Praying for Those in Authority: Jefferson County

Ashwood Road Rock Formations, Jefferson County

Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31: 8-9

Jefferson County puts us in the middle of the North Central Region of Oregon. This area is almost all ranching and farming with the town of Madras being the county seat. I had assumed the county was named for Thomas Jefferson, but it is named after Mt. Jefferson, the second-tallest mountain in Oregon – which was named after Thomas Jefferson. The population of Jefferson County is around 25,000. It was created from part of Crook County in 1914. It owes its agricultural and ranching prosperity to the building of the railroad in 1911 that connected Madras to the Columbia River and gave the ranchers and farmers a means of reaching markets. Additionally, the 1930s saw the development of irrigation in the county that expanded farming operations. 

Jefferson County, Oregon

The town of Madras, population 7, 456 is situated near the junction of U.S. Highways 97 and 26 making it a good stopping place for travelers visiting Central Oregon. Jefferson County has a diverse culture including Hispanic and Native American traditions and has had a good working relationship with the nearby Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. The reservation children attend Madras schools for middle and high school.

In addition to the ranching and farming economy, there are employers such as Bright Wood Corporation, a wood manufacturing plant that employs 650 at its plant near Madras. Another employer is Deer Ridge Correctional Institution, a state prison, situated east of Madras.

The town of Madras recently hired a new police chief, Tim Plummer, who is working to beef up the city police department. When he was hired the staff was half the required number, but officers are being added so that each shift has at least two on duty for their own safety and for the quick response to needs in the community.    

Jefferson County Sheriff is Jason Pollock. The mission of the office is to “Safeguard all people and their property, serving all equally, with empathy, dignity, and respect.”

From the Jefferson County Sheriff’s website:

The Office of Sheriff is a constitutional office for the State of Oregon and is the only elected law enforcement position in the state or the country. It is important that the "Sheriff" is elected and thus accountable directly to the people. The "Sheriff" answers only to the people and is not directed by any other body, elected or appointed person. Being answerable only to the voters provides for integrity in enforcing the law by not, having a "boss" that might dictate otherwise. 

The Confederated Tribes at Warm Springs has recently adopted the missing, murdered indigenous persons response plan. In 2019 the Oregon legislature passed a bill that ordered the state to study the problem of missing and murdered native peoples - mostly women - which was believed to be underreported. The study found this to be true, with a lack of cooperation and trust between native peoples and law enforcement, among other issues. A task force and recommendations for improvement in finding missing or murdered women and in preventing crimes in the first place is now being implemented. Called The Tribal Community Response Plan, it is a guide on how Tribal law enforcement and the community will respond when someone goes missing in the community.

The Jefferson County Board of Commissioners is the County governing body.  They provide a direct link between the citizens of Jefferson County and their County Government. 

The Board consists of three part-time members.  Each member is elected for a four-year term of office and paid a salary established by the Budget Committee. 

The current commissioners are Wayne Fording, Kelly Simmelink, Mark Wunsch.