FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions
The Sex Offender Inquiry System is provided by the Oregon State Police and can be found at the following link:
The Oregon State Police is pleased to announce the availability of SafeOregon a new school safety tip line program available to all public K-12 schools in Oregon at no cost to use. SafeOregon requires schools to complete a sign-up process in order for students to use it.
SafeOregon is a way for students, staff or other members of the public to anonymously report and share confidential information of a threat or a potential threat to student safety. Trained staff are available 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year reached through a phone call, text message, mobile application or website. The main goal of SafeOregon is to intervene at the earliest possible point in the life of a young person who is struggling, helping them when they need it, before the situation turns into a tragedy.
SafeOregon is designed to encourage Oregon students to share and respond to anything that threatens their safety or the safety of others, anything that makes a student feel unsafe or if a student knows someone who feels unsafe. Here are a few examples: safety threats, violence, threats of violence, fights, drugs, alcohol, weapons, bullying or friends that talk about hurting themselves, harassment, intimidation, cyber-bullying, or self-harm.
"Schools should be safe places for children to learn, educators to teach, and for communities to gather," Governor Kate Brown said. "We can all do our part through the SafeOregon tip line to share information about potential threats to student safety. This important statewide resource is a direct result of the recommendations of the Oregon Task Force on School Safety, and I am grateful to everyone who contributed to improving the safety and security of our Oregon schools."
"To all Oregon students, I want to encourage you to make courageous decisions to break the code of silence and speak out against harmful behaviors before they turn to tragedy", stated Superintendent Travis Hampton. "We can make a difference in our schools and communities and we are committed to creating a safe and respectful culture to support you."
Tips can be submitted 24/7/365 through the www.SafeOregon.com web portal, by e-mail to tip [at] safeoregon.com (tip[at]safeoregon[dot]com), through the SafeOregon mobile application (available for android or iOS device), or by calling or texting 844-472-3367. Tips are promptly analyzed and routed for the most appropriate follow-up and urgency. This may be to school officials, law enforcement, community mental health programs or other appropriate local or state agencies. Tip Line staff make sure follow-up is noted and recorded.
SafeOregon -- the school safety tip line -- became Law through HB 4075 (2016), as a result of recommendations from the Oregon Task Force on School Safety charged with improving safety and security at schools across the state. The task force was established by House Bill 4087, bringing together representatives from police, fire, school administration, teachers, school boards and service districts, along with the Governor's education and public safety policy advisors, and legislators. The task force is chaired by Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts and Dr. David Novotney Willamette Education Service District.
- Citizens have access to Chief’s cell phone 24/7 (971-241-9152 - Please leave a message if the Chief doesn't get a chance to answer when you call)
- Officers do not leave the City for meals or any breaks.
- Officers only leave Carlton if another agency requests coverage for an emergency in close proximity to the city and no closer agency is available.
- Paperwork needing to go to other agencies or the D.A.’s Office is sent via email or mail unless it is not feasible to do so then it will be hand-delivered.
- Officers will cite and release on minor cases allowing the officer to remain in Carlton.
- Often, officers work additional hours outside their normal shifts which is facilitated using grants to pay for overtime.
- Shifts for officers are scheduled based on current trends of high crime activity. This is generally between the hours of 8 a.m. and 11 p.m but is often adjusted as needed.
- Officers regularly patrol throughout the City and visit different areas or neighborhoods often multiple times a day.
Often times a significant case will require all hands on deck. Officers will work longer shifts to accommodate the workload and, in some instances, the Carlton Police Department will work with other agencies to complete a case.
An example of the amount of personnel and time utilized to bring an investigation to completion was all 3 officers working an approximate total of 160 hours meaning all officers worked a minimum of one forty-hour workweek.
For years, law enforcement administrators and elected policymakers have been seeking a method of measuring the performance and accountability of police agencies. Most of the methods entailed some formula with percentages for crime rates or field activities. Those techniques were routinely challenged because the results were so easily manipulated and never completely had universal standards for comparing one agency to the next, nor did they speak to the accountability of an organization to its constituents for the manner in which a public agency was administered.
The law enforcement accreditation system establishes a uniform set of “Best Practices” for police agencies that are consistent on an international scale, measurable, verified by an independent body as to compliance, and creates an accountability to the community, elected policymakers, and the line officers who are performing the day to day work. Within the law enforcement standards of Best Practices are compliance requirements dealing with life, health, safety, and high liability exposures.
The Carlton Police Department was able to attain Accreditation in 2014, with the help a full-time volunteer. Once accredited, agencies are required to maintain various standards and are re-evaluated every three years to maintain accreditation. In 2017, the Carlton Police Department attained re-accreditation certification.
The Carlton Police Department has been recognized throughout the State of Oregon for meeting or exceeding professional standards within law enforcement. Currently, the Carlton Police Department is the only agency with 5 or less full-time officers that is an accredited agency through the Oregon Accreditation Alliance in the state of Oregon.
Every standard is intended to make an agency more professional and accountable while at the same time improving its services to the community.
"If you have a standard but compromise it on occasion, then you don't have a standard"