[OR] Clackamas County Sheriff Roberts: Agency employees will be held to the standards of the law.

CLACKAMAS SHERIFF REAFFIRMS ORDER AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE; PLEDGES TO IMPROVE HIRING, TRAINING, DISCIPLINE
The Oregonian
By Rick Bella
January 21, 2011, 6:30 AM
[Excerpts] Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts already has checked the first recommendation off the list. When a county task force submitted its recommendations for improving the sheriff's hiring, training and disciplinary practices, Roberts immediately issued an order reaffirming a "zero-tolerance" policy toward domestic violence by deputies. Roberts said he already had been working on the order, which spells out a protocol for handling complaints against employees. "It clearly states that agency employees will be held to the standards of the law," Roberts said. "Domestic violence will not be tolerated." Domestic violence spurred the county commissioners to appoint the task force. Last year [Feb. 12, 2010], an off-duty sheriff's sergeant went on a shooting rampage, killing his estranged wife [Charolette Grahn], two of her friends [Kathleen Hoffmeister and Victoria Schulmerich] and then himself. The sergeant, Jeffrey A. Grahn, earlier had been investigated after authorities received a domestic violence complaint. No charges or internal disciplinary measures were filed when the investigation failed to turn up solid evidence. It is not known whether prosecuting or disciplining Grahn could have prevented the killings. However, the commissioners hoped the sheriff's office would adopt systems to detect early warning signs and prevent future problems... Other recommendations... Establish higher education requirements for entry positions and promotions... Clarify probationary language and align with contract language... Ensure regular ethics policy review and training... Clarify the role of sergeants... Conduct a job-task analysis for all positions and develop associated job descriptions... Develop a new performance-evaluation system by July 2011... Develop policies for evaluating physical and psychological fitness for duty... Provide human-relations training for supervisors and managers... Develop an early intervention system... Attain state accreditation... Increase staffing for internal investigations and report directly to the sheriff... Improve the database of complaints... Inform the district attorney's office of any criminal misconduct complaints against employees... [Full article here]

PREVIOUS POSTS:

• [OR] Charlotte murdered for trying to leave Sgt. Grahn, her friend Kathleen Hoffmeister murdered for supporting her, and friend Vickie Schulmerich - in critical condition - ...[Clackamas County Sheriff's Sergeant Jeffrey] Grahn shot and killed his wife, Charlotte, and her friend Kathleen Hoffmeister. He also severely injured Victoria Schulmerich, who is being treated at OHSU Hospital, before killing himself... ...[Walter] Trapp said his sister, Charlotte, was frightened of her husband but afraid to report him to police...
• [OR] Charlotte's relatives say they tried to report Sgt. Grahn & Sheriff Roberts says he feels sick, angry, betrayed - ...Relatives of Charlotte Grahn – who was shot by her husband, [Clackamas County Sheriff's Sergeant] Jeffrey Grahn\ – say she had feared her husband in the past and relatives had attempted to report his previous threatening behavior. If these statements are accurate, then the investigation into these shootings should include an examination of whether official reports about Grahn’s conduct were made, and whether police agencies responded appropriately to allegations against a fellow officer...
  
• [OR] The sad time came to let Vickie go - A Gresham woman quietly lost her fight for life Thursday, nearly two weeks after she was gunned down by an off-duty sheriff's sergeant in a triple murder-suicide at a Gresham lounge. Victoria "Vickie" Schulmerich died at OHSU Hospital in Portland...
• [OR] Truth and Accountability: Sheriff's Sgt. Grahn's domestic triple-murder suicide case not over yet - ...Kathleen Hoffmeister was one of the three women Grahn killed, and her husband, Jay, believes more could have been done to prevent such a tragedy... [Jay Hoffmeister] will seek compensation, contending that Clackamas County failed to rein in an out-of-control employee...
• [OR] After Sheriff's Sgt. Grahn's triple-murder suicide a zero-tolerance domestic violence policy is put into place - A task force has recommended a zero tolerance internal policy for the Clackamas County sheriff's office on domestic violence...
  

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety fatality fatalities lethal murder liability accountability lawsuit]