Tom Bennett - Clatsop County
Department News Release
Friday, October 29, 2010
COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS DIRECTOR CORA LANE TO DEPART
GRP: Is it time to consider merging Community Corrections into The Clatsop County Sheriff's Department?
If "No", why not?
Would it be more cost effective to do so?
Is County Corrections and Transition Center (Offenders serving jail sanctions or sentenced to 12 months or less under oversight of the Local Supervisory Authority (made up of both the Sheriff and the Community Corrections Director)) earning it's way or operating in a deficit?
Cora Lane, director of Clatsop County Community Corrections and 34-year county employee, is departing from her post effective Dec. 1, 2010.
Lane first joined Clatsop County in May 1976 as a clerk/typist in the Assessor’s Office. During her subsequent career with the county she served as a civil process server, animal control officer and parole and probation officer. In January 2006 she was promoted to Community Corrections director.
“We commend Cora for her years of dedicated service to Clatsop County and wish her well,” County Manager Duane Cole said.
Lane will assist in the leadership transition in the department, which will likely involve the appointment of an interim director in the short term, Cole said.
Community Corrections supervises adult criminal offenders who have been sentenced to probation or released to post-prison supervisions from a correctional facility. Supervision is handled through a number of various programs, including substance abuse treatment, sex offender and domestic violence programs, social re-education and life skills, drug court and electronic house arrest. The department also runs the 30-bed Transition Center residential facility in Warrenton.
Cole said the department will maintain all services during the transition, depending on funding from the State of Oregon. The county is working to ensure that Community Corrections, which is primarily funded through the state, continues to serve the county in the event of future state funding cuts, he said.
21 comments:
About time.
The transition center has been a glotified flop house instead of the intensive supervision center it was touted.
Kudos to Clatsop County Manager Duane Cole for making the necessary changes.
Next thing would be to put Community Corrections under Sheriff Bergin, where the program belongs.
Smaller government?
Start here to start erasing the stink of the Lee regime.
This is a tragic move. Cora was the glue that held the transition center together, especially in the face of nasty opposition from Sheriff Bergin and DA Marquis. I suspect this duo has finally convinced the County Manager that this important, cost saving, function should be put under the Sheriff, which will result in its demise. I would be surprised if this happened only because the Sheriff has failed to do anything during his seven years in office and simply doesn't seem to want to work. However, he will dump the transition center onto one of his minions and forget about it. It will then waste away over time. This is a sorry day for community safety.
It's just politics as usual in good ole' Clatsop County, sad, very sad.
No, it's Lee-Free, non-GOB government where professionals run things.
Thank goodness for the County Manager!
John, you're an idiot. This has everything to do with the good old boy government. Good Old Boy Tom Bergin and Good Old Boy Josh Marquis want Cora gone so they can take over the transition center and grind it into dirt. Just read the minutes of the Public Safety Coordinating Committee and that will be clear. The County Manager is, for reasons unknown, giving in.
And, by the way, if you know what GOB means, why don't you spell us out? Not all of us are twits.
Patrick,
If you want to know why community corrections should not be put in the Sheriff's Office, just look at what Sheriff Bergin has done during his seven years in office. Has he instituted one new program (can't count the two the Sheriff's Office uses that were instuted by APD (mobile data terminals) and SPD (citizen police academy)in which the Sheriff was allowed to participate). No. Has he shown any leadership in law enforcement issues? Although that is the principle reason for an elected sheriff, Tom has exercised no leadership. Has the Sheriff made good on either of his campaign promises to build a new jail or actively fight drugs in the County? No, the drug taskforce is an expensive farce that does about two minor busts a year at a cost of about $150,000 each and the jail remains just like it was. In fact, other than bitch about trees and the marijuana initiative the only thing the Sheriff has accomplished is to shed Emergency Management from his Office. Why on earth is it a good idea to give a major program to a Sheriff who has not done anything while in office but get rid of programs created by his predecessor?
"County Corrections
10/31/10
sheriff@co.clatsop.or.us
From: PATRICK MC GEE
Sent: Sun 10/31/10 11:00 PM
To: sheriff@co.clatsop.or.us
Sheriff Bergin,
I am interested in writing a query piece on my blog, Grassroots People http://grassrootspeople.blogspot.com investigating the prospect of merging County Corrections, with this opening now with Cora Lane leaving and searching for a replacement, into the Clatsop County Sheriff's Office.
I heard that Corrections is operating at a $10,000 a month defecit. Is there anyway to confirm that?
Do you have a workable proposed plan as to how that department (Corrections) can be merged and operated into your department?
Your response would be apprecitated.
Patrick McGee"
I have yet to receive a response from Sheriff Bergin and thank all of you for trying to keep this a serious debate in search of resolution.
I will say that I was and still am in 100% support of Sheriff Bergin's initial plan, before Lee and Samuelson were ejected from CCBofC and prior to Raichl and Rhone, to renovate the existing Sheriff's Department to meet its requirement for adequate prisoner housing and new technology but, that regime and the egoes of those that felt their star would fade if they did not get the Bronze Plaque themselves, insisted some B.S. research of their own be done first like helping pay for a new Columbia County Jail for God's sake and other nonsense such as a new jail at North Coast Busisness Park?
The Transition Center? Built out of CCBofC's Special Projects Fund with no public vote, no citizen approval whatsoever, with Heather Reynolds inferring, when I inquired, to the effect that CCBofC, if not challenged, can pretty much do what they damned well please and clearly did so.-in my opinion.
The real question is on the subject...If County Corrections is merged with CCSO can it be run more efficiently and cost effectively than it is now and it is really up to Sheriff Bergin to prove that it can, no matter what he has or hasn't done as Sheriff and by apporval, this time, of the citizens of Clatsop County.
Patrick,
You presume that Sheriff Bergin wants to manage the transition center. I think that presumption is inaccurate. Why should Bergin want to take on this program? It will cause him more work and he will get no acolades or money. Bergin will be content to let the transition center wither away while he continues to do NOTHING to improve the safety of Clatsop County. Bergin is ELECTED. He does not have to prove ANYTHING. He doesn't even have to respond to you, believe it or not.
Your presumptions could be correct as well Charles and you are correct in that he doesn't have to respond.
Very astute observation.
Thanks, I knew you would think that.
My pleasure Charles
GOB means Good Old Boys and Bergin and Marquis don't qualify
Bergin IS the leader of law enforcement in Clatsop County and is considered a leader in the state Sheriffs Association
He was the people's choice when all the GOBS and the Daily A backed his opponent and Bergin won every precinct in the county
He's straight-talking, hard-working
and we're lucky to have him. He has saved money and even reduced staff
John,
Please name the things Sheriff Tom Bergin has done for Clatsop County other than maintaining the projects intsituted by John Raichl and hanging on the coat tails of the police departments. I relish what you will say....
1) Gotten rid of some dead wood in the department
2) Promoted some promising young officers
3) Saved bucketloads of money
4) Kept the Drug Team going (John Raichl is a nice guy but not as aggressive) and resulted in REAL drug arrests
5) Made the jail work as best it can under the cap
6) Proposed a workable jail solution to Lee bunch ignored
7) Actually does work as a sheriff - like doing all the work Ann Samuelson took credit for in the last big storm
Anon,
Thanks,but I don't see anything here that actually resulted in improving public safety (his job) except your comment about the drug task force. In other words, it still seems he is just maintaining things Raichl did. Could you expand on what Bergin has done with the task force? As I mentioned, from the paper it appears they average two busts a year. The Astoria Police do more than that on its own. The task force costs at least $300,000 a year which mades each bust cost $150,000. Seem like a lot of money for that. More important, it appears that the drug dealers who are arrested get out of jail within the next day or so and go right back to selling drugs. That does not improve public safety either. I would appreciate some facts to the contrary. Also, could you explain how Bergin has saved bucket loads of money? The Sheriff's Office costs more today than it ever did, with the exception of emergency managerment which Bergin shed to the County government.
'Gangsters Only Bureaucracy'easily sums up the lee county commission and now they all seem to be tea party members.
And now a joint meeting today between Clatsop Commission and Warrenton Commission on North Coast Business Park to maybe make certain both get a lock on their little schemes before they leave office and the new blood takes their seats?
Come on, anon, what has Bergin really done to improve safety in Clatsop County? What dead wood has he eliminated? People Raichl hired? How does promoting deputies improve safety (it would seem it takes these "outstanding" officers off the street, thus decreasing safety)? What REAL drug arrests have been made and where are those criminals now (I bet they are back on the street selling drugs)? Making the jail work is simply his responsibility and, are you saying that he lacked the political ability to sell the County Commission with an exceptionally logical and cost effective plan to improve the jail? Certainly, political ability to get things done is the main reason for having an elected sheriff rather than a compentent appointed administrator. Surely you can add to your slim, no, nonexistant, list of Bergin accomplishments. Now, if you said he is good because he drinks coffee well, tells cute but crude jokes at Rotary and hides out with Marquis a lot, I can believe that.
Bergin pitched a very reasonable (less than $7 million) proposal to the then-county manager (Derickson) and the four stooges, of only one now remains.
Maybe the new bunch will listen.
Bergin's drug busts have been large, and been the drugs that are real problems; meth, heroin, and oxycontin
The Astoria Police Department needs to get on board the Drug Task Force.
Ask anyone living down by the river.
Sorry "Bill" but he's a very popular sheriff, and for good reason
Thanks, Anon.
Unlike you, I have heard nothing good about Bergin and he seems to avoid explaining all the good things he has done to the media. I have read nothing about any large drug busts by CCSO.
Glad you like him though.
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