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While the Sheriff has law enforcement authority from the Oregon Constitution and the Oregon
Revised Statutes, the “Sheriff” has historical roots from England starting around the 9 century. The
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office of Sheriff is the oldest, non-military law enforcement organization in history.
Sheriff Joseph Meek was the first Sheriff in our area before Oregon was even a state. Starting in 1843,
Sheriff Meek started the office of Sheriff. Since that time, 31 other Sheriffs have served our
community. Sheriff Pat Garrett is our 32 Sheriff of Washington County.,
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There are 36 Sheriffs in the State of Oregon. The Sheriff is the “chief executive officer and conservator
of the peace of the county” (ORS 206.010). In all, there are 68 Oregon Revised Statutes with
subsections describing the role, function and duties of the Sheriff.