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Sheriff's employees: Continue Falls' legacy Jackson County Sheriff's Office employees want the county commissioners to replace outgoing Sheriff Corey Falls, pictured, with someone like Falls. Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch Monday Dec 5, 2016 at 3:25 PM Dec 5, 2016 at 3:25 PM Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune @VickieAldous Jackson County Sheriff's Office employees have asked county commissioners to choose a replacement for Sheriff Corey Falls who will continue Falls' progressive policies and cooperative approach with their union. The employees sent a letter to the Jackson County Board of Commissioners in advance of the board's meeting Tuesday morning to discuss the replacement process. The board meets at 9 a.m. in the Jackson Room of the Jackson County Courthouse, 10 S. Oakdale Ave., Medford. Meanwhile, a coalition of community leaders is also calling for a replacement who will continue Falls' progressive, community policing-oriented approach. The county charter allows county commissioners to appoint a replacement. Residents can vote on a sheriff during the next general election in November 2018. Falls has accepted a job as director of police services and 21st-century policing with the city of Gresham east of Portland. Falls is expected to start his new position in late December or early January. Falls won a May 2014 primary against former sheriff Mike Winters, who later announced his retirement and support for Falls. Falls won the November 2014 election and took office in 2015. The Jackson County Sheriff Employees Association, a union representing sheriff's office employees, issued a letter saying Falls' resignation is unfortunate given the healthy relationship that has been fostered over the last two years between the union and current administration. Together, the union and administration have taken steps to build a strong, progressive department, the letter said. "The outreach to the community has improved a lot," JCSEA President Noah Strohmeyer said in an interview. As an example, Strohmeyer, who is also a deputy, pointed to a recent citizens' academy conducted in Spanish. He said the academy was an effective way to reach out to and engage with Latino residents. "We've also had advances in training. We used to do just the standard training, like firearms and driving. Now we do more and cover topics like ethics and fair and impartial policing. We do more modern training than we used to," Strohmeyer said. Compared to Falls' predecessors, Strohmeyer said, the relationship between the union and Falls and his three captains is more professional and cooperative. "We can sit down and talk. The sheriff and captains are always willing to work with us. We don't always agree, but there's give and take," he said. Choosing one of the captains to replace Falls would provide continuity, Strohmeyer said. The three captains are Nathan Sickler, in charge of the operations bureau; Dan Penland, in charge of the corrections bureau; and Tim Snaith, in charge of the support bureau. "We're not officially endorsing any one person at this time," Strohmeyer said. "That being said, Capts. Sickler, Snaith and Penland have all had a hand in making things as good as they have been in the last two years." The current cooperative relationship between employees and the administration creates efficiency, according to the union's letter. "The vast majority of issues that have come up have been successfully resolved without the need for lengthy grievance procedures and litigation," the letter said. "We believe that the current cooperative leadership approach effectively utilizes resources, making greater use of tax revenue. This effective utilization of our resources has allowed us to increase our focus on public safety." The letter continued, "The successful cooperation of the last two years is a testimony to this administration’s dedication to professionalism and public safety, which is a striking contrast to the methods of his predecessor." Strohmeyer said the union would not like to see county commissioners take a step backward by appointing a past sheriff. "In the past, there was very, very little give and take. There was very little healthy debate," he said. "We're happy with where we are right now." Strohmeyer said he believes voters also want the sheriff's office to continue on the trajectory that Falls has set. "Voters decided two years ago not to go into the past. We have a lot of dark days behind us, and we want to keep them behind us," he said. The letter calls on county commissioners to appoint a new sheriff as soon as possible, and not have an undersheriff or chief deputy fill in as a stopgap measure for a protracted period of time.  Strohmeyer said he had heard retired Medford Police Chief Tim George's name floated as a potential sheriff appointee. Strohmeyer said he hasn't worked for George and can't offer an opinion about whether George would be a good fit. The Medford Police Department also has taken progressive steps, including outreach to Latinos and training on how to interact with mentally ill people. In 2006, George was a police lieutenant and ran unsuccessfully for Jackson County sheriff against Mike Winters. George became police chief in 2011. As county commissioners consider a replacement, the Health Equity Coalition of Southern Oregon, too, is urging them to appoint someone with a community-policing approach. Coalition Chairperson Larissa Medina said a relationship of trust is essential to effective crime prevention and law enforcement because the sheriff’s office needs cooperation and support from the community. “Trust is also essential to protect the rights and safety of all residents, including racially and ethnically diverse communities, people with disabilities, LGBTQ communities and low-income individuals,” Medina said. “The policies and trainings Sheriff Falls put in place have gone a long way toward restoring that trust. We need the county commissioners to replace him with someone who will keep moving the sheriff’s office forward.” The coalition lauded Falls for new hiring policies to improve recruitment in underrepresented communities, anti-bias training to help staff recognize and prevent biased treatment of particular groups, and community-led training on policing that serves and protects the LGBTQ community. “The best way to support our sheriff’s office and the populations it serves is to provide training in the best community policing practices, set high standards and ensure accountability,” said Maggie Sullivan, a Health Equity Coalition staff member. “That’s what Sheriff Falls has been doing. His replacement must be someone who has demonstrated both the commitment and experience to continue the progress the sheriff’s office has made.” The steering committee of the Health Equity Coalition of Southern Oregon includes members from La Clinica, Southern Oregon University, ACCESS, Unite Oregon, Advantage Dental, Medford School District, Latino Partnership Program, Southern Oregon Educational Service District, Oregon Health Authority, Jackson Care Connect, Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing, AllCare, Rogue Community Health and Medford Police Department. — Reach staff reporter Vickie Aldous at 541-776-4486 or [email protected]. Follow her at www.twitter.com/VickieAldous.