Continue to Stand in the Gap: Deschutes County

Deschutes County, Oregon. Charlotte Lake
The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; Isaiah 35:1

Just to the west of Crook County is Deschutes, which has the distinction of being the youngest county in the state, created in 1916, and is also the fastest growing. The population has exploded to nearly 200,000 in recent years, and the county is now considered the political and economic center of Central Oregon. Bend is the county seat. The other incorporated towns are La Pine, Redmond, and Sisters.

You can read more about Deschutes County history here, here, and here.

Deschutes County, OR
A recent letter in the Bend Bulletin pointed out that the county has had three commissioner positions since 1971 when Deschutes County had about 30,000 population. It now has over 200,000 but is still represented by three commissioners, spreading representation pretty thin. The county has already made changes in the county board, changing the way commissioners are elected (they are no longer partisan positions). There is a citizens movement in Deschutes County to expand the Board from three commissioners to five. It is uncertain how much support there is for this county-wide, but with the high rate of growth in the county there are sure to be changes in the governing body in future years, to better address the challenges in the area.

The current commissioners are Phil Chang, Patti Adair, and Tammy Baney.

The Deschutes County Sheriff is L. Shane Nelson.  Appointed in 2015 after the retirement of the previous Sheriff, he was born and raised in Bend, returning there to be active in the community after he graduated from OSU in 1993.

The opioid addiction crisis continues to be a major concern for the Sheriff’s Office. Recent steps were taken to improve the health and safety of those incarcerated in the facility since the majority of those taken into custody are affected by drug addiction. Also, the suicide rate among the incarcerated is high - everywhere, not just in Deschutes County. A grant from the state (funded by measure 110) has enabled the county to provide a Medication-Assisted Treatment program that attempts to address the addiction issues of inmates. They have also introduced bunks and furniture in the jail facility designed to discourage suicide. They have also increased the Behavioral Health Services staff to better help adults who come in with mental health issues.

The very first Sheriff of Deschutes County, picked when it was first formed in 1916, was Samuel E. Roberts, who served from 1916 to 1929. He was born in 1876 in Wasco County but came to Bend with relatives in 1910 looking for land. Rather than claiming a homestead of his own, Roberts became a “locator,” helping others choose homestead sites. During his days as Sheriff, he was known for enforcing the law concerning prohibition. In 1924, he had confiscated 62 moonshine stills in Deschutes County. It is estimated that he seized and destroyed 16,600 gallons of mash and 986 gallons of moonshine in the years he was Sheriff.

Pray for the law enforcement of Deschutes County.

Oregon’s 28th Senate District includes Klamath County and parts of Jackson and Deschutes Counties. The Senator for District 28 has been Dennis Linthicum since 2016. A conservative, Senator Linthicum was part of the group of 10 senators who boycotted the legislature and, because they incurred more than 10 absences, were barred from running for reelection after their current terms ends. The decision was appealed, but the court decided in favor of the ban. Senator Linthicum will be out of office in January, 2025 and not allowed to run for reelected. 

He has, however, registered to run for Secretary of State. Keep Senator Linthicum in prayer.


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