Wasco County Sheriff’s Office Revives Dedicated Position To Serve Remote Communities
By Andrew Cutler
While on the job, Kyle Veracruz knows there is a good chance that when he meets someone for the first time, they could be in the middle of their worst day. As a deputy with the Wasco County Sheriff’s Department, he knows that’s part of his role. Yet he focuses on treating people like family and never judging them by their circumstances.
“I think treating people with compassion gets lost in our society nowadays,” Kyle says. “We’re so quick to judge people before we’ve even met them. The key is to just sit down, listen, and do your best to help solve their problem, no matter who they are or what’s going on.”
As the deputy assigned to south Wasco County, Kyle patrols a wide swath of rural land where his attitude of compassionate policing is a positive force for thousands of residents. The deputy position, which became permanent Jan. 1, marks a return to a model the sheriff’s office used for decades.
Lane Magill, who became sheriff in 2016, says he always saw the position as crucial, but personnel shortages scuttled his attempts to fill the slot.
“When I first became sheriff, we had 17 slots allocated for the entire sheriff’s office,” he says. “We worked really hard for about a year on getting an additional position added.”
A Territory as Vast as the Challenge
Kyle’s patrol area extends across about 1,100 square miles. The route stretches from milepost 22 at Tygh Ridge Summit south to the borders with Clackamas, Jefferson, Sherman, Gilliam, and Wheeler counties. This huge band of territory includes national forest and U.S. Bureau of Land Management lands, along with various rural towns.
“Pine Hollow-Wamic is the largest unincorporated area in Wasco County, with about 1,500 to 1,800 residents,” Lane says. “When you start throwing in visitors to the national forest, on the river, and at the lake, the calls for service go up pretty significantly.”
Kyle, who is based out of a satellite office at South Wasco County High School, can remain in the local area rather than driving back to The Dalles to complete his administrative tasks.
Community Anticipates Benefits
Maupin resident Donna Henderson sees several important benefits of having a dedicated deputy serving south Wasco County. At the top of her list is the improvement in emergency response times.
“With a deputy assigned specifically to the area, response times to emergencies, accidents, and other incidents would be quicker,” she says. “This could make a significant difference, particularly in a rural area where coverage is often spread thin over a vast area of square miles.”
Perhaps most importantly, Donna notes, a deputy working specifically in South Wasco County will develop expertise in the unique aspects of the region, from its geography to its seasonal population fluctuations and rural crime patterns.
“Ultimately, this move could create a safer, more cohesive environment for residents and visitors alike, while making law enforcement more accessible and responsive to the specific needs of south Wasco County and Maupin,” she says.
From Marines to Law Enforcement
The theme of serving and protecting the community is deep-seated in Kyle. His parents worked for the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, but a law enforcement career wasn’t Kyle’s first choice.
After graduating from high school near Oregon City, Kyle enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2012 and served as an intelligence analyst for 5 years.
His first brush with law enforcement was during a high school criminal justice class. The class required students to ride along with a deputy.
Through his mother’s connection at the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, Kyle was paired with a senior deputy.
“He spent 10 hours driving me to fire stations, showing me how much their life is better than his,” Kyle says. “I did my best the entire time to explain to him, like, it’s just a class, I’m really not interested.”
That changed dramatically in the final 30 minutes of the shift when the deputy initiated a pursuit of a stolen vehicle, ending with K-9 units and an arrest.
“I was just an observer at the time,” Kyle says. “But it was at that point I was like, ‘OK, I can understand how this could be slightly fun.’”
After he left the Marine Corps, Kyle joined the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office in July 2017. 2 years later, his wife wanted to return to her roots near The Dalles, so Kyle transferred to the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office.
The switch from Portland-area law enforcement to rural policing translated into servicing anywhere from 10 to 20 calls in a shift and writing 5 to 7 reports, to a few calls and perhaps one report a week.
Kyle liked the change of pace. “It allowed me to mature in the job and give what I was always looking for, which was to be able to give that intimate level of service,” he says. “When you work in these large metro areas, you’re so busy that you don’t get to know these people. A lot of the time, it feels like you’re putting Band-Aids on knife wounds.”
Community Connection
Lane says Kyle was the right choice for the position because of his ability to bond with local residents.
“He’s really good at relationships with people,” he says. “He has a way about talking to citizens. He’s a good listener and tries to figure out common-sense solutions to problems.”
Maupin Mayor Carol Beatty says she has heard from a number of residents about the positive impact of having a dedicated deputy in South County.
“They’re very excited to have a full-time deputy assigned to the area,” she says.
Kyle says the flexibility of his position permits him to modify his schedule to meet community needs that run the gamut from working a school zone early in the morning to monitoring a late prep basketball game.
“People feel like they see us now,” he says. “If they call, it’s not a 40- or 50-minute response time. It could be anywhere from 10 minutes up to 20. It’s nothing to let people just talk and let people just be heard and hear their concerns and then have the time to legitimately address them.”
Building School Connections
The sheriff’s office satellite site at the high school is a pillar in a larger strategy to build and enhance ties with local youth.
“Part of the philosophy of the agency is being in schools,” Kyle says. “In small communities, I really believe it starts with the kids, building those relationships and helping those kids understand that we’re here to help.”
South Wasco County School Principal Mark Endsley says Kyle’s presence is a crucial benefit.
“It is a plus for many of our students to interact with law enforcement in positive ways and learn that officers are reasonable and friendly people,” Mark says. “This is a contrast from the experience some of our students have when their only interactions might be confrontational around their homes or out in public.”
An on-site deputy provides another key tool for students and staff: peace of mind.
“If we have a serious problem for some reason, we frequently have someone on-site that can assist,” Mark says. “At the very least, we know he is in the region within striking distance if there is a problem. That creates a generally calmer environment.”