomplishing SAR missions, which often involve multiple
agencies and organizations working in concert. I will continue to strengthen
our relationships with our partners. This in turn will improve our capabilities to
conduct safe and successful missions.”

MT: Police agencies face so many challenges in this day and age, what is the
biggest challenge for the CCSO?

Sheriff Brandenburg: “Currently the lack of resources to help those
affected by mental-health and addiction issues is one of the biggest
challenges, not only for CCSO but for all our local law-enforcement partners.
The lack of these resources and the recent closure of the Hooper Detox
Stabilization Center means more people are ending up in the jail and the
criminal justice system, where they do not belong. You have to address these
problems at the root, leading with addiction and mental-health services.”

MT: In the past year, there has been a discussion in this country about police
reform and how police interact with people of color. Do you see any
opportunities within the CCSO to make changes along these lines?

Sheriff Brandenburg: “Under my leadership, we will continue to be
dedicated to serving all of our communities. One of my goals includes
engagement with all of our communities by every level of my office – from
deputies on the street to my command staff. What I do know and recognize is
that many communities are fearful of law enforcement, and we have to meet
them where they're at. Together, through open and safe dialogue, we can be
more responsive to their unique needs, promote trust, and make
improvements in the services we deliver.

Another priority of mine is to promote transparency and officer safety. I’m
seeking funds to purchase body-worn cameras for our personnel. I want the
public to better understand our work, and I believe these cameras will be a
helpful tool and critical to transparency.”